It seems like virtually everybody is taking a strike stance recently. The supposed "CHAOS" strikes Northwest Airlines were supposed to have are on a back burner now, but only for now. In the past 12 months, local newspapers have been littered with strike requests by places like Delphi Automotive. Point is: a group going on strike hardly qualifies as news around these parts.
Now Detroit Public Schools are technically picketing, even though school doesn't start until September 5th. Perhaps these striking teachers have a right to want to strike; they definitely have a right to protest the contract terms handed them: an approximate nine percent pay cut.
Does this ever feed the vicious, dark circle that is surrounding the district.
The negative influence the Detroit Public Schools has is affecting other districts in its southern suburbs, and has been for years. Neighboring Ecorse has been dealing with bankruptcy, and its school system with aging, dangerous buildings & less-than-qualified teachers. River Rouge is the worst: with a former superintendent now in jail for embezzlement, yet his accompolices still sitting on the school board, deciding the district's future.
I've followed with great interest the saga of who exactly represents Detroit schools, and shake my head at the resulting indecisions. The public decreed that the original sitting board was up to no good, and allowed the government to hand-pick their own people to manage the district. Amidst high hopes, they got pulled to earth very quickly as they proved indecisive & dealt a huge blow to an already-reeling public relations scenario. The public basically said, "Oops, we made a mistake!", and re-elected their own board.
Now, they are being accused of some of the same things that had them kicked out of their posts in the first place. But how many times can you afford to go back & forth with the balance of power?
What would any logical-thinking parent, who truly cares about their kids, do? The alternative are charter schools & out-of-district schools. They have glowing reputations, and can more or less guarantee a quality education. Detroit schools are not safe ones, no matter how many times they may say the metal detectors & extra protection are in force. How can one learn with all those distractions?
And now, the paper reports that a lot of these charter schools are turning people away, simply because their buildings cannot handle the extra enrollment. With this brewing strike, can Detroit schools really hope to improve? Student count losses, rotting infrastructure, the decline of teacher quality and unsafeness are creating this circle, which is only more fed by a district who seems willing to give up and let the entire system go to pot.
Why can't they enroll more? They can start by examining the bruised, battered sources - which can be seen with the help of a mirror.
