Union Rep: Detroit High Schools Overcrowded
DETROIT (WWJ) - A union official says Detroit public high schools are facing a crisis two weeks into the school year.
According to Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson, campaigns for student enrollment were a success this past summer — but now the issue of overcrowding stands as a major concern.
"With six high schools getting turned over to the EAA [Education Achievement Authority of Michigan], we only have two real neighborhood high schools," Johnson told WWJ's Vickie Thomas. "That's Western International and East English Village. East English Village is about 300 students over its capacity."
Johnson says it's even worse at Martin Luther King High School.
"There are about 400 students over their capacity," Johnson said. "And one of the contributing factors there is the fact we don't have neighborhood high schools for them to go to."
Johnson said he has talked to Detroit Public School Emergency Manager Jack Martin about the overcrowding issue, which he says is causing problems in the classroom.
Meantime, a district spokeswoman says the three high schools have hit their enrollment targets and are closed to any new students.
