I think that Detroit Teacher and others may be too young to have observed what happened to the DPS district over the last 30-40 years, as it has become a classic patronage system. Such a system is operated at the core level to as a means of offering jobs, contracts and money to an inside group that has won control. Obviously, in such a system, "the kids" are very far down in the priority list.

As long as the DPS remains a spoils system with Holly, Scott, Sheffield, and others of their ilk running things visibly or through the school board members that are their minions, the district cannot achieve any educational goals. Note, as Meddle does, the illiteracy rates that are the legacy of this system.

This corrupt patronage ststem must be dismantled. The public corruption charges that have been brought have provided a wedge to open up the corruption, but the EFM is critically needed to destroy the sense of financial entiltlement that local control of the school district [[funded with state and federal funds) has engendered, and hopefully, build a smaller, less fiancially tempting district with many independant charter schools.
I do see that Horace Sheffield has applied to run a charter school. Great! let him find out how life will be with restricted funds!

Its not just Detroit that has to dismantle a corrupt public school system caught in the spoils system. Look briefly at this recent article about a similar set-up in Harrisburg PA: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/ind...n_harrisb.html


Note this:
"This is a $130 million business. He who controls the schools controls the city. This has been about jobs. It’s been a political machine. It goes back so far, it’s so ingrained in people, that that’s what they expect,” Christ said.

"racial fissures and mistrust are misplaced. The real issue is that the education of the city’s youths has long been a secondary consideration behind who’s getting jobs or who is getting paid.

“These are adults making decisions about adults. It’s all about jobs [implied: not "the kids"]. Nepotism is rampant. The tragedy is the kids aren’t learning,”