Nine school districts in Michigan have signed deals to delay potential state-ordered closures of 37 of their chronically low-performing schools.
The state Education Department made the announcement Wednesday, after Pontiac became the final district to agree to a "partnership" agreement this week. Others with deals include Detroit, Benton Harbor, Saginaw, River Rouge, Bridgeport-Spaulding, East Detroit, Muskegon Heights and Kalamazoo.
State Superintendent Brian Whiston says the districts "are in control of their future." Each agreement includes 18- and 36-month accountability timelines when the schools will be evaluated.
Another state office had threatened to close 38 schools this summer that have ranked in the bottom 5 percent for at least three straight years.
Twenty-five are in Detroit, including one charter school whose authorizer is in the process of closing it.
