In an “open letter” issued Thursday, the state-appointed leader of Detroit Public Schools slammed the teachers union for the sickout that shut most of the district’s schools for two days this week, saying it hurt students and jeopardized a hoped-for rescue by the state.
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Democrats argued the omission would not address root problems at the schools, which they said related to state control over the district, lack of money and the proliferation of area charter schools.
The Republican-controlled House presented the plan after 15 hours of deliberation involving private caucus meetings, declaring that the sum would not only ensure teachers’ pay over the coming break, but would also eliminate the district’s debt. He said in a statement teachers “are legally entitled to be paid in full” for their work.
There is agreement on the framework of an overhaul first proposed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder a year ago.
That’s a key part of a plan the Senate has approved, but a point of contention for some House Republicans.
Teachers rally outside the school district’s headquarters, Tuesday, May 3, 2016, in Detroit.
The Detroit public school system, or DPS, has almost 46,000 students.
On Tuesday, the district closed 94 of its 97 schools, the same number that canceled classes on Monday, when more than 1,500 teachers did not show up for work.
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The district – considered the worst academically of its size in the country – has been under continuous state oversight since 2009. “The finances of the new Community District will be under strict state oversight, and will remain so until it has achieved financial stability”. GOP House Speaker Kevin Cotter said it would “choke out” charters. It has faced stiff resistance from the school-choice lobby, which has sway in the Republican-led Legislature and contends the commission is created to bolster traditional schools at the expense of charters. Labor unions blasted the bills as “some of the most despicable anti-student, anti-public school, anti-teacher provisions we’ve seen”. The House also voted to implement merit-based pay for teachers and administrators and allow for uncertified teachers. “We’ll continue to fight”.
