Bids Submitted For Turning 50 Detroit Schools Into Charter Schools
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Bids have been submitted by 18 organizations to transform 50 Detroit public schools into charter operations.
The district said Tuesday that several of the organizations identified ``multiple schools'' they want to run as charters.
Applications for the new charter schools seeking to open this fall will be evaluated and recommendations made to district emergency financial manager Robert Bobb by early June.
The schools named in the proposals by interested operators include: Jemison, Gardner, Carver, Howe, Davison, White, Loving, Burns, Noble, Nolan, Stewart, Brewer, Detroit City High, Catherine Ferguson Academy, Hancock, Barsamian, MacDowell and Clark.
Some operators may be asked to consider alternate schools as identified by the district or be given conditional approval to operate a school in 2012.
The charters would be authorized by the district and are part of a plan to restructure the school system. The district hopes to turn 45 schools into charters, saving millions of dollars in operating costs.
The DPS Renaissance 2012 Plan seeks to radically restructure academically-failing schools and significantly reduce operating costs by seeking proposals from local and national groups and charter school operators for 45 of the district's 141 schools.
DPS will serve as the authorizer of the charter schools beginning in fall 2011.
The deadline for the bids was May 2, 2011.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
