Coalition Calls For Ending State Control Of Detroit Schools
By JEFF KAROUB
DETROIT (AP) - A group of academic, business, government and community leaders on Monday called on the state of Michigan to return control of the struggling Detroit Public Schools to its locally elected governing board, assume the district's debt and increase accountability of charter schools.
The Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren announced its recommendations at an afternoon news conference in Detroit after a 100-day review. The diverse group of roughly three dozen members that includes teachers and administrators, community activists, and automotive and labor executives was formed in December.
Its focus was on the state-run Detroit Public Schools, city charter schools and the Education Achievement Authority, which was created to oversee and turn around the state's lowest-performing schools. Between them, those three constitute the city's public schools.
The coalition's report says the Detroit district's "deficits and debt have ballooned" in the past 15 years, 10 of which have been under some form of state control. The state is liable for that debt, "much of it accumulated while the state was in charge," according to the report.
"Detroit is facing many challenges including growing poverty, a declining population and an inability to reduce fixed costs as enrollment declines," the report says. "State policies created an unfair playing field for DPS, such as the cost of paying for an expensive retirement system it did not design. ... The longer we let it fester, the more expensive the debt will become."
The group recommends creating a nonpartisan entity that oversees the district, including opening, closing and locating all schools, but allows for school decision-making such as hiring and curriculum. Charter schools also would have to meet the commission's performance standards established by what would be called the Detroit Education Commission.
The commission also wants to fully fund an office to take over the operations of the Educational Achievement Authority, assess the schools it controls and create a plan to move those schools back into the traditional district. Each of the Education Achievement Authority's 15 schools is in Detroit. The EAA has about 7,500 students.
The Detroit Public Schools have been under state oversight since 2009. State-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley said in January that the district has a $170 million annual deficit.
Sliding enrollment has contributed to the money troubles. About 47,000 full-time students were enrolled last fall, and roughly 49,000 enrolled the previous year. About 104,000 students were in the district in 2007.
The Associated Press left a message with representatives of Gov. Rick Snyder, who said about a month ago that he was "excited and pleased" with the coalition's efforts. He also cited progress made by the school district, including in stabilizing enrollment and improving academics, but acknowledged "many challenges," including finances.
Earley has said a long-term solution for the district's troubles would require cooperation with the group that studied the issues, as well as the state, city of Detroit, unions and school board.
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