18 Detroit Schools Forced To Close As Teachers Rally In Lansing Against Snyder's 'Reprehensible' New Education Plan
DETROIT (WWJ) - Eighteen public schools in Detroit were forced to close Thursday as dozens of teachers head to Michigan's capital to show their "determined opposition" of the governor's strategy for reforming education in the city.
Steve Conn, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said Gov. Rick Snyder's plan to divide Detroit's public schools endangers education in the city, and he's taking his message -- along with dozens of teachers -- to Lansing.
"This is the kind of thing that leads to teacher strikes and a rebellion in a city that will not allow more destruction of its public schools," Conn told WWJ's Charlie Langton.
However, because so many teachers called off work to attend the rally Thursday -- nearly 20 schools were forced to close, including: Pasteur, Brewer, JR King, Western, Mackenzie, Ron Brown, Bates, Wright, Nichols, Neinas, Dixon, Sampson, Frederick Douglass, DCP at NWHS, Durfee, Gompers, Emerson, and Thirkell.
Darnell Earley, DPS emergency manager, chided the teachers, saying the "unplanned turn of events is seriously misguided and directly harms our students."
"While we can agree to disagree on matters of policy, those disagreements should never impact our students and the instructional time they are entitled to as it has today – with ... schools having been closed due to lack of teachers and other instructional staff," Earley said in a statement. "It is truly unfortunate that so many of those who profess to be dedicated educators have decided to participate in this action given its unjustifiable and unconscionable consequence."
Snyder is expected on Thursday to reveal his plan, which would essentially split Detroit's public schools -- creating an "old district" that would take care of the millions of dollars of debt and a "new district" that would focus on educating the 47,000 students at DPS. He's also expected to discuss a new state-appointed board that would oversee the new district until the debt is paid off. After that time, it would be possible for an elected board to take over the entire school district operation.
The proposal will likely need legislative approval, at least to shift funds within the school aid fund to replace lost taxes needed to make the governor's plan a reality.
Speaking for the hundreds of teachers he represents, Conn said it's best if Lansing stays out of the classroom.
"We've had 15 years of this so-called reform that's anything but reform," he said. "Snyder's emergency managers and the previous governors' emergency managers have driven the city and the school district into a terrible debt. That money should be returned to the people and an elected school board to have the power to make decisions about public education."
Instead of Snyder's plan, Conn wants the state-operated Education Achievement Authority schools to be returned to DPS control, and for DPS to be a fully elected school board.
"This is so reprehensible and wrong to do to the young people of this city and the teachers. There will be terrible political consequences for a man who, evidently, wants to be president," Conn said of Snyder.
Conn said what DPS actually needs is reduced class sizes, competitive teacher salaries, more support staff, bilingual instructors, an end to excessive standardized testing and better teacher evaluations, among other things.
"We want our demands met," he said. "And we want an end to the governor's attempts to privatize and turn education into a profit making business."
[Gov. Snyder Outlines Plan To Overhaul Troubled Detroit Schools, Eliminate Debt]
