This mixed-methods case study examines the emergency financial management legislation enacted in Michigan from 2009 to 2018 as an education policy for governance reform in three local school districts: Detroit, Highland Park, and Muskegon Heights. From its inception, the emergency financial manager law was an intervention strategy for local municipalities in financial emergencies. Still, in 2009 it was used to enable state takeovers of three local school districts experiencing financial emergencies. This study addresses the gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of emergency management as an education policy in general and highlights its specific application to the three districts.