Detroit Public Schools Initiate A "Virutal School District" Within A School District For Its Failing Schools

BET News: Detroit's Failing Public Schools Are No Longer The Responsibility Of The School Board

Roy Rogers becomes the second "Automotive Executive" to take the reigns of an important institution in Detroit.  He joins Mayor David Bing - an owner of an automotive services firm in attempting to make major reforms within the city.

Who knows what will end the educational crisis in the city of Detroit, but officials are trying to find a solution. On Monday, Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder announced that the worst of Detroit Public Schools—which Education Secretary Arne Duncan calls the “bottom of the barrel”—will no longer be under the control of the city.

In the fall of 2012 around 45 schools could be moved to a new system in which principals and staff would have more control over spending, hiring and improvement efforts. The governor is hoping that more money will flow directly into the schools since layers of management will be eliminated. Eastern Michigan University will train the new teachers and the schools will be overseen by a private group headed by the state’s appointed emergency financial manager, Roy Roberts.

"The system is broke and I can't fix it, and you can't fix it," Roberts, who’s in charge of the $327 million budget deficit, said at a news conference.

Currently one-in-five students drops out each year and enrollment has dropped from 104,000 in 2007 to 74,000 this year.