Detroit school board to seek court order

WKAR Public Media

Published July 15, 2009 at 7:15 AM EDT

By AP

DETROIT – The Detroit Board of Education will seek a court order to stop the emergency financial manager from privatizing the management of most of the district's high schools.

Board President Carla Scott tells The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press that Tuesday night's unanimous vote will force Robert Bobb to include the board in academic decisions. Board members say Bobb overstepped his legal authority when he announced last week that four companies will manage 17 of the cash-strapped district's 22 high schools.

Bobb told WDIV-TV on Wednesday morning that the board's claim is "basically ridiculous." He said "there's nothing in Public Act 72 which speaks to the board's authority over academics."

Bobb said the move is necessary to boost student achievement and graduation rates.

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