Detroit Public Schools Budget: Cuts, Cuts, Cuts

This story has been updated.

Detroit Public Schools officials released the district's proposed 2012 budget Thursday, a plan rife with cuts and changes.

All DPS employees will take a 10 percent salary hit in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012, and, like public workers throughout Michigan, will be expected to contribute more to their benefits plan. Language about recruiting new teachers stresses hiring from external pools such as Teach for America.

Beyond the pay cuts, the district is also eliminating 853 positions, reducing its head count by roughly 8.5 percent. Administrative personnel cuts include 12 principals, 36 assistant principals, 40 guidance counselors, 18 clerical staffers and 43 central office supervisors. Also getting the axe are 4 librarians, 304 classroom teachers and 72 teacher aides.

According to the district, the cuts are part of a plan to streamline education and reroute 90 percent of funding to the classroom.

Mounting debt has crippled Detroit Public Schools, with the district's current deficit reaching $327 million. The new budget calls for issuing $200 million in long-term bonds to reduce the deficit to $127 million. It also cuts $231 million in expenses and slashes $48 million in contracted services.

“We must create and maintain an organization that totally accepts its responsibility for making this the top rate school district that it can be. That begins with this budget," Roy Roberts, the Detroit Public Schools emergency manager, said in a press release. "The budget that is being submitted is fiscally sound and balanced.”

DPS presented its budget to the Michigan Department of Education and State Treasury earlier on Thursday, DPS spokeswoman Jennifer Mrozowski told The Huffington Post. On Monday, a public hearing will consider the proposal. State law requires that it be finalized by June 30.

The budget announcement comes after a tumultuous week for the Motor City's schools: On Monday, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and Roberts announced a new management plan that would create a new authority to govern the city's lowest-performing schools. Two days later, 30 Michigan residents filed a lawsuit that challenges Roberts' control of the district.

And on Thursday, the Detroit News reports, Detroit's religious leaders gathered at Greater Mount Tabor Baptist church, where they called for Roberts' resignation and promised to amass the 161,00 signatures required to put Public Act 4 up for a referendum on the November ballot.

The ministers said Roberts' aggressive school closure plan and further cuts will hurt Detroiters' learning.

"We don't want our Detroit Public Schools siphoned off and killed," Rev. Charles E. Williams II told the Detroit News. "Education is a public institution that our tax dollars pay for. It is not something for corporations to turn into a profit on the backs of our children."

Clarification: An earlier version of this story reported that DPS teachers would receive a 10 percent pay cut. In fact, all DPS employees will receive a 10 percent reduction in pay.

Comments

[Devil Theory]

11:30 AM on 07/30/2011

A 10% pay cut? It's a good thing that teachers in Detroit earn on average $5,000 MORE than their suburban counterparts then isn't it?

Here's a good link for 2008-09:
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/pdf/cb11-94_table_11.pdf

Average total spending for the US: $10,499/ student.
Average total spending for MI: $10,483/ student.
While Detroit spent $15,570 per pupil in fiscal 2010 (according to the Director of Education Policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy).

Find his full study here: http://www.mackinac.org/15112

[fiftyninedandre]

11:30 AM on 07/01/2011

Parents,don't let your childen become educated... by DPS. I'm a reTIRED Special Needs educator( AND UNION REP) from this district. (11 years ago). See how much we have learned from then to now! It's NOT about the education of the students ,it about the money,decimation of the district and the ultimate (hopefully) TAKEOVER OF THE CITY AND SCHOOLS.
BUT, "FATE HAS TERRIBLE POWER .YOU CANNOT ESCAPE IT BY WEALTH OR WAR. NO FORT WILL KEEP IT OUT,NO SHIPS OUTRUN IT."____SOPHOCLES.
P.S. Mr.Roberts, relinquish YOUR SALARY...NOW TODAY!

[corwin]

10:17 AM on 06/25/2011

Here's a good slogan.
Forget about the Kids! Support Public Education!

[JonAwbrey]

01:50 PM on 06/24/2011

Try to get it through your heads that the ALEC, Broad, DeVos, Fox, Gates, Heritage, Koch, Mackinac Center, Murdoch Axis is here to destroy the village schools, not save them. As goes the schools, so goes the whole village.

We are witnessing the ongoing Re-Colonization of America by the East India Corporation 2.0 — and this time you'll get to find out what it means to be an “Indian”.

[corwin]

08:52 AM on 06/25/2011

How can they do this? Just when things were being turned around at DPS?

[JonAwbrey]

01:26 PM on 06/24/2011

Silly Rabbit, the Emergency Manager is the New Top Shark.

You need to ask how many Little Fish and Middle Fish it takes to feed One Top Shark.

Here's a hint …

Detroit Free Press • “Under Bobb, Consultants Got Raises, Perks”
• http://www.freep.com/comments/article/20110624/NEWS01/106240443/Under-Bobb-consultants-got-raises-perks

[corwin]

03:03 PM on 06/24/2011

This is what's wrong with America.If something's not broke,why fix it?

[elmaestro2010]

01:06 PM on 06/24/2011

Ah Yes, streamlining education by cutting more than 300 teaching jobs. New words to describe the destruction of education in America. I think I can finally use the phrase decimating education in its correct usage. If there's one thing Detroit children do not need, it's the firing of more than 300 teachers. They should have fired 300 administrators and hired another 300 teachers. My apologies to any good administrators out there, but I've only seen administrators who are gone from the building 60 percent of the time, and while in the building have only seen them tell students to pull their pants up. Not a lot accomplished for $120,000.

[dtwistedserpent]

06:56 PM on 08/08/2011

Just like all businesses in the USA.Too much middle and upper management that are just a waste of money.Does anyone work better with some person looking over their shoulder?

[JonAwbrey]

11:24 AM on 06/24/2011

The Broad Axe Falls Again …

Seattle Education Blog • “The Broad Foundation”

• http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/race-to-the-top/the-broad-foundation/

Seattle Education Blog • “Eli Broad’s Last Hurrah In Detroit?”

• http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/eli-broad%E2%80%99s-last-hurrah-in-detroit/

One thing we've learned about the Corporate Privateers is that it doesn't really matter what their PR says — the agenda is always the same.

Say hello to the East India Teaching Company !

[mlaiuppa]

03:23 AM on 06/24/2011

4 librarians.

That'll sure boost literacy.

[JonAwbrey]

12:54 AM on 06/24/2011

Here's a recent Huffington Post article that mentions the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), plus a few additional links pertaining to ALEC and associated groups.

More information is coming to light about the move by ALEC, DeVos, Koch, the Mackinac Center, and related entities to co-opt our elected officials into serving their corporate ends, namely, to privatize not only public education, but all current public services, indeed, our very government itself.

Here's an article that came out this week —

Amanda Terkel • “Privatization At The Heart Of Divisive Battles In Wisconsin”

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/17/privatization-wisconsin_n_873871.html

❝
The American Legislative Exchange Council is one of the groups most actively advocating privatization nationwide. It has 2500 legislative members, which is about a third of all state lawmakers around the country. One of its most valuable functions is crafting model legislation that lawmakers can then use to propose real bills in their own states. In the past few years, ALEC-inspired legislation has been popping up with increased frequency around the country.

The group just launched “Publicopoly”, a Monopoly-like board game as part of an “initiative to provide solutions for a more effective, efficient government, and a thriving economy”. Visitors to Publicopoly are able to learn about privatizing seven sectors: government operations, education, transportation and infrastructure, public safety, environment, health, and telecommunications.
❞

[JonAwbrey]

01:06 AM on 06/24/2011

There are now several sites where readers can begin getting up to speed on the “Starve and Supplant” tactics that the ALEC Axis is bringing to bear on several States at once.

Democracy Watchdog Action Network
• http://www.facebook.com/democracy.watchdog.action.network

Wear Red For Public Ed
• http://www.facebook.com/wearredforpubliced

Support Bill Cronon
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Bill-Cronon/163419837045434

Bill Cronon is a distinguished history professor who came under attack when he wrote an article about ALEC and the Mackinac Center, so the people who came to his defense began collecting data about these issues.

Related tags at the Daily Kos —

• http://www.dailykos.com/news/ALEC
• http://www.dailykos.com/blog/Exposing%20ALEC

Current updates at the Daily Kos —

• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/09/983573/-Exposing-ALECJune-Update-on-ALEC-Activities,-Articles-and-Links

• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/15/985433/-EXPOSING-ALEC2nd-Update-with-important-news-and-links

• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/20/986970/-Exposing-ALECupdate-3-+-Petition-for-your-State-Lawmakers

[Jenn May]

12:11 AM on 06/24/2011

"Beyond the pay cuts for teachers, the district is also eliminating 853 positions, reducing its head count by roughly 8.5 percent. Administrative personnel cuts include 12 principals, 36 assistant principals, 40 guidance counselors, 18 clerical staffers and 43 central office supervisors. Also getting the axe are 4 librarians, 304 classroom teachers and 72 teacher aides."

So, on top of the 20% state mandated that the teachers have to pay into their healthcare, they now also are getting a pay cut. 40 guidance counselors, 4 librarians, 304 teachers, and 72 teacher aides... That really sounds like you are trying to help the kids. However, of the 853 positions being eliminated above only accounts for 529, who are these other 300 bodies?

On top of that, what it really sounds like is instead of trying to help the schools, they are trying to increase class size. There is no improvement to the quality of education here, there is no improvement in their quality of life... How the hell are they supposed to learn? Of those that are left, I am amazed they even want to still teach. After such a dramatic cut to their pay/benefits, some having to reapply for jobs they have held for years, losing any sort of union and tenure protection they had, I'm sorry but anyone who stays to teach in Detroit obviously isn't really that smart after all...

[JonAwbrey]

12:25 AM on 06/24/2011

Disaster Capitalism + Prelude to Privatization

Pretty obvious to anyone who has seen it before and who isn't distracted by the blue smoke and mirrors of their rhetoric.

[baybeebluz]

11:05 AM on 06/24/2011

They haven't been learning with the additional staff anyway. Cut them and save the state some money. Plus, they don't have as many students anymore because Detroit is basically a ghost town.

[eceresa]

12:05 PM on 06/24/2011

So, the staff they've got isn't sufficient to compensate for the poverty and the culture the kids are living in... and your solution is to cut MORE staff?

Interesting logic.

[Jenn May]

02:50 AM on 06/25/2011

If teacher layoffs were associated directly with closing school I could understand your logic of "additional staff". However, the guidance counselors, librarians, and teachers/teacher aides were not directly related to school closures, they were just cut. This means increasing class size, which means less individual attention to students and services provided to assist them through their education. This means cutting psychological support to students in neighborhoods riddled with crime and poverty... How exactly do you suppose that will assist a failing school? I seem to be missing the logic on this.

"Save the state some money"... I am sure that having a larger uneducated populous, is really going to save the state money in the long run right? Last I checked it leads to more people on welfare, unemployed, and committing crime. Totally worth it...

[pistol13]

11:26 PM on 06/23/2011

If we would do away with the Federal Dept. of Education, the states could run their education programs without interference from Washington. That would save billions of dollars that the states could put to good use. They also would not need so many administrators and clerical positions to fill out all the federal paperwork; therefore, more money for teachers.

[JonAwbrey]

11:58 PM on 06/23/2011

I don't recall exactly when the Department of Education was formed as a separate entity, but I know that Federal funding for education was pretty generous in the 60's and 70's, especially grants to individuals, and the strings had mostly to do with accreditation, full time enrollment, equal opportunity, separation of church and state, parental income where need was a condition of the program in question, and sensible considerations on that order.

The ratio of strings to purses began to increase in the Reagan years and pretty much strangled States and students alike in the Bush years. For reasons most of us cannot fathom, Obama has done little or nothing to address the problems he inherited. Most likely the Republicans wouldn't let him do anything if he tried, so I will be charitable and blame them.

[pistol13]

01:15 AM on 06/24/2011

Right now it doesn't matter who started it. They can stop it and with all the talk about cutting, the Dept. of Education should be one of the first to go It would be interesting to see who would stonewall that.

[mlaiuppa]

03:27 AM on 06/24/2011

No, it would cost them billions of dollars in Federal money. The states couldn't run their schools without Federal money. You eliminate the Dept. of Ed, kiss the money goodbye.

These administrators and clerical positions aren't filling out Federal Forms.

[JonAwbrey]

11:22 PM on 06/23/2011

Here's a post from the Facebook page of the Ferris Faculty Association:

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ferris-Faculty-Association/146689847768

❝
We all know the struggles public schools face with declining per pupil funding. We have seen Governor Snyder's plan for the future. The following link is a fund raiser trailer for Greenhills, the school Snyder has his daughter enrolled in. They're fund raising because $20,000 per year per student is not enough to properly educate a child. This trailer shows what Snyder wants in a school for *his* children.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAfBHj9Lc8E
❞

I'm guessing the Governor does not have a clue how to go about creating a high quality educational environment for all of Michigan's children, but the above information tells us that he does know where to go to get a few clues about the components of a quality education and how much it costs to achieve it. And one thing we know for sure is that he's not getting those clues from his bean-counter corporate buddies who are dictating their wish list of laws to the Legislature in Lansing.

[RationalDubSteppa]

11:14 PM on 06/23/2011

Ah it's ok... it's just a state of th*gs and kids that are going to grow up to be g*ng-b*ngers so why spend money educating them. It's a win-win really.

I mean detroit has just ensured that they continue the tradition of providing a fresh supply of bodies to the local jail/prison system.

[butterfly218]

11:13 PM on 06/23/2011

Teachers and educators thought they would always have jobs . Who thought this would ever happen ?

[colourful]

11:13 PM on 06/23/2011

I hope they started those cuts at the top. Administrators earn way too much. In fact, government needs to look at a new business model - steep hierarchies should be removed from tax funded organizations to reduce overhead expenses.

Moreover, I think a public option health care plan should be created and used by all government, non-profit, and public agency employees. If the employee does not use the plan, they can opt-out and purchase health care coverage on their own.

CBO, how much would this save tax payers?

[JonAwbrey]

01:00 PM on 06/24/2011

Silly Rabbit, the Emergency Manager is the New Top Shark.

You need to ask how many Little Fish and Middle Fish it takes to feed One Top Shark.