Robert Bobb Weighs In on DPS Control Issue

DETROIT - It's a controversial question -- should the mayor take over control of the Detroit Public Schools? However, voters will have no say on the issue now that the city council has decided not to put that question on the ballot. So, what happens now?

People cheered Thursday in city council chambers as the council voted 6-3 not to put the question about mayoral oversight of Detroit Public Schools on the ballot; a decision the ultimately may have led to the elimination of the existing school board.

"Basically, this issue has been put to rest. There will be no issue on the ballot in November," said DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb.

He says he still thinks the mayor should take over as the district struggles to deal with a $663-million deficit.

"There should be a single line of accountability and that should be the mayor, but the citizens of the community should be the (ones) helping to make that decision," Bobb said.

Council President Pro-Tem Gary Brown and Governor Jennifer Granholm insist the fight is not over. Brown has suggested going to the state legislature with a resolution to change the way the district is governed. The state already took over in 2009 when Granholm put Bobb in charge of cleaning up the district's finances.

Bobb will be leaving DPS this coming March. He says he has no idea what will happen after that, but he's working on a transition plan and a plan to eliminate the district's deficit by 2013 or 2014.

"My goal is to give us a transition plan that brings us out of this financial crisis that we're in," said Bobb.

Bobb thinks the city and the school district should consolidate several services, and while the numbers may add up, the plan could be a tough sell in what he calls a hostile, political climate.