Detroit Public Schools Buys $40,000 SUV For Roy Roberts Despite Massive Budget Deficit

Detroit Public Schools have lately seen rounds of cutbacks and layoffs amid a $327 million budget deficit, but it isn't cutting corners for the top of its staff.

The cash-strapped DPS dropped $40,000 in June for a Chevrolet Tahoe purchase that chauffeurs DPS emergency manager Roy Roberts around the city, WXYZ-TV reports. The purchase was reportedly made the same week Roberts slashed schools' budgets.

Roberts also told an assembly of parents, teachers and students in May that the district must find ways to cut back on unnecessary luxuries.

"What are the things we need the most," WXYZ-TV reports Roberts saying. "Which ones are nice, and which can we do without?"

District officials argue that the purchase was necessary, as the previous vehicle required substantial maintenance and had accumulated more than 110,000 miles.

In April, layoff notices spread across the district's 5,466 unionized employees, The Huffington Post reported. The district has closed schools and cut 796 staff positions.

Effective last week, DPS teachers took a 10 percent cut from their salaries and started to pay more for their health care, according to HuffPost reports.

The news of DPS' vehicle purchase for Roberts also comes amid a lawsuit filed last week by three of DPS' employee unions. The suit against state officials fights a new law that allows emergency managers to edit or terminate union contracts, which the unions say violate the U.S. Constitution's contract clause, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Comments

[Acadia27]

11:02 PM on 08/30/2011

How wonderful! (note sarcasm). It was recently estimated that 47% of adults in Detroit were functionally illiterate, meaning they are unable to use reading, speaking, writing, and computational skills in everyday life situations. The Detroit Public Schools have a 42% drop-out rate. Yet they're spending $40K on a new vehicle for their "emergency manager"> Seems to me the emergency is the failure to educate students, not a vehicle with 110K miles on it. Disgusting!

[whitesharkt]

02:03 AM on 08/15/2011

Centralize administrative departments to one superintendent per state. Give more money to the students and reduce the size of wasteful administrative costs.

[James Lestat Buynar]

10:52 PM on 08/14/2011

administration is the #1 cause of wasted money in education. we should be increasing funding for classrooms and increasing teacher pay, not this bs. cut 1/2 of the administrators and we could free up money for so, so much.

[wayne the pain]

10:00 PM on 08/10/2011

Public schools are greatly over administered. Los Angeles Unified at one point had one administrator for every 12 teachers while the classroom was staffed at one teacher for every forty students. Administrators are paid from 30% to over 100% more than teachers. Administrators also have perks like Robert"s fully maintained SUV. If you check I bet he is not the only one who is given a car. I would also bet the schools are paying for millions of dollars worth of perks for these administrators that teacher don't have!

[Ariel Bonzai]

05:41 AM on 08/13/2011

Amen, Wayne! Not only are the EducRATSbleeding us dry, they actually set schools up to fail with insidious purpose. LAUSD is so corrupt--the board, the union, the supers, the contractors and the legal teams from all sides--the have essentially usurped teacher contracts and negated hope for most students. I realise this is happening all over the nation, but LAUSD epitomises all that is wrong with our school system, ich is not just the incompetence, greed and criminal indifference of nepotists, but the laws that let these people commit major felonies and skate off without a slap on the wrist. Battling Corruption in Our Oublic Dchool by Seigel is an eye opener as it Stop White Chalk Crime by Horwitz, we all need to take a stand in L A and Detroit to protect our children and the community from these criminals.
We would love to hear from you! www. Per daily.com

[Ariel Bonzai]

05:42 AM on 08/13/2011

Perdaily.com

[IndyVoter777]

08:23 AM on 08/10/2011

Isn't he is a registered Democrat?

[jenkait]

11:12 PM on 08/09/2011

Only 110,000 miles? and it needed significance maintenance?

I drove my last car (shouldn't say the make or this comment will get scrubbed...sigh) and it was over 150,000km and never needed anything besides an oil change...before I was involved in a crash last month and it was written off :(

In other words, I'm not impressed with their story... It makes it just worse in the face of all the "austerity" and cuts. I don't think I'd be very happy if I were a parent in that school district...

[renoymichelle]

09:52 PM on 08/09/2011

This shows how out of touch District leaders are from students. The priorities are certainly not in the classroom.

[Ariel Bonzai]

05:47 AM on 08/13/2011

They call it a business and consider the kids "assets" although they treat them like livestock and hate the teachers who try to protect them. Every American who cares about his or her kids' education needs to check up on school leaders and unify with teachers to take a stand it these those types of abuse of the public trust are present. Now that this reform is underway, we need to keep on eye on philanthropists as well.

[renoymichelle]

09:49 PM on 08/09/2011

Keep driving Smithers. Act like they haven't seen us.

[Alex Breeze]

06:16 AM on 10/06/2011

Succint, witty, true.

[KenKo]

06:04 PM on 08/09/2011

err..yea. So a second hand vehicle was out of the question? how about reimbursing the mileage on his own car?

[Ariel Bonzai]

05:54 AM on 08/13/2011

Huh? He can drive his own behind to work like the rest if us. These people act as if their overpaid, unnecessary behinds are somehow essential. Their suits wear a smug self-importance like they are entitled, yet they complain teachers are overpaid, incompetent and get away with it. Leaders should be answering for the schools' budget ordeals, the test that fails students and teachers (instead of visa versa) and overcrowded madness inner city schools have become.Admin want to be paid six figures and call themselves educators, and they are anything but. Public education is one place where being unethical, inexperienced and not too good at your job means you deserve a promotion. And a 40 k car. . .

[DannyDiamond]

05:35 PM on 08/09/2011

Where are the watch groups with any objective oversight to warn us when this happens? People in charge of public monies should be monitored by those who are not.

[Ariel Bonzai]

05:56 AM on 08/13/2011

Let's tell em, Danny! Let's demand investigations and use the power Democracy provides before it is too late

[MarkJudiGoet]

11:51 PM on 08/08/2011

And they wonder why people are so p*ssed off.

[DannyDiamond]

05:31 PM on 08/09/2011

No...trust, they know. They don't care and have no belief system other than SELF!

[napajack]

07:57 PM on 08/08/2011

Why isn't this guy driving his own vehicle like everyone else? Why does he need a taxpayer supported vehicle when I'm sure he gets a decent salary? Detroit taxpayers should be outraged.

[thc4me420]

11:05 PM on 08/08/2011

I don't think there are too many tax "payers" left in detoilet.

[psridgell]

07:45 PM on 08/08/2011

Detroit is run like a third world country anyway, what do you expect ? The dictators always get the perks, while the masses starve.

[Teresa AtkinsonOsborne]

07:35 PM on 08/08/2011

Really, his other vehicle has 110,000 miles on it??? Well my husbands truck has well over 200,000 miles on it and it drives fine!! No one in a public office needs a new vehicle, let alone a $40,000 one. This is why Detroit is the way it is, and before anyone says anything about me not knowing what I'm talking about pertaining to Detroit, let me say, I was born and raised in Michigan, but finally had the sense to leave there! That truck should be taken back and he should get a used one, he is no better than anyone else!! Detroit residents stand up and make him accountable. He's laying off people left and right, and talks about cutting luxuries, and this is acceptable?? He wants everyone to sacrifice but himself, another sad, sad day in the city of Detroit!!

[jenkait]

11:15 PM on 08/09/2011

LOL, thank you! I recently crashed my car at 150km, and drove my first car until it quit at 218,000km! And exactly, why a $40k vehicle?!

You are FANNED!

[jenkait]

11:16 PM on 08/09/2011

Sorry, that was 150,000km :)

[flintonian]

07:16 PM on 08/08/2011

Here is what a RepubliCAN'T Gov gets us. Guess all they had to do was lay off ANOTHER teacher !!!

[natureman44]

07:45 PM on 08/08/2011

You don't really think the governor had anything to do with this deal do you? Or are you really that naive and misinformed by the liberal media.

[thc4me420]

11:10 PM on 08/08/2011

LOL

I seriously doubt this guy is a republican.

[smileylib]

07:48 AM on 08/09/2011

Here in MI the governor has created & signed a new Emergency Financial Manager law. This allows the governor (only) to appoint a "czar" so to speak to take over a duly elected city government and/or school district. This EFM is empowered (by the governor) to void all collective bargaining agreements, sell of assets, etc., and not one is currrently making under $200K a year! Currently, the City of Pontiac is also under an EFM -- the mayor & city council have all been stripped of their power & salaries; and the EFM just put their water system under a private company currently under indictment by the DOJ for violation of clean water standards. So yeah, the governor has EVERYTHING to do with this and the EFMs are undoubtedly republicans!