Following the removal of Emergency Manager Jack Martin due to the pending court case and the prior court’s decision that the meetings of the financial review team were subject to the Open Meetings Act, Highland Park Schools was left with the choice of closing or taking a payless payday on Friday.
Late Thursday afternoon, the House of Representatives and the Senate moved a measure, House Bill 4445, to provide $4 million dollars in funding; however, the funding will not go to the school district. House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe), along with other Republican thought-leaders, made it clear that they had no intention of providing more funding to a mismanaged school district. Instead, the money is being appropriated (the Governor is expected to sign the bill Friday) in order to award $4,000 per student to a school district that accepts a transferred student from the failing district.
The measure passed the House of Representatives 63-44 with only Democratic Representative Richard LeBlanc (D-Westland) voting “yes” with all the Republicans. The Senate vote was also nearly along party lines with four Republicans voting “no” – Senators Jack Brandenburg (R-Hamburg Township), Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba), Dave Robertson (R-Grand Blanc), and Tory Rocca (R-Sterling Heights), and two Democrats voting “yes” – Senators Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) and Steve Bieda (D-Warren).
Emergency Manager Jack Martin cannot be reinstated until next Thursday as the Highland Park School Board decided late Thursday not to appeal the second financial emergency declaration.