Attorney General Blocks Pensions for Administrators Involved in DPS Kickback Scheme

State won’t pay pensions for convicted school officials.

The Michigan Attorney General’s Office says Detroit school officials convicted in a kick-back scheme will have to give back part of their pensions.

A Wayne County Circuit Court ruling requires eight of 13 former Detroit Public Schools administrators to return the portions of their pensions paid by the state and allows the state to stop making pension payments. Andrea Bitely is the Communications Director for the Attorney General. She said the individual pensions may be reduced by as much as $40,000.

“That’s a lot of money for folks to lose,” Bitely said. “But each one of these individuals committed crimes against the children of Detroit. They accepted bribes that meant that kids weren’t getting the attention of their principals, their superintendents and that’s just not what school’s all about.”

The total amount to be repaid to the state is more than $250,000.

Author

  • Sascha Raiyn
    Sascha Raiyn is Education Reporter at 101.9 WDET. She is a native Detroiter who grew up listening to news and music programming on Detroit Public Radio.