"A four-year-old letter from the state's treasury department to the district's first elected school board after a 1999-2005 state takeover. Current school board members say the letter proves the district's finances went downhill under the state takeover, and it's central to their argument that state oversight should be limited.The chase
The letter, dated Jan. 10, 2006, shows the district went from a budget surplus to a $48.7 million deficit while under the state's watch. By 2005, the district's debts were refinanced into what amounted to a $216 million loan from the state, according to the letter.
The debate comes as Robert Bobb, the district's emergency financial manager, asks lawmakers to extend his reach to academics. School board members, however, are pleading with Lansing to rein in what some see as an expanded takeover."