We've been following the Detroit Public Schools' (nay, the entire city of Detroit's) makeover attempts for going on a year and a half. Today's edition: Financial Manager Robert Bobb has fired Detroit's superintendent, Teresa Gueyser. If you recall, Bobb is a state appointee whose job it is to get Motor City's school district out from under millions in debt and eradicate cronyism, unethical business practices, and fraud from DPS. The Detroit School Board?and board-appointed Gueyser, at least until today?however, are still in charge of Detroit's academics, despite Bobb's valiant attempts to get full control over Detroit's schools. Bobb says that as Financial Manager, his powers include personnel decisions, and since Gueyser's contract was up today, it's perfectly with in this rights to not renew it. He doesn't plan on filling the position until December.
But here's an interesting twist. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced last month that he wants control of schools, including the power to appoint the superintendent. From what I know about Bing's stance on reforming DPS, he and Bobb are at least philosophically on the same page. Indeed, Bing hopes to get mayoral control before Bobb's appointment is up in March 2011. So is Bobb simply clearing the way for Bing to appoint his own Bobb-minded superintendent? (Bing has made it clear he wants a financial manager and an academic chief for DPS, so it doesn't sound like he'll consolidate the position.) Not according to school board vp Anthony Adams, who thinks Bing would actually be a counterweight to Bobb, presumably pushing current (mostly failed, mostly terrible) school-board-supported ideas. This sounds odd, though, in light of the fact that Bing gaining control would at least neuter if not eliminate the school board (he favors ?disbanding? it). So whose side is Bing really on?
?Stafford Palmieri
