Audit gives gloomy assessment for Detroit schools

An audit conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools has found that Detroit Public Schools is in a long-standing financial crisis that is not improving, and that student achievement appears to be declining. The 228-page report on the district's instructional, procurement, finance, facilities and information technology departments illustrated a school system with no improvement plans or "strategic direction."

To read The Detroit Free Press article, click here. To read The Detroit News article, click here. ALSO: Two insurance companies affiliated with AIG Inc. are suing Detroit Public Schools for $475,000 in unpaid premiums. The lawsuit says that Chicago-based Illinois National Insurance Co. provided one policy and Boston-based Lexington Insurance Co. provided four policies, all for liability insurance to cover the district for operations and employees on district property. The district failed to keep up with payments, and the policies were canceled, leaving a balance of $475,503, almost a fifth of what the district was to pay for coverage over that time. To read The Detroit Free Press article, click here.