DETROIT – When Darnell Earley was introduced as the emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools (DPS) he had 45 days to deliver a financial and operating plan to the governor.
Now that he's done with that he's putting a plan into action that he thinks will have DPS ready to exit state receivership by the end of his 18-month tenure. He is planning on being the last emergency manager for Detroit's schools.
On Tuesday, Earley announced a 10-point plan that's broken up into two categories: academics and operations.
Academics:
1. Academic Competitiveness
2. Higher Education
3. Special Education
4. Transportation
5. Customer Service
Operations:
1. Cash Flow Stability
2. Governance
3. Staff Development
4. Organizational Development
5. Comprehensive Funding Strategy
Organizational goals begin with stabilizing the district's $170 million deficit. Sliding enrollment has contributed to the money troubles. About 47,000 fulltime students were enrolled last fall. About 104,000 students were in the district in 2007.
Earley was appointed in January by Gov. Rick Snyder. He is Detroit Public Schools' fourth emergency manager since 2009.