Snyder May Move School Turnaround District To Agency He Controls

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder is considering a shake-up of Michigan's office charged with turning around failing schools.

The state school reform/redesign district is in the state Department of Education, whose leader reports to the independently elected, Democratic-controlled Board of Education.

The Republican governor soon may issue an executive order transferring the turnaround district's functions to an agency he has control over: the Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

As of last month, a Snyder-backed Detroit authority running 15 low-performing schools in the city no longer has exclusive functions of the state's turnaround district.

Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said Wednesday he's looking at "all options" to ensure Michigan has a strong public school system, including a potential executive order. She says "nothing is final or determined at this point."

© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.