Governor Snyder has appointed eleven people to oversee the state’s Education Achievement System. That’s the system designed to turnaround the state’s worst schools – starting with Detroit.
The Education Achievement Authority Board will be led by Detroit Public School’s Emergency Manager Roy Roberts. Other members include the president of Meijer, the head of the Skillman Foundation, and the former president of Consumers Energy.
"I applaud this very credible and successful group of community and business leaders for their willingness to serve in this most important endeavor and look forward to much productive work to make a difference in the lives of Detroit youth," Roberts said in a statement released by the Governor's office. "I will be reaching out immediately to the board members to schedule our first organizational meeting to take place within the next two weeks."
Mike Duggan is CEO of Detroit Medical Center. He says the Governor asked him to sit on the board and make sure school officials, teachers and students are held accountable:
"I’ve historically had a good relationship with the teachers unions; hopefully I can build a more collaborative relationship between the governor and teachers unions to do something about these schools."
Duggan says he will "do everything I can to try to make sure poor kids have the same opportunities as rich kids."
No specifics have been released as to what the Board’s duties will entail. The group has yet to meet; they’re waiting for a call from Emergency Manager Roberts to hear about next steps.
You can read more about the new members of the EAA board here.
