Leaders answer seven questions about Detroit’s new school district

During a raucous public hearing, interrupted by hecklers, State Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo and DPS leaders Steven Rhodes and Alycia Meriweather tonight attempted to answer some of the questions that are looming over the Detroit Public Schools.

Among them: Will the district get a new name? Will it hire uncertified teachers? Will class sizes get any smaller?

Not all of the answers provided were well received. With the governor’s signature this week on a DPS rescue package that will transfer all of the district’s schools and contracts to a new-debt free district, emotions were running high in the Renaissance High School auditorium during a two-hour budget and legislative briefing attended by more than 200 teachers, parents and community members.

Two hecklers had to be removed from the room while Gay-Dagnogo tried to encourage cooperation in the wake of a tough partisan fight. The bills signed by the governor this week had no support from Detroiters or Democrats in the state house.

“Our feelings – and rightfully so – are very hurt. I cried yesterday,” Gay Dagnogo said. “This has been a struggle … An emotional struggle but at some point for the sake of our kids, we have to use some form of diplomacy so that we can get what’s best for them. No, I don’t like it! … But right now, it is what it is, and so we have to govern ourselves accordingly.”

Much of the presentation from Rhodes and Meriweather will soon be posted on the district’s website, officials say, including a budget for next year that assumes a 1.8 percent drop in student enrollment, but until then, here are some of the answers offered tonight:

On what the new district will be called:

“Many of you may not know that the district now, the Detroit Public Schools, is just its public name. It has a more formal name — “The school district of the City of Detroit.” In legal papers and in law, that’s what you’ll see it referred to as. The new school district also has formal name — Detorit Public Schools Community District. But it’s going to have a public name and we are going to solicit your input into what name to give it. The details of that will come out shortly and we will ask you for your participation.” — Rhodes

On who will run the new district:

“If we want ideal, strong, robust candidates (for school board), we want to make sure they know that the deadline (to file for candidacy) is Friday, July 22nd.”
— Gay-Dagnogo

On school closings:

“Any schools that have been in the bottom five percent of (Michigan) schools for 3 of the past 4 years (could be closed). We did meet with the state school reform office yesterday … They did indicate that the new (school ranking) list will not be out until September however we have talked and discussed about creating a moratorium to insure that we don’t have school closures that will create a financial deficit or interrupt instruction.” — Gay-Dagnogo

On class sizes:

Meriweather says class size targets will remain at 38 kids in middle school and high school, less in lower grades – but teachers in grades k-8 will get four prep periods a week – up from two this year.

On uncertified teachers:

“We’re not going to do that. The whole country would be outraged if a pilot took off a plane with people on board and they had no training. We have 46,000-plus passengers whose life is in our hands. We need the most qualified, most certified, best people teaching our kids.” — Meriweather

On when the money from the state will arrive:

The first checks will start rolling in July 15.

On Rhodes’ future with the district:

“My contract as of now expires on September 30th. There will be a transition manager until the new school board takes over on January 1st so I expect at some point the governor will want to know if I’m willing to stay in October, November and December. This is a conversation we have yet to have and so stay tuned.” — Rhodes