Detroit schools: 4,000 jobs must go

[Judi Lynn]

Detroit schools: 4,000 jobs must go

Up to 40 buildings to close with a $198-million deficit looming
November 16, 2004


BY CHASTITY PRATT and PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITERS

Parents and other city residents were enraged Monday after Detroit Public Schools announced it will have to cut 4,000 jobs and close as many as 40 of the district's 255 schools due to the latest projected budget crisis.
(snip)

After months of denying that Detroit Public Schools would be in a deficit, officials admitted Monday that the district now has a $48-million deficit from last school year and that this year's budget is expected to be short an additional $150 million.

During the past four years, Detroit officials have had to explain why they were cutting the budget, cutting jobs and considering school closings. Each year, they blamed the steady loss of students, which has translated into a steady loss of money in per-pupil funding from the state. On Monday, officials admitted that the latest round of enrollment losses this fall finally pushed the district into red ink that was too deep to eliminate with cutbacks.
(snip/...)

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/dps16e_20041116.htm

[NC_Nate]

1. No school left behind....

thank you Mr. Bush

[physioex]

2. Funny how Repukes cut school funding...

So more of the poor can join their war machine and rest can end up in jail......

[Bozita]

3. The war machine keeps them off the unemployed rolls

Unemployment, the greatest gift ever to the 'volunteer' military.

[AlCzervik]

16. The actual real name of "No child left behind" is

"The world needs ditch diggers too."

[saigon68]

4. Let Halliburton Run the schools

They are building a lot of new ones in SADAMLAND

More profit for the evil Cheneybot

[Judi Lynn]

5. More info. on Detroit school closings

Massive Cuts Planned for Detroit Schools
By Anu Prakash and Dave LewAllen
Web produced by Jennifer Clark
November 15, 2004

The Detroit School District is sinking under a sea of debt, and announced plans Monday to close schools and cut jobs to save money.

There is a $198,000,000 budget deficit looming over the Detroit Public School system, and CEO Dr. Kenneth Burnley says there are some immediate changes that will have to be made when it comes to teachers.
(snip)

"We need schools more than we need prisons and casinos," parent Tabatha Barnett said. "We need those teachers and we need those schools open for these children, because education is – this is a need."

It was too early Monday to say how many teaching positions would be cut, but the district planned to close 25 to 40 schools after the end of the current school year.
(snip/...)

http://www.wxyz.com/wxyz/nw_local_news/article/0,2132,WXYZ_15924_3330768,00.html

[ClintonTyree]

6. Ignorance is on the march............

keep them uneducated and unemployed. There's no need for a draft, there's no other way out for many of these people. "Join the Army of One"..........one that has no future ouside of the military. Another fantastic consequence from Bush's tax cuts for the Rich. That money has to come from somewhere, so it's "trickled down" to the local level. This is the most fucked up Administration to ever occupy the White House, no other comes close.

[PDX Bara]

20. Ugly Face

Can't stand that ugly face - it looks like it was waiting for a "Mission Accomplished" statement, not one receiving such horrible news as it was to the rest of us.

[billyoc]

7. Remeber, we've got to keep the detroit

vote down. :eyes:

[Kolesar]

8. MI shifted from property taxes to income+sales taxes for school funding

Income and sales tax receipts are a function of economic activity. Hence, when the the bush recession started, funding decreased dramatically. I can see why Michigan and Detroit schools are in such trouble. In the 1990s, they accomplished lowering property taxes by shifting school funding to income and sales taxes. This also addressed funding inequities between rich and poor districts.

I am trying to imagine a system where the state floats school operating bonds to be paid out of tax receipts. This could buffer the effect of huge shortfalls due to a bad year. Consider that in a year when the stock market goes down, capital gains taxes drop to almost zero. Good luck Michiganders.

[llmart]

18. That was during the John Engler years......

he was a despicable Repug governor who kissed Bush's ass every step of the way, but Bush shit on him when he failed to deliver Michigan for him in 2000.

[tsuki]

9. Where are the millions and millions and millions,

the Bush administration gave school funding. No child left behind?

[LeftHander]

10. Lower those pesky property taxes....!!!

People are so fucking dumb!!!

Did they think that voting in ditto head "low/no tax" Repukes to state governments would actually help them!!

Nope...

count on dumb kids...with no choice but to be sent to the slaughter for BUsh...


I am so fucking sick of this shit country and the shit people who who are so selfish to think that public education is something that should be left to rot...

[cubsfan forever]

11. The antidote for ignorance is education

there is no cure for stupidity. It's class warfare by the stupid to keep people enslaved to the military machine. Next thing we know, all schools will be "faith-based." And too expensive for the majority of American children to attend. The Ass-hat admin. is the most anti-education, anti-intellectual abomination in this country's history. They will reap what they sow.

Professor 2

[Ruby Romaine]

17. property taxes are pretty high in Michigan, it could be more

mismanagement & too many income tax breaks for wealthy + the wonderful Bush economy.

a house worth $200,000 in Detroit would cost $6730 per year in taxes (+ really high insurance-it would be a pretty nice house though)
while in Ann Arbor a $200,000 house would be small & not very nice,
taxes would be $4544 per year(insurance would cost less than in Detroit)

https://treas-secure.state.mi.us/ptestimator/PTEstimator.asp

[llmart]

19. I don't think so.

They're probably higher than in the south, but my home is valued at $275,000 and my property taxes are about $2200 per year.

[lilpnut]

12. Bush is evil

If a public school is failing, parents can receive an educational voucher good for the amount of money that their child's attendance would have contributed to the public school so he or she can attend a private school. This further bankrupts the public school and deteriorates the educational climate.

Republicans are most likely to have their children in private schools and they have long been bitter that their tax money goes to support public schools and they have to pay private school tuition on top of that. What better way to build up your base than to bankrupt the public schools and make them "failing" under ESEA: NCLB to create more "free" vouchers?

[newyawker99]

23. Hi lilpnut!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Ilsa]

13. They'll be asking teachers to clean toilets next. n/t

[lostnfound]

14. Is our children learning? :-(

The priorities of this nation are a terrible tragedy.

A nation is a terrible thing to waste.

[Strawman]

15. Any idea what this will do to the average class size in DPS?

Makes alot of sense to shut down schools and increase class sizes in a community where 47% of the population is functionally illiterate.

$198,000,000. What's that? About a weeks worth of receipts at the Somerset Collection? 3000 new Mercedes or BMWs? Those are the things MI residents are choosing over a quality education and a decent quality of life for Detroit children.

I'd like to see someone like this guy come in and try to change things http://www.hcz.org/aboutus/aboutus-p1.html#geoff

[kwolf68]

21. There we go

Next stop? Abolishing the Department of Education and routing all secondary teaching through the 700 Club.

[FeelinGarfunkelly]

22. It'll be a great day when schools have all the money they need

and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a Stealth Bomber.