Teachers upset about their pay, the district’s financial condition and work environments called in sick Monday, forcing the cancellation of classes at 64 schools.
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The district’s update on Facebook put the number of closed schools at more than 60 Monday.
It is unclear what impact the pledges will have on school closures, but such a large-scale demonstration could prompt the closure of almost half the districts’ 103 schools, which include an estimated 47,000 students.
Detroit’s main teachers union, the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said on Sunday that it was not planning on calling an official strike vote. “I encourage the teachers to end the sick-outs and remain in the schools, and I encourage our state officials to move quickly to address these pressing educational problems”. Detroit teachers are experiencing much frustration because the district is “starved” for funding, something the school system acknowledges. For those who missed it, the City of Flint is at the center of a fiasco stemming from children acquiring lead poisoning, and fingers are being pointed to Gov. Rick Snyder and his emergency manager appointment plans.
The Detroit district is Michigan’s largest and has been under continuous state oversight for almost seven years. He acknowledges the concerns of teachers but calls the sick days “misguided”.
A day after more than half of Detroit Public Schools were closed because of a teacher sickout, another wave of schools canceled classes for the day.
This story has been corrected to show that Steve Conn is former president of the teachers union, not the school board.
Teacher grievances focus on overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of teachers caused, they say, by state and city budget cuts.
Mayor Mike Duggan said he would tour schools Tuesday to assess the condition of the buildings.
In the 2013-14 school year, 12.2 percent of the district’s eighth graders’ performance on math assessments was “proficient,” compared to 34.5 percent state-wide. It has so far received little support in the MI legislature .
Teachers say students are already devastated by conditions in the district, which is facing financial calamity with liabilities of $3.5bn.
Sixty-four of the district’s 97 schools were closed on Monday morning, Detroit Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said.
The union expects at least 500 teachers and community members to attend a planning meeting this Thursday, where they hope to “get everybody on the same page” and create a plan to go forward together.
Teachers say students are being judged unfairly.
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“A sufficient response to the Detroit Public Schools’ deplorable health, safety and learning conditions that are outraging educators and parents would be to address these issues and take action to mitigate the problems”, Bailey said in a statement.
