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Suit trying to put end to Bobb's extra pay

Suit trying to put end to Bobb's extra pay. Does anyone think Bobb would ever have gone to Detroit without the extra money from charter school advocates? Note that the AFT says this concern is "frivolous."

BY Chastity Pratt Dawsey

The Detroit school board and 28 other plaintiffs
filed a lawsuit this week to try to stop the
district's emergency financial manager from
receiving thousands of dollars in incentive pay
from private nonprofit groups.

The suit accuses Robert Bobb of taking funds
from organizations that have an interest in
starting charter schools. Competition with
charter schools is a major reason Detroit Public
Schools has lost students, funding and had to lay off thousands of workers.

"Where is all this money coming from, and who
are these people? To me it seems very
suspicious," said Christal Bonner, a teacher at
Finney High and a plaintiff.

As part of his contract, Bobb, a state appointee,
receives $145,000 from the Los Angeles-based
Broad Foundation and other groups, an increase
of $61,000 from the amount the groups
contributed last year to his pay. Bobb agreed last week to a 7.5% cut in base salary, making
his total pay $404,000.

When asked Friday about the lawsuit, Bobb pointed out that last year's contract gave him $84,000 in pay and moving expenses from nonprofits. "This is nothing new," he said.

The Detroit Federation of Teachers voted Thursday against joining the lawsuit, with leadership calling it frivolous. However, the union did vote to file a complaint with the state ethics commission against Bobb for accepting the funds, said Keith Johnson, the president.

The union also voted to join the school board's lawsuit that seeks to stop Bobb from making academic decisions.

Bobb came under fire last week for the pay raise because it came as he declared an impasse and a 10% pay cut on unions that represent secretaries, custodians and bus attendants. However, this week, the district and unions returned to the negotiations and Bobb withdrew the cuts.

— Chastity Pratt Dawsey
Detroit Free Press
2010-03-13
http://www.freep.com/article/201003130300/NEWS01/3130314

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