By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-872993.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Governor Granholm says a state-run military school for troubled teens will remain open, although it will be accepting fewer students. The Michigan Youth Challenge Academy was scheduled to close at the end of this year due to budget cuts.
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The Michigan Youth Challenge Academy takes in high school dropouts from across the state. The 22-week residential program is operated by the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Most of its graduates earn a high school equivalency diploma. The academy typically graduates roughly 250 students a year.
Closing the academy was part of Governor Granholm's response to the state's budget crisis. At the same time, state officials scrambled to find alternative funding.
With just a month to go, the state was able to strike a deal with federal military authorities. Federal funding will cover three quarters of the academy's operating costs, but the academy will only be able to take in about take in about half the students it normally does.
Governor Granholm says she's pleased the academy will remain open next year despite the tough economy and the budget crisis.