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Highland Park Teachers Could Be Asked to Work through Payless Payday

Teachers in Highland Park schools could be asked to work without pay while a standoff between the state and the school board is resolved.  As we hear from Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta, the district is broke, and a legal challenge has forced Governor Rick Snyder to remove a state-appointed emergency manager.       

The emergency manager could be re-appointed as soon as this week, or as late as next week but, in the meantime, there’s no money to make Friday’s payroll.

Democratic state Senator Bert Johnson represents Highland Park. He says teachers may be asked to show up for work anyway because it’s critical that students don’t miss classes.

“Kids have to be in school and we don’t want unintended consequences to occur like parents taking their kids out of school, taking them home, and not bringing them back for the remainder of the semester and that is a very real possibility,” he says.

Republican leaders say there will be no more money for the district until the emergency manager is re-appointed. Contingency plans could include money for Highland Park families to move their kids to another district or to a charter school.  

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.
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