K-12 News from Detroit

This article hit me hard. Detroit is going through so much with the collapse of the car industry and so many awful sports teams. There is not a lot of good energy going into the area at all. The article discussed the possibilities of 23 Detroit Public Schools being closed after the 2008-2009 school year. This would displace 7, 500 students and potentially lay off over 600 teachers. All this comes at the hands of a $305 million deficit in DPS finances. There is also talk of another 30 schools being shut down at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. That is roughly 50 schools in two years.


This massive of an interruption to the school system has major implications, especially for the students. The article highlights some feelings held by students who like their school and do not want to switch. This could have repercussions on the learning environment of the individual students. It is hard enough being a new student. Can you imagine having 7,500 new students? That has implications on the whole class environment as well.


I guess this hit me hard because it drives home the point, once again, that money dictates everything. Obviously there are students to fill the spots at schools being closed. There just is not enough money to provide that kind of education to each student. We want small class sizes and individualized instruction but that costs money. This is a pressure that will not go away anytime soon and I am sure it is going to get worse before it gets better.

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