BY: LAURA WEBBER
Gov. Rick Snyder said one of the first things he would like the Legislature to address is the role and authority of emergency financial managers for school districts and municipalities.
Snyder said the Emergency Financial Manager's Act is not clear enough, and a financial manager should be allowed to intervene earlier.
"I don't know, I don't know what's being proposed. I'm really anxious to see what is being proposed, hopefully we'll have some input, given my experience" said Robert Bobb, the Emergency Financial Manager of Detroit Public Schools
Bobb said the emergency financial manager of a school district should be allowed to take over the curriculum as well as finances because money is involved in all facets of school systems. A judge denied Bobb that authority.
"There could be more in the future that an emergency financial manager should have complete authority over the operations of a school district and/or a municipality, working with their elected leadership" Bobb said.
Bobb said he is encouraged by the governor acknowledging the issue in his State of the State speech, but is unclear on what is being proposed, and he is anxious to hear details.