LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan House may be poised to vote on compromise legislation to grant Detroit Public Schools a $617 million bailout.
The chamber released official versions of the legislation Thursday, and lawmakers emerged from hours of private negotiations.
The plan includes a $150 million loan to help create to a new district. It also grants authority to a Financial Review Commission to approve the school system’s operating budget. That commission would also have the final say on firing superintendents.
The legislation also includes fines for teachers or administrators engaging in strikes, which are illegal for public employees in Michigan. Teachers would have to pay fines equal to a day of their pay for each day they protested.
That comes after Detroit teachers called in sick earlier this year to protest poor school conditions and the possibility of not being paid if the district ran out of money.
