Judge exceeds power claiming Bobb exceeds power
Wayne Circuit Judge Wendy Baxter ruled that "Bobb's decision to make all academic and social policy choices for the district's more than 70,000 students 'runs afoul' of the legislative intent of the state's emergency financial manager law."

As a judge, that is one of her responsibilities. Provide interpretation of the law as written. If clearer law is desired, the Michigan Legislature needs to fix it.

However, Baxter has revealed her decision may not be based solely on the law. She has treaded into the area of judicial activism when she said:

"Bobb's academic vision to create a competitive marketplace of schools could leave less gifted children by the wayside. The plan is unauthorized, uninformed and a short-term fix where some stand to profit, shielded to some extent from the eye of public oversight of competitive bids."

That is not for you to decide Judge Baxter.

How ironic that Baxter "criticized Bobb's qualifications and those of his chief academic officer, Barbara Byrd-Bennett. . . This is a vision that emanates from a person who had to be chosen solely based on his finance credentials and who has no teaching certificate, training or experience, no education or counseling background; all his study in education has emanated from unvetted sources who may stand to benefit financially should his academic plans come to fruition and who have supplemented his pay."

So Judge, what are your education qualifications? Where is your teaching certificate, training or experience to claim Bobb's academic vision is wrong?

[Online comment - The Detroit News. Posted 12/7/2010.]