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No one likes chaos, particularly when it comes to running a massive public school district like Detroit. Teacher sickouts cause chaos and certainly pose an inconvenience for students and parents.
But those mass absences have grabbed the attention of officials who ignored the cries by teachers of poor conditions: overcrowded classrooms, a lack of supplies, mold and crumbling infrastructure -- conditions that state officials would certainly cry foul if their kids had to attend the schools. The schools are operated by Gov. Rick Snyder's emergency manager.
Wrongly, The Detroit News editorial board -- traditionally anti-union and very pro-authority -- this week published an editorial calling for sickout leaders to be fired. The editorial is shameful.
Ousted Detroit teachers union president Steve Conn should lose his teaching job. So should the other Detroit Public Schools’ teachers who have organized the recent string of sickouts, forcing the closure of dozens of schools and leaving kids with nowhere to go.
It goes on to say:
Students should never be used as bargaining chips, and DPS Emergency Manager Darnell Earley and the state should go after Conn with everything in their power.
The editorial forgets to mention that students should never be ignored and treated like dirt. Ditto for teachers.
The sickouts have had an impact. Conn and other leaders of the sickouts should be commended.
Mayor Mike Duggan, who doesn't have direct control over the school district -- the emergency manager does -- has called for action.
After touring the schools, the mayor announced Wednesday that he has asked the heads of the Building, Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department and Detroit Health Department to begin immediate inspections of all Detroit public schools.
A press release says:
By the end of January, inspections will be complete on all 20 DPS school buildings believed to be most problematic. By the end of April, inspections will be complete on all 97 DPS school buildings. Inspections on charter schools will begin during this period as well.
“This effort isn’t about blaming anybody,” Duggan said in a statement. “It’s about making sure that every child and every teacher in Detroit goes to school in a safe and healthy environment. We’ve been assured by Emergency Manager Earley that DPS will respond promptly to correct any deficiencies found in these inspections and we look forward to working with the district to resolve these problems.”
Additionally, the Free Press reported late Wednesday night that long-awaited legislation to try to fix the financially struggling Detroit Public Schools initially includes a nine-member school board appointed by Snyder and Duggan.
According to a draft of the two bills, obtained by the Free Press and expected to be introduced Thursday, five of the board members would be appointed by Snyder and four by Duggan. A seven-member school board would be elected in November and take over on Jan. 1, 2017. But the appointed board would have the authority to hire the district’s superintendent, who could then not be fired by the elected school board.
So yes, the sickouts have caused chaos and angst. But it took these dramatic actions to grab the attention of officials who think it's OK for Detroit kids -- not their kids -- to attend school in such deplorable conditions.
The Detroit News published a little softer editorial late Wednesday night saying state lawmakers need to address the problems, but reminding readers "there is no excuse for the illegal teacher strikes that have closed dozens of schools in the past week."
Again, what the editorial fails to say is that there is no excuse that it took sickouts to get the attention of people who could make change.
Detroit kids deserve better.
Sickouts, unfortunately in this case, have been a good thing.
