Michigan Pays Legal Fees for Detroit Public Schools

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DETROIT — Jul 24, 2016, 12:44 PM ET

The state Department of Treasury say it will pay more than $300,000 in legal fees to sue two Detroit Public Schools teachers for what the district alleges was their roles in instigating massive teacher sickouts.

The Detroit News reports ( http://detne.ws/2aaAKED ) Treasury Department spokesman Jeremy Sampson said in an email that the agency understands the school district's financial situation and has been assisting the district in many areas. State lawmakers approved a $617 million rescue plan last month to pay off $467 million in district debt and establish a new, debt-free Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Nicole Conaway and Steve Conn are accused in the lawsuit of encouraging sick-outs that closed dozens of schools earlier this year. The two teachers say they are protected by the First Amendment.

———

Information from: The Detroit News

Michigan to pay DPS legal fees in sickout suit

Shawn D. Lewis, The Detroit News 11:20 a.m. EDT July 24, 2016

Detroit Public Schools will not be on the hook to pay more than $300,000 in legal fees to sue two teachers for what the district claims was their roles in instigating massive teacher sickouts earlier in the year.

The Michigan Department of Treasury says it will foot the bill.

“Nearly $320,000 has been billed,” Treasury spokesman Jeremy Sampson said late last week. “DPS is reviewing the invoices and then they are sending them to Treasury for payment. Treasury is sending the money directly to Dickinson Wright.”

The revelation that the state would pay the bills came in an email to The News this week from DPS after the paper reported that the district had been billed more than $285,000 in legal fees by the Dickinson Wright law firm to pursue a lawsuit against ousted Detroit Federation of Teachers president Steve Conn and East English Village Academy High School teacher Nicole Conaway.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]