Forecast For Detroit Teachers' Union: Additional Shrinking

Losing up to 1,000 members is the reality facing the Detroit Federation of Teachers, as the calender moves toward June 30, when the union's contract with Detroit Public Schools expires.

The Detroit News reports nearly 1,000 of the 4,100 teachers at DPS won't return to classrooms this fall, with the district losing 15 schools to a new statewide system for low-performing schools and two more schools turning into DPS-run charters. Couple those factors with an expected drop in regular enrollment, and the student body will be thinned by an estimated 15,000.

About 500 teachers are retiring by Sept. 1, just before school begins, the union said. The other half are expected to lose their jobs, if the estimates are correct.