Detroit district: 110 schools must close

[Rose Siding]

In their worst doomsday prediction to date, Detroit Public Schools officials projected on Wednesday that the district will have to close nearly half of its schools and cut the budget by a third over the next three to five years to climb out of debt and keep up with declining enrollment.

The district will have to shutter 110 schools and shave $380 million in spending, officials said. Under the plan, 142 schools would remain open.

Officials have projected that the district will have only 100,000 students in 2008, or a little more than half of its enrollment before the state takeover in 1999. The student population now is about 140,000.

The projections come just days after Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said the city's shrinking population has led to a $231-million shortfall for next year's budget, meaning layoffs, salary cuts and other cost-saving measures such as the closure of the Belle Isle Aquarium and scaled-back bus transportation.

http://www.freep.com/news/education/burnley21e_20050121.htm

[havocmom]

1. NCLB alright! The plan: Make illiterate baggers out of ALL of them

and they will be happy to make their X's on those enlistment forms (when they can't get jobs) for the never ending war profiteering.
:grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr:

edited to add qualifer

[UL_Approved]

2. The finer points:

Quote:

"With or without Burnley at the helm, Janna Garrison, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, called the financial projections drastic.

"I believe they're in what they call the scrap-and-burn mode. All this is just not necessary. They know they're on their way out," she said."

and:

"In the meantime, Burnley has decisions to make.

"Dr. Burnley fully intends to honor his contract. His focus at this time is improving student achievement and performance and completing the district's deficit reduction plan," said Ken Coleman, spokesman for the district. His administration has until Feb. 4 to submit its deficit reduction plan to the state.

School board members wouldn't say Thursday whether they want Burnley to stay or go.

However, a special board meeting is planned for Tuesday to discuss Burnley's contract. The meeting is set for 5 p.m. and will be open to the public, but the location has not been set."

Sounds like piss-ant tactics from a guy on his way out. Sounds like the final revenge of the corrupt.

[Zebulon]

3. I'm from Detroit originally

and still have a lot of family in the metro area. It is unbelieveable how much population the city proper has lost. In 1950 the population of the city of Detroit was 1,850,000. As of six months ago, the population has dropped to around 911,000. http://www.detnews.com/2005/census/0501/19/census-193856.htm

When you drive through the city, there are acres of land where the houses have been razed and turned back into green space. There has been some improvement in the downtown and riverfront area, but the neighborhoods are still in trouble.

[Johnyawl]

4. It's really sad

...we watch the Animal Precient show that originates in Detroit on Animal Planet, and it never ceases to astound me when they drive through some of those rundown neighborhoods. Wide, tree lined boulevards, with huge old classic houses, sitting on quite large lots, and every third house is boarded up. Houses like that in Seattle, on 1/4 the property, would be worth several hundred thousand dollars.

Those neighborhoods look like ghost towns.

[kentuck]

5. I know Dr Burnley personally....

My wife was on the Colorado Springs School Board when he was Superintendent of Schools in Colorado Springs. He was about to retire when he took the job in Detroit. I'm sure he will not be terribly concerned one way or another if he is fired or asked to resign. We were able to pass a $100 million dollar bond for the schools here under his leadership.

[Earth_First]

6. Same is happening in Rochester, New York

The deeply bankrupt public school system is in the midst of public hearing to decide upon which of up to 32 elementary schools should face the axe.

[LeftHander]

7. But the property taxes will be low......

And as any good freedom loving American knows....you can't have freedom and unless you have low taxes...

All kidding aside this really highlights the path the Neo-fascists have laid out for America.

They have convinced America that low taxes are better than a quality public education.

So more fleeing to the suburbs for those that can afford it.

Those that can't can eat cake in ingnorance....just like the NeoCons want.