REAL-TIME CLOSED CAPTIONING
PROVIDED BY U.S. CAPTIONING
COMPANY
WHICH INDUSTRIES ARE
GROWING?
WHAT AREAS ARE CONTRACTING AND
HOW TO MAKE METRO DETROIT AN
EVEN SMARTER INVESTMENT.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT A NEW REPORT
CARD ON OUR REGION.
IS IT TIME TO CLOSE THE BOOK ON
THE EAA?
TODAY IS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13TH,
2015 AND THIS IS FLASH POINT.
HI, WELCOME TO FLASH POINT, GOOD
TO HAVE YOU WITH US THIS
MORNING.
IT WAS A LOUD WEEK ON A COUPLE
OF FRONTS.
YES, CERTAINLY, DONALD TRUMP
SEEMED TO CONTROL THE NATIONAL
DISCOURSE, THIS TIME IT WAS A
PLAN TO KEEP MUSLIMS FROM IN THE
UNITED STATES EVEN IF THEY
HAPPEN TO BE AMERICAN CITIZENS.
IT DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER IT WAS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL, IT WAS DEBATED
AS IF IT WAS A BALLOT
REFERENDUM.
AND IN TRUMPION FASHION, HIS
SUPPORTERS ARE THAT MUCH MORE
FOR HIM AND OPPONENTS REPULSED
FROM I AM HAD.
AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAYNE STATE
TRIED TO HOST A CONVERSATION ON
WHAT THE FINANCIAL AND LEGAL
WORLDS SEEMED TO SEE A STORY FOR
SURVIVING CHAPTER 9.
THE REAL WORLD SHOUTED IT DOWN
AND CANCELED AS THE GOVERNOR,
THE MAYOR AND JUDGE JUST HAD TO
GIVE UP AND GO HOME.
NOW, THAT CAME ONE NIGHT AFTER
AN ANGRY CROWD BOOED AND HISSED
AS EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
DECIDED KNOW THE TO BAIL OUT OF
THE CONTROVERSIAL EDUCATION
ACHIEVEMENT AUTHORITY.
THE EAA HAS BEEN A PORCUPINE
FROM THE START.
DOES IT HAVE NEAR ENOUGH TO SHOW
FOR ITSELF, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT
OF THREE INDICTMENTMENTS THAT
CAME DO UNON PEOPLE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE EAA.
THE DETROIT REGION, ARE WE READY
FOR THE FUTURE?
IT'S ALL THIS MORNING ON FLASH
POINT.
♪
WELL, A TOUGH WEEK FOR THE
EAA, THE GOVERNOR'S ESPECIALLY
CREATED SCHOOL DISTRICT MADE UP
OF THE THREE MOST CONTROVERSIAL
SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES.
THEY SAY THERE HAVEN'T SHOWN ANY
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SCHOOLS AND
NOW WITH THREE INDICTMENTS,
THEY'RE MORE ANGRY THAN EVER.
FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD, THEY SAY
IS A SCHOOL BOARD IN EXILE, I
GUESS, TODAY.
AND FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER
AND NOW A MEMBER OF THE EAA.
AND LAMAR, LET ME START WITH
YOU, I'M SURE IT WAS LONG BEFORE
THIS WEEK THAT YOU DECIDED THAT
THE EAA PROBABLY NEEDED TO GO,
BUT YOU FEEL EVEN STRONGER ABOUT
IT NOW?
EVEN FROM ITS INCEPTION, THEY
TOOK MONEY FROM THE DETROIT
PUBLIC SCHOOL, TOOK OUR STAFF
AND RESOURCES TO CREATE THE EAA
AND TOOK SCHOOLS THAT DID NOT
QUALIFY TO BE ADDED TO THE EAA
AND PUT THEM THERE ANYWAY
BECAUSE THEY COULD.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE EAA BOARD
WAS THE PERSON, THE EMERGENCY
MANAGER FOR THE DETROIT PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, SO HE SIGNED A CONTRACT
WITH HIMSELF.
TALK ABOUT CONFLICT OF INTEREST
AND THEN LOANED MONEY FROM THE
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO THE
EAA WHEN THEY WERE INSOLVENT.
THESE WERE ALL SCHOOLS
PERFORMING VERY, VERY BADLY.
TO DO NOTHING, SOME WOULD SAY,
IT WOULD BE ITS OWN KIND OF
MALPRACTICE, ITS OWN KIND OF
NEGLECT.
WASN'T IT WELL INTENTIONED AT
THE OUTSET?
NO, BECAUSE THE SAME PEOPLE
WHO RAN THE EAA RAN THE DETROIT
PUBLIC SCHOOL.
GOVERNOR SNYDER DETROIT PUBLIC
SCHOOL AND GOVERNOR SNYDER'S
EAA.
YOU'RE PLAYING MUSICAL CHAIRS
AND MOVED ONE INSTITUTION FROM
THE OTHER.
THERE'S NOTHING THAT HE COULD
NOT CREATE IN THE EAA AND THE
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
IT WAS A SHELL GAME FROM THE
OUTSET.
WE'LL TRY NOT TO BLEED
BETWEEN THE TWO.
ON THE EAA, HAVE YOU NOT GIVEN
UP ON IT YET?
IT'S BEEN A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME
WITHOUT MUCH SUCCESS TO SHOW.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
WHY THE EAA WAS CREATED.
THIS WAS A BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO
ENSURE THAT THE LOWEST
PERFORMING DPS SCHOOLS GOT
ATTENTION AND THAT WAS REQUIRED
UNDER OUR RACE TO THE TOP
APPLICATION THAT WOULD HAVE
GOTTEN MICHIGAN ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES, HAD WE BEEN
SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THE MONEY.
IT HAD TO BE IN THE APPLICATION
AND THE RIGHT IDEA.
THESE SCHOOLS HAD BEEN
PERENNIALLY FAILING THE CHILDREN
OF DETROIT.
SO THE LOWEST PERFORMING SCHOOLS
WENT INTO THE EAA.
THEY DIDN'T CHERRY PICK THE BEST
SCHOOLS.
THERE WERE GOOD BUILDINGS THAT
WENT ALONG WITH THE EAA, BUT
THOSE WERE COINCIDENTALLY BETTER
PERFORMING SCHOOLS THAT HAD NEW
BUILDINGS.
THE EAA WAS SET UP WITHOUT
ADEQUATE FUNDING INITIALLY, BUT
THOSE PROBLEMS WITH ULTIMATELY
RESOLVED.
WITHOUT A LOAN FROM DPS, THAT
WAS STATE MONEY GOING THROUGH
DPS, THE $10 MILLION ALLEGED
LOAN WAS ACTUALLY MONEY FROM THE
STATE THAT HAD TO GO THROUGH DPS
BECAUSE THE EAA WAS NOT ELIGIBLE
TO BORROW IN THE FIRST YEAR OF
SERVICE.
NOW, THESE INDICTMENTS THAT
COME DOWN, AND AGAIN, THESE ARE
ONLY INDICTMENTS, NOBODY'S BEEN
CONVICTED YET, BUT THE
INDICTMENTS THAT CAME DOWN ON
THURSDAY, WHILE THESE AREN'T
INDICTMENTS ON THE EAA, THEY ARE
OF BEHAVIOR HAPPENING WITHIN THE
EAA AGAINST INDIVIDUALS
CONNECTED TO IT.
DOES THAT, CLEARLY, IT HURTS
YOUR CAUSE, RIGHT?
WELL, IT'S VERY UNFORTUNATE.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT
THE EAA UNCOVERED THIS
WRONGDOING THROUGH AN INTERNAL
INVESTIGATION AND TURNED IT OVER
TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
COOPERATED WITH THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT, WHICH HAS LED TO
THESE INDICTMENTS.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD
SUGGEST THAT THERE HAS NEVER
BEEN ANY WRONGDOING AT DPS OR
ANY OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE
STATE OF MICHIGAN FOR THAT
MATTER.
OCCASIONALLY PEOPLE DO WRONG.
THE QUESTION, ARE THEY FOUND,
TURNED OVER TO THE POLICE, ARE
THEY PROSECUTED AND CONVICTED.
IT APPEARS THAT THAT PROCESS
IS UNDERWAY.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON IT?
YOU'VE WATCHED FROM THE START
AND WRITTEN A LOT ABOUT IT.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE?
WHEN A PUBLIC BODY WITH EAA
LOST PUBLIC CONFERENCE, WE NEED
TO REDEFINE WHAT THE EAA WAS.
AND FROM THE START IT WAS BESET
WITH PROBLEMS.
CALL IT AN ENTITY FOR THE LOWEST
PERFORMING SCHOOLS, IT'S HARD TO
ATTRACT.
IT'S DIFFICULT TO ATTRACT ANYONE
OR ANY CHILD INTO THAT SCHOOL.
NO PARENTS IN THEIR RIGHT MIND
WANT TO SEND THEIR CHILD TO AN
ENTITLE CALLED THE LOWEST
PERFORMING SCHOOL.
IT'S NOT A SELLING POINT.
FROM THE ONSET, I THINK
THAT'S A PROBLEM.
AGAIN, INDICTMENTS, WE KNOW THAT
EVERYONE IS PROVEN INNOCENT
UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
WITH THE INDICTMENTS AND JUST
THE FINANCIAL PRACTICE AND YOU
KNOW, THE ALLEGATION THAT WE
BASICALLY SEE UNFOLDING, I THINK
IT'S BAD FOR THE EAA.
IT'S LOSING FOR EVERY MINUTE AND
SECOND AND TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT
EAA POSSIBLY REMOVE OR SCRAP THE
EAA BECAUSE THEY'VE LOST PUBLIC
CONFIDENCE.
NO ONE WILL SEND THEIR CHILD TO
AN ENTITY CALLED THE LOWEST
PERFORMING SCHOOLS.
BUT THE RESPONSE TO THAT IS, WE
HAVE TO TELL THE TRUTH TO
PARENTS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THE SCHOOLS.
FOR TOO LONG, PARENTS HAVE BEEN
IN THE DARK ABOUT THE POOR
QUALITY ARE THE SCHOOLS THEIR
CHILDREN WERE ATTENDING AND
NOBODY WAS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT
IT.
WE NEED TON TRANSPARENT WITH
PARENTS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING
WITH EDUCATION IN DETROIT.
AND WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, STOP
SPENDING SO MUCH TIME ARGUING
OVER STRUCTURE OR WHETHER, YOU
KNOW, SOME INDIVIDUAL DID
SOMETHING WRONG AT THIS POINT
PLACE OR THAT PLACE.
NO, NO IT'S--
FIGURE OUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO
IN THE CLASSROOM IN ORDER TO
IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF
EDUCATION.
THESE ARE TAX DOLLARS,
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
THAT'S WHY I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT WHAT THE DOLLARS SHOULD BE
DONE.
AT THE CORE OF THE PUBLIC
EDUCATION IS PUBLIC INTEGRITY.
FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO
ADDRESS THIS POINT.
WHEN THE DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ACT AS A CONDUIT TO SEND TO OUR
COMPETING SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND ONE IS--
IS COMPETING A FAIRWAY TO
THINK OF IT?
YES, THEY WENT OUT, YOU LIVE
IN THE COMMUNITY AND LIVE IN
DETROIT, AND THEY WENT OUT AND
SOLICITED STUDENTS TO THE EAA.
THEY DIDN'T WORK ON THE STUDENTS
THEY HAD.
THEY WERE ACTIVELY CAMPAIGNING,
SPENT SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF
TAXPAYER MONEY TRYING TO RECRUIT
STUDENTS INTO THE EAA.
AND WHEN ONE IS A CONDUIT,
THAT'S MONEY LAUNDERING BY
DEFINITION.
I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN MONEY
LAUNDERING, I CAN'T AFFIRM THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT.
BUT LET ME SAY THIS, I
UNDERSTAND HIS PASSION.
IN THE LARGEST SCHEME OF THINGS,
WE C
WE CANNOT ABDICATE THE ABILITY
WITH THE KIDS.
THAT'S A FACT.
Devin: IN FACT, LAMAR, SOME
WHO HAVE BEEN UNSET FROM THE GET
H
GET-GO TO THE GOVERNMENT
REACHING OUT HIS HAND AND--
JOHN ENGLER AND SO ON.
IF I COULD CONVINCE YOU IT'S IN
THE BEST INTEREST OF THE KIDS,
COULD WE EVER GET THAT ONE OFF
THE TABLE OR IS LOCAL CONTROL SO
MUCH THE REAL CENTERPOINT OF
YOUR ARGUMENT.
IT'S NEVER IN THE BEST
INTEREST OF THE KIDS TO
DISEMPOWER THEIR PARENTS AND
REMOVE DEMOCRACY, NOT IN
AMERICA, ANYWAY, TO REMOVE
DEMOCRACY.
Devin: THAT'S TO THE POINT,
THAT DPS WAS FAILING BEFORE.
IN 1999 THE DETROIT NEWS
PRINTED--
1998, THEY SAID THE DETROIT TEST
SCORES WERE SOARING.
IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST SCHOOLS
IN THE COUNTRY.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY.
Devin: I DON'T REMEMBER THAT
ARTICLE.
WAIT A MINUTE, LET ME FINISH.
IN THE COUNTRY FOR THOSE
SCHOOLS, FOR URBAN SCHOOLS IN
AMERICA AND WE HAD REPORTING
BACK TO THE DETROIT PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, WE HAD 40 SCHOOLS BACK
AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL--
YOU GET THE LAST.
AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
ADULT STRUCTURES WHEN WE SHOULD
BE TALKING ABOUT CLASSROOM
EXCELLENCE.
Devin: I APPRECIATE THE
CONVERSATION.