44 of 172 Detroit schools slated to close in June

[chloe]

DETROIT (AP) - Doors are expected to shut on more than a quarter of Detroit's 172 public schools in June as the district fights through steadily declining enrollment and a budget deficit of more than $219 million, an emergency financial manager said Wednesday.

Three aging, traditional and underpopulated high schools would be among the 44 closures. Another six schools are to be closed in June 2011, followed by seven more a year later, emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said.

Detroit already closed 29 schools before the start of classes last fall and shuttered 35 buildings about three years ago. Parents like Jena Williams, 41, call it a worrisome trend. Her 5-year-old daughter's school is on the June list.

"I am not happy about it, but the population of the city is shrinking and the people who have the means are moving out," Williams said after picking up her daughter, Payton, from Bunche Elementary on Detroit's east side.

The closures are part of a $1 billion, five-year plan to downsize a struggling district also is looking to improve education, test scores and student safety in a city whose population has declined with each passing decade. The 2010 U.S. Census is expected to show that far fewer than 900,000 people now live in Detroit.

"You've got to give DPS a chance. You've got to give Detroit a chance. I'm trying to," said Williams, an unemployed General Motors Co. contract worker.

District data shows full-time, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment has decreased from about 164,500 in 2002-03 to 87,700 for the current school year. Enrollment is projected to dip to 56,500 in 2014-15.

More than half the classroom seats in dozens of buildings are empty.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=157&sid=10043301

[namvet]

must be a national thing. their doing the same here locally

[glockmail]

What took them so long?

[Gaffer]

What took them so long?

Detroit is a liberal mecca and is a prime example of the future of this country. it also shows what strong unions can do to an economy.

[glockmail]

Detroit is a liberal mecca and is a prime example of the future of this country. it also shows what strong unions can do to an economy.

Yeah 40% of the City has been abandoned, and they got a federal bailout to turn a lot of that into farmland. So they'll spend billions of Fed dollars demolishing buildings and infrastructure to grow potatoes on contaminated urban soils. I predict that they'll "discover" soil contamination well into this process, then ax for more federal dollars to study the problem, followed by more dollars to clean it up.

[Mr. P]

I heard Macon, Ga is closing 50% at the end of the school yr. Dekalb County (near Atlanta) is closing 12 I think..They are the ones that just used $400,000 in stimulus money to send 200 folks to some BS conference.

[HogTrash]

Sadly, most of those kids are only there for the two free meals they receive five days a week.

[Roadrunner]

So far our school system has not announced any school closings, but several teachers have received pink slips effective at the end of this school year.

Many of the private/church schools are struggling. Too many people have lost their jobs because of downsizing or outsourcing and are now unable to continue to pay the fairly steep tuition.

[LiberalNation]

same here and they are closing some of the best schools as well.