Detroit school board candidates: better get to know these folks
More than half of the candidates competing to lead the financially fragile Detroit public school district have filed for bankruptcy, or have had a foreclosure or an eviction, or have lost a lawsuit over unpaid bills, a local media partnership investigation shows.
The stakes for the Detroit Public Schools Community District are high. Leaders statewide will be watching the Nov. 8 election closely because, just five months ago, the Legislature approved a historic $617-million financial restructuring plan for the district, which was on the verge of running out of money. The election comes as Detroit emerges from the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Many leaders insist that a strong public school system is imperative to the city's future.
Voters will face an exhausting list of 63 candidates when they go to the polls, and other than small forums, they have had little opportunity to meet the candidates. The election is unlike any other the city has seen. It was called four months ago, there was no primary and only the top seven finishers will win seats on the board.
To help Detroiters cast informed votes, the Detroit Free Press, Fox 2 Detroit, Bridge Magazine and WDET Detroit Public Radio formed an unprecedented partnership and spent two months investigating the candidates. The reporters reviewed hundreds of pages of court documents, property records, voting histories, tax liens and other public records. They asked the candidates to send in résumés and list their priorities and qualifications. The questionnaire also invited candidates to list missteps the public should know. Not a single candidate disclosed a shortcoming.
But the reporters uncovered many.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/educ...oney/92668352/
