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News from Lansing. The centerpiece of the network is its award-winning state Capitol bureau. As a member of MPRN, our Capitol staff covers the governor’s office and executive agencies, the Legislature, and appellate courts. The MI Public Radio Network is a consortium of 10 licensed public broadcasters with 31 transmitters serving nearly 900,000 listeners statewide. MPRN stations are committed to sharing resources to get news and information to public radio listeners all across Michigan.

Gov. Snyder Open To Deal For State To Assume Detroit Public School Debt

Gov. Rick Snyder says he’s open to the idea of the state taking over debt from Detroit Public Schools (DPS).

A long-awaited reportreleased this week by the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren recommended the move. It urges the state to assume hundreds of millions of dollars in DPS debt.

  

The governor has stopped short of endorsing the plan – but says he’ll consider it.

“They’ve been financially challenged for a long time, as have other school districts in the state of Michigan. And that’s always something we should be open minded to looking at. But we need to be thoughtful about how we would do anything to be helpful,” Snyder told reporters while briefly answering press questions after an unrelated event in Detroit on Tuesday.

“That’s something where we’d have to carefully consider, and really not look at bailouts, per se, but to say if it’s helpful for long term sustainability we need to be open minded.”

Snyder says he’s also open to similar deals with districts across the state that are in financial trouble.

Some state lawmakers who serve on education committees say they’re also open to the idea. But others have indicated skepticism about the report’s recommendations – including the idea of state taxpayers taking over DPS debt.

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