Posted on 01/16/2011 7:29:31 AM PST by Brilliant
Detroit was once America's fourth largest city, though today large sections of its inner core are abandoned to the elements, and monuments like Michigan Central Station are returning to dust. Another emblem of civic decline is a plan to desert nearly half of Detroit's public schools so that it can afford to fulfill its teachers union contract.
The school district is facing a $327 million deficit and has already closed 59 schools over the last two years to avoid paying maintenance, utility and operating costs. Under a worst-case scenario released this week by Robert Bobb, an emergency financial manager appointed by the state to resolve the Detroit education fisc, the district will close another 70 of its remaining 142 schools to save $31.3 million through 2013.
"Additional savings of approximately $12.4 million can be achieved from school closures if the District simply abandons the closed buildings," the proposal explains, purging costs like boarding up buildings, storage and security patrols.
Steven Wasko, a spokesman for Mr. Bobb, said that urban property sales have been difficult, in part because until recently the state board of education banned transactions with "competing educational institutions" like charter schools. Once buildings are deserted, even if the doors and windows are welded shut with protective metal covers, scavengers break in and dismantle them for copper wire, pipes and so on.
Under the emergency plan, consolidated high-school class sizes would increase to 62 by 2014, "consistent with what students would expect in large university settings." Yet under the terms of the Detroit Federation of Teachers contract, the district must pay bonuses for class enrollment over 35, thus imposing some $11.1 million in new costs through 2014...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
That would probably work if they had the discipline to not create the whole mess over again at the bargaining table.
It’s not going to be pretty when it all collapses.
Years ago it was not uncommon for classes to be larger than 50 students. Of course the children behaved in those days.
“MO Town” is now “NO Town”.
I grew up in Dearborn in the 60’s and 70’s. Very nice. My dad worked for Ford. Dearborn is still considered one of the better places in the area, but the whole area has gone downhill. My brother still lives in Northland. He’s one of the few GM survivors.
It’s government of the unions, by the unions, and for the unions.
Pensions were always just a way to hide expenses by dumping them onto future generations. Well, we are now the future generation that has to pay the expenses of past union contracts.
The only long-term remedy would be to outlaw pensions for new hires, and give them 401Ks instead, but that would mean paying pensions for past retirees AND putting money into 401Ks now.
You have to log in to get the rest of the article. What other facts does it provide? Thanks
The 800 lbs. gorilla in the room that goes unnoticed.
Yep, no union member left behind.
That’s why I return only to attend funerals of family and friends. My old neighborhood is gone too.
“These people are the Non-Productive Wasteful side to our Society,they are completely incapable of governing.”
....I agree....my Baltimore-Washington experiance tells me that black Democrats make poor elected officials...I read of similar results in New Orleans, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta and Richmond...this is not a new outcome btw...same thing happened after the WBTS when crooked Whites and freed Blacks seized power in the South...and looted what was left.
I’m a life long Red Sox fan going back to Ted Williams. Even in spite of that, my favorite World Series was 1968. Tigers over the Cardinals in seven. Those were the days.
amazing.. I lived there for 15 years. who would of thunk? my family will continue to b*tch that this problem is all the cause of the rich and greedy. Indeed, they still have a Tom Joad idea of wonderful unions, protecting the working man from the rich and powerful.
wrong target... oops, not very civil of me.
Peter Kiewit & Sons Co.?
I worked for them in the late 1960’s. They’ve been around quite a while.
HAH, this must be for the Cheeeeldrens benifit somehow.
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