Duggan says he plans to visit schools Tuesday to make sure the district is complying with city health and building codes.
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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. The sick-outs had previously shuttered at least five schools on different days last week, WXYZ Detroit reports.
Many teachers are dissatisfied with their pay and the district’s poor finances. The union is calling for public hearings and says Earley has ignored the conditions. “Unfortunately, we have been unable to live up to that with the constant change of leadership, state control and 4 consecutive Emergency Managers”, reads a statement from the group Detroit Teachers Fight Back.
“Our children need our teachers in the classroom….”
The mayor of Detroit is set to tour schools in the district, following rolling teacher strikes and sick-outs that forced more than half of its 100 schools to close on Monday.
During his remarks, Duggan called out Gov. Rick Snyder, without mentioning his name, as part of the district’s problems, which include $515 million in unpaid debts.
“While we don’t condone the action taken by a small number of our members, we understand the utter frustration underlying it”, Detroit Federation of Teachers interim president Ivy Bailey said on the union’s website. Snyder has called for the state to commit $715 million over a decade to address its extraordinary debt that’s now being repaid with operating funds.
In the meantime, Duggan said that his tour of district facilities would examine whether current conditions in the schools may be in violation of city building and health codes.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan speaks to reporters after visiting a handful of schools Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Detroit. We need to do something.
“We want the teachers voices to be heard”, Bailey said. Nonetheless, the district is deeply troubled by the wave of teacher absences. In addition to their education, it’s where many children get their best meals and better access to the social services they need. “They have building issues, there’s nobody denying that, but what I can say is when problems are reported, DPS investigates them and addresses them in as timely a manor as possible”, Zdrodowski said. However, given the reality of the District’s financial distress, it is becoming clearer every day that the only way that we are going to be able to address these serious issues in any way is through an investment in DPS by the Michigan Legislature.
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The teachers have the support of Jaime Diaz-Herrera, a parent with a child at Western International High.
