Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Appropriate? Detroit's School Emergency Manager Got a $50,000 Bonus

Appropriate? Detroit's School Emergency Manager Got a $50,000 Bonus  –  Deadline Detroit
Considering the state of Detroit's public school system, some question whether its third emergency manager, Jack Martin, should have gotten bonuses totaling $50,000.
Ann Zaniewski of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Michigan Department of Treasury gave Jack Martin performance bonus in two payments — the first for $23,000 in 2013, and the second for $27,000, which went out around the time he stepped down in mid-January from his 18-month tenure. It was the most he could get under the contract.
"While there were no particular benchmarks (for the bonus pay), Martin worked to stabilize enrollment, restored numerous programs at the elementary and middle school levels, redesigned career tech programs and sold or leased numerous unused or vacant properties which generated millions of dollars for the district," Terry Stanton, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Treasury, wrote in an e-mail.
The Freep reports that Martin had a $225,000-a-year contract and his total compensation over the 18 months was $340,962, not including the bonus pay.
The Freep writes:
Critics point out that the district's ongoing deficit shot up to nearly $170 million under Martin — something the former emergency manager has attributed to several factors, including declining enrollment, a reduction in federal funding and a failed countywide school millage.

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