Detroit Public Schools is still the state's largest school district, but it will be about a third the size it was a decade ago, when it had more than 160,000 students. And the district no longer will operate a comprehensive high school in more than half of the geographic area of the city, the Free Press reports.
DPS also will have to start spending a staggering 14% of its state aid not on students, but on debt payments.
The district released on Wednesday its enrollment projections within a proposed balanced budget for the 2012-13 school year. A public budget hearing will take place next week. All districts in the state must adopt a budget by June 30.
The $784-million budget for 2012-13 relies on cutting 1,889 positions and reimposing a 10% wage cut on all employees except food service assistants. It also increases class sizes from 30 to 33 for Grades 4 and 5 and from 35 to 38 in Grades 6 through 12.
