History of a Pivotal School System
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Detroit is one of most influential city in the United States. It was once the 5th-largest city in America, including, a great impact on our history as Americans. It is one of the most well-known city for its rich history such as being the last stop in the Underground Railroad for slaves to find freedom in Canada (Detroit is North of Canada which is pretty cool) Detroit was a city of growth and great forthcoming. In 1816, Reverend John Monteith, a New England missionary, came to Detroit and formed a classical school in the Meldrum House on Woodbridge near Shelby Street. More schools were formed but they were private and expensive but many residents couldnt afford to pay for private school, In 1832, members of a Free School Society sold baked goods and food to raise money to fund a "plain and substantial school" and employ a teacher. In their great endeavors of rising money they opened 3 schools for 200 students. Despite, such great achievements the Free School Society accomplished with funding the first affordable school, the schools became overcrowded and didn't have the proper school supplies. Therefore, in the early 1800's, Michigan passed a law that required townships to have a school in towns that had 50 or more residents. As the city continued to grow the schools became apart of districts due to expansion of growth in the city. In 1842, the Detroit Board of Education was formed to oversee and manage public schools that was funded by the city. Detroit was growing at a rapid rate. Schools were constantly being built to accommodate students. In 1950, at its peak, the city's population reached a high of 1.85 million people due to WWII that caused immigrants and people to migrate to the city for factory jobs. In 1952, 250,000 students were enrolled in Detroit Public Schools compared to 200,000 students being enrolled in 1927. By 1966, enrollment rate reached a high of 299,962 nearly 300,000 students were provided education. It was a pivotal moment for a city that was rapidly growing due to jobs expansion. Detroit offered endless of opportunities.
What Happened?
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In 1950, Detroit population and production declined due to the automobile industry leaving the inner city residents to move outward to surrounding suburbs. In addition, leading to a high deficit in the revenue it brought financial troubles to the city which led to bankruptcy. As the entire city began to crumble, the education system began to fall as well. As mentioned, the automobile industry had a huge impact in the growth of the city. The city lost huge amount of tax revenue that financed the once flourishing city. It forced many residents to leave Detroit to find jobs elsewhere, which eventually resulted in the enrollment of students to decrease. With families moving out of the area, it had a huge affect on the school systems tremendously because there were many schools buildings but not enough students to fill seats. There were many buildings being constructed at the time to fit the enormous amount of students than tragedy hits and unfortunate circumstances begins. Between 1966-1971, 15,000 students left the district causing decrease in tax revenue for the city. During those 5 years, 3,000 students were leaving each year; their enrollment rate was deteriorating quickly. Each student that left cost the district thousands of dollars. The thousands of dollars per student left abundance of money that needed to be paid in taxes to the city. In conjunction with the students leaving Detroit Public Schools, in the 1960s when the Civil Rights was active it had affect on the District, too. The school administrators wasn't able to adjust to the racial and social injustices that they were experiencing, Many African-Americans children were being transported to schools where it was mainly white populated. Parents began to remove their children from those schools. By, those parents making the decision to remove their children from DPS, it contributed to the decline of the district. Furthermore, as student enrollment rate began to decrease, the city funding for the districts began to decreased as well. The decrease of students left a financial despair on districts officials. It became the district unofficial responsibility to somehow figure a way to fund the large district and pay for the cost of construction for the buildings. A district is unable to remain active if multiple schools are becoming vacant and there isn't any money being generated to pay for the empty buildings. Although, seats were empty the school still had to produce revenue and with vacancy that's could be quite challenging. As desperate time calls for desperate measures, the school district had to do what they thought was the proper call. So, in 1976, 14 schools were closed and by the 1980's, 15 more schools were closed. Enrollment continued to decreased, it fell below 200,000 students. With a prevailing school district, having enrollment rates under 200,000 students was the lowest amount they're experienced in the 12 decades they've been in existence. Throughout the years enrollment continued to dwindle forcing more schools to close and stop construction of new buildings. Additionally, with less people residing in Detroit and birth rate decreasing from the 1900's-2007 it left fewer to no students enrolling altogether. According, to recent data there are less than 50,000 students enrolled in Detroit Public Schools today.
DPS continues to sink
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During the years, Detroit Public School systems continued to suffer financially. Currently, they are $3.4 billions in debt and sadly it will continue to increase if the proper precautions doesn't commence. The closing of schools is a huge contributor in the extensive amount of debt that the district faces. As mentioned above, with the decisions to close schools, each student that withdrew cost the district $6,402 per student. To have multiple students departing within a short time period, it accumulated to about $7 millions that have to be covered and maintained. Unfortunately, the budget to cover the $7 million bill was already spent on other expenses during the school years. To cease the $7 million from increasing it dispensed the district to revise their budget and to cut programs and other non-teaching jobs, In the mist of things, it seemed like the proper actions to take but in the long haul it failed. Even though, Detroit Public School system thought of effective plans to end the debt it continued to grow from parents removing their children from the schools because of the long commute to schools, the violence that took place and other factors. Closing a school may seem great to cut down debt but its seriously hurts and put strains on a district. In 2005, six closed followed by 26 schools closing in 2006. For example, in a one-time closing, it cost the district an additional $5,000,000 fee. Moreover, the district couldn't afford the overtime dues for teachers and bus drivers so that was eventually added to the extensive amount of debt because teachers and bus drivers was being paid from accounts and money that the district really didn't to try to accommodate overtime compensation . I don't think the school districts purposely closed schools. It was an extreme burden on the district, surrounding areas and it was is a tedious process. Since the debt continued to cultivate, the city decided to hire an Emergency Financial Manager. An Emergency Financial Manager is hired to help during dire financial distress and put together a plan to help with a recovery of city or school district. Once again, another great planned to recover the disastrous district and bring it victory as it deserves. Yet, again it was just another downfall for the hopeless district.
Leadership,
There has been four appointed Emergency Financial Managers (EFM) and none of them has made any advances to overcoming the substantial debt. A former EFM Robert Bobb had great a strategy when he became Emergency Financial Manager. He seemed as if he had great potential but after his 2-year term the deficit increased to over $284 millions dollars, with 59 school closed and 200,000 student removed from the district. Which is double the amount of debt in the past years, DPS financial state continued to decline. In the past 10 years, millions of dollars that were suppose to service DPS were stolen or misused under his leadership. The city trusted Bob but money was being spent on personal investments such as fancy vacations, to personal parties and much more. The failure of DPS can't be blamed solely on the closing of schools but leadership is a factor as well. Before, Bob was appointed to a Emergency Financial Manager he was a former administrator in DPS. From observations Bob didn't have much experience as an Emergency Financial Manager to begin with. Furthermore, Otis Mathis a former school board president was found to be a functioning illiterate, graduated with 1.8 GPA from college which very could be startling for a person to have poor experience but exercising much power over DPS. Later, he was found doing inappropriate gestures during meetings with associates. He eventually resigned from the position. But, many people may wonder how could a man with such poor reading and writing skills could be appointed to such a superior position. Including, the massive of schools that were being shut down, the leadership of Detroit Public Schools was failing, too. Bob, Otis and other Financial Manager and administrators of DPS seemed to put the district deeper and deeper into a hole that's has been hard to dig themselves out of. From prior Financial Managers poor leadership, it seemed as if the district officials hired well-known administrators that didn't have much experience but was "popular or favored" by those who appointed them. Additionally, 12 Detroit Principals, an Assistant Superintendent and a vender were charged with bribery and treachery in a kick-back scheme. In kick-back schemes, the former principals would make orders for school supplies, school furniture for classrooms but instead sending back the left-over funds from their orders they would actually keep the money for themselves. The kickbacks came back in monetary gifts and gift card, too. The former Assistant Superintendent Clara Flowers was charged with $324,785 in kickbacks. She kept the kick-back money spent it on personal endeavors such as renovating her roof on her house and supporting her personal travel agent business. The former Principal of Spain Elementary/Middle School was awarded $250,000 from the famous talk show host Ellen on behalf of Lowes the hardware store but it was later pronounced he was apart of the bribery claim as well. In all honesty its quite a disgrace to witness the students and the family of the students suffer because of the misrepresentation and indecency that has been displayed.