Robert Bobb 2.0: Consolidate districts to Detroit-Wayne Regional Schools

[jhartmich]

On Sunday, September 27 Chuck Stokes had a great interview with Phil Power [[Founder & President of The Center for Michigan – wwwthecenterformichigan.net) on channel 7 Spotlight on the News. One thing that was discussed that really made sense, was how our current legislators talk about piece-meal cuts but no structural cuts and vision for the future.

Do we REALLY need 2500 local forms of government as the state shrinks and people move out-of-state? Do we really need 551 school districts? Do we really need a fulltime legislature? Elected leaders talk about the costs of programs, but what are the costs of government?

Mr. Powers made an excellent point that the legislature will make self-preserving decisions that protect their political base rather than what Michiganders want and need. It’s well documented that we want to protect education and police, two areas that have and will take huge cuts. How can we speak out of both sides of our mouth when we state that only higher education will pull us through, and then a week later they cut the budget?

Miami has Miami-Dade Public Schools, just like other states such as Texas and Nevada have consolidated districts. Why could we not have Detroit-Wayne Regional School s? Why not Pontiac-Oakland Public Schools, etc.? Much of the same could be done with consolidating local government below a certain population. As the cuts continuously come to seriously needed programs, at what point will we start structural cuts with all these overlapping government entities?

Most would agree that Robert Bob has done a wonderful job and would be an ideal appointee to begin consolidation in SE Michigan. Between the elected legislators, the state superintendent of education, and an appointment by the governor, we should start with “Robert Bobb 2.0” and have him make the first step to consolidate Wayne County Schools - with other areas of the state to follow in a year or two. The numerous superintendents and school boards are NOT going to voluntarily consolidate; it will take legislative action and an appointment by the governor to do these things. Governor Granholm is not seeking reelection and could take a strong, maybe unpopular, but NECCESARY stand. The purchasing power and the decrease in administrative overhead would provide the money needed to maintain excellence in education. This may be one small step, but it would be a courageous step that continuously gets lip service and little else.

How unaffordable do we make college for our young people? How many people do we have to kick off Medicaid? How many kids do we have to deny Headstart to, and how many children do we have to stuff in a classroom before you will look at structural changes and the costs involved in running a government? You can kick around and beat up on the poor people only so much - because WE"RE ALL getting poorer if you haven't noticed - but it’s still not going to change the huge costs involved in “the business of governing.”

[Detroit Stylin]

On Sunday, September 27 Chuck Stokes had a great interview with Phil Power [[Founder & President of The Center for Michigan – wwwthecenterformichigan.net) on channel 7 Spotlight on the News. One thing that was discussed that really made sense, was how our current legislators talk about piece-meal cuts but no structural cuts and vision for the future.

Do we REALLY need 2500 local forms of government as the state shrinks and people move out-of-state? Do we really need 551 school districts? Do we really need a fulltime legislature? Elected leaders talk about the costs of programs, but what are the costs of government?

Mr. Powers made an excellent point that the legislature will make self-preserving decisions that protect their political base rather than what Michiganders want and need. It’s well documented that we want to protect education and police, two areas that have and will take huge cuts. How can we speak out of both sides of our mouth when we state that only higher education will pull us through, and then a week later they cut the budget?
Miami has Miami-Dade Public Schools, just like other states such as Texas and Nevada have consolidated districts. Why could we not have Detroit-Wayne Regional School s? Why not Pontiac-Oakland Public Schools, etc.? Much of the same could be done with consolidating local government below a certain population. As the cuts continuously come to seriously needed programs, at what point will we start structural cuts with all these overlapping government entities?

Most would agree that Robert Bob has done a wonderful job and would be an ideal appointee to begin consolidation in SE Michigan. Between the elected legislators, the state superintendent of education, and an appointment by the governor, we should start with “Robert Bobb 2.0� and have him make the first step to consolidate Wayne County Schools - with other areas of the state to follow in a year or two. The numerous superintendents and school boards are NOT going to voluntarily consolidate; it will take legislative action and an appointment by the governor to do these things. Governor Granholm is not seeking reelection and could take a strong, maybe unpopular, but NECCESARY stand. The purchasing power and the decrease in administrative overhead would provide the money needed to maintain excellence in education. This may be one small step, but it would be a courageous step that continuously gets lip service and little else.

How unaffordable do we make college for our young people? How many people do we have to kick off Medicaid? How many kids do we have to deny Headstart to, and how many children do we have to stuff in a classroom before you will look at structural changes and the costs involved in running a government? You can kick around and beat up on the poor people only so much - because WE"RE ALL getting poorer if you haven't noticed - but it’s still not going to change the huge costs involved in “the business of governing.�

I agree....

[Lowell]

Another Amen. Regional union now - share the burdens, share the benefits.

Do we REALLY need 2500 local forms of government as the state shrinks and people move out-of-state? Do we really need 551 school districts? Do we really need a fulltime legislature? Elected leaders talk about the costs of programs, but what are the costs of government?

[croweblack]

Another Amen. Regional union now - share the burdens, share the benefits.

this would be great for privte/catholic schools.

Can you imagine the huge spike in enrollment of grosse pointe kids in private/catholic schools when it is announced that a bunch of idiots from detroit would be in charge of their school district?


Groose pointe south high school would immediately go from a top ten high school to the bottom of the list.

"share the burden" is code for wach you wallets suburbanites!!!

[Tig3rzhark]

There's just no way that it's going to happen, as long as Detroit is in this slump and the school board remains the way it is.

[jjw]

The state of Maryland has county-wide school districts and it works rather effectively. No one seems to be complaining. It does help to cut costs to consolidate districts.

[Mikeg]

Governor Granholm is not seeking reelection and could take a strong, maybe unpopular, but NECCESARY stand.

Granholm has been beating the consolidation drum since her 2007 State of the State speech.

She talks a good game and makes great speeches, but when it comes to getting things accomplished, she is a miserable failure and you're wasting your time even typing that sentence.

[eastland]

Residents in many affluent communities will resist consolidating governments or school districts, and would likely pay higher millage rates to maintain the status quo. That is the reality in southeastern Michigan.

[Russix]

This is really plausible if you leave Detroit out. A consolidated Wayne county school district would be immersed with too many of Detroit’s problems to be effective or publicly acceptable. Plus a Detroit City Council member has publicly stated on TV that the city would “Rebel� if it ever lost control of the school district. I guess it is better to control a pile of crap all to oneself then to have a share in a gold mine.

[MotownSpartan]

this would be great for privte/catholic schools.

Can you imagine the huge spike in enrollment of grosse pointe kids in private/catholic schools when it is announced that a bunch of idiots from detroit would be in charge of their school district?


Groose pointe south high school would immediately go from a top ten high school to the bottom of the list.

"share the burden" is code for wach you wallets suburbanites!!!

To some degree this is correct. Why would anyone from GP [[or any other suburb) want to let Detroit have any governance say in appropriation of money/power for its school district when Detroit has proven to be corrupt beyond all belief. Almost every single aspect of DPS is under some sort of corruption related scrutiny right now.

Also, the biggest benefactor could easily be catholic schools. Columbus did a similar thing to its school district and the most immediate effect was that the quality of the good public schools dropped and most of the parents with means sent their kids to catholic/private school.

[iheartthed]

This is really plausible if you leave Detroit out. A consolidated Wayne county school district would be immersed with too many of Detroit’s problems to be effective or publicly acceptable. Plus a Detroit City Council member has publicly stated on TV that the city would “Rebel� if it ever lost control of the school district. I guess it is better to control a pile of crap all to oneself then to have a share in a gold mine.

Well, the last time I checked, the city doesn't have control of the district now...

[jhartmich]

My point in all this is that we have too much redundancy in government. It's easy to pooh-pooh the concept and I don't have all the answers for how it would work structurally, I just know that we are cutting an awful lot of programs, school funding, Medicaid, jobs programs, tuition assistance, etc. but we never seem to cut the cost of governing.

It's easy to say "these elitist won't like this or those elitist won't want that," but as someone stated, it's working rather effectively in other parts of the country. Now that I think about it, maybe if we had more things that brought us together, we wouldn't be such a damn divided region that just can't get past our sordid history.

[jhartmich]

this would be great for privte/catholic schools.

Can you imagine the huge spike in enrollment of grosse pointe kids in private/catholic schools when it is announced that a bunch of idiots from detroit would be in charge of their school district?


Groose pointe south high school would immediately go from a top ten high school to the bottom of the list.

"share the burden" is code for wach you wallets suburbanites!!!

Blatant negativity to try anything new is why the world is passing us by.

I’m not saying that there still can’t be some autonomy, that they can’t have address boundaries and restrictions like they do now, that they can’t have an area superintendent [[we’ll even make sure he’s lily white to placate GP), or even a school council made up with every community have representation, but my God, when do we bury the past and try something new? Did you read about the predictions for the Michigan economy in 2010 and 2011? What do we cut next year if we don’t make some structural changes soon?

Keeping segregated districts might be what some people WANT, but we have to look at what we can AFFORD as a state. All districts are losing students, laying off teachers, and closing buildings. It seems ridiculous all these marketing campaigns that pit one community against the neighboring comunity [[of course, just till 4th Friday count - then you can have the student back). It's ridiculous!

[Locke09]

Detroit was lambasted when City Council initially opposed regionalizing Cobo. Detroit was similarly ridiculed and criticized when Council initially opposed turning the zoo and other institutions over to authorities.

Now, when it comes to regionalizing those things where others might be expected to shoulder the burden: transportation, education, public health, etc., those who cried "Regionalize or Perish" are now crying "Wait a Minute". And we wonder why Detroiters fear people are only after "assets."

Of course more things need to be regionalized. And with regionalization, Detroit would have to share control with others. So the fear of "Detroit corruption" [[as if only Detroit breeds corrupt officials anyway) is a smokescreen.

Poor Backwards Michigan seems destined to continue the downward spiral. Just some of us faster than others. But we'll all get there eventually - if we stay here.

[Retroit]

I'm not sure I agree that consolidating school districts would actually save money or, more importantly, improve results. I'd bet most small school districts are more efficiently run than very large districts. Maybe dividing DPS up into smaller districts would be better.

[DetroitDad]

How many mayors does Metro Detroit have now? I think we used to have one.... what happened?

Welcome to the Detroit Dark Ages, where everyone is scared of everyone and some people don't cross the imaginary fortifications of their individual suburbs/cities or gated communities out of fear of the barbarians that sacked Rome.... er, Detroit.

Remember all the news reporters that flocked to Detroit to see the spike in violence and possible riots during the Black Out? Did any other suburbanites here have their parents quickly lock the doors when crossing 8 Mile or Telegraph when they were young? They really think the "savages" are going to riot at any moment, and that you'll get shot and car jacked at any random red light.

That's not to mention that white flighters kind of left blacks on the Titanic to sink while they got in their nice safe lifeboats. Stuck in a collapsing city while your white brothers and sisters bragged about how they could keep blacks out of their communities. Just wow.

How the Hell do you get over that, and talk to them? Can you reason with people who see the world in black and white and color every unknown bad?

[DetroitDad]

I'm not sure I agree that consolidating school districts would actually save money or, more importantly, improve results. I'd bet most small school districts are more efficiently run than very large districts. Maybe dividing DPS up into smaller districts would be better.

Retroit, that is a really good idea!

[crawford]

Wow, this would be a dream for all metro counties not named Wayne County.

As for Wayne County homeowners, kiss your investment goodbye. And now that GP South has the same student body as nearby Detroit Finney, GP is a few years away from being a ghetto.

[Novine]

"Residents in many affluent communities will resist consolidating governments or school districts, and would likely pay higher millage rates to maintain the status quo. That is the reality in southeastern Michigan."

This is true and has been borne out by every effort to consolidate schools and communities in the area. The policy makers love to talk about consolidation but voters haven't shown any interest in supporting it when it comes up for a vote.

[crawford]

it's working rather effectively in other parts of the country.

Where, exactly? It mostly exists in the South, which has [[easily) the worst schools in the nation.

The aforementioned Miami-Dade schools are awful.

Maryland does not have comparable county schools to Bloomfield Hills, Bham, etc. Some of the county schools are decent, but only in rich counties like Montgomery County.

Potomac, MD is as rich as Bloomfield Hills, but the schools are not remotely comparable, because they have to bus in poorer kids.

Go to a MD county with poor areas [[such as Prince Georges County) and the schools are awful and only used by the poor.

Indy consolidated its schools with some suburbs, and all the whites left, and test scores plummeted. Same thing happened in Louisville and Nashville.

The sprawl will just move beyond the furthest boundary of the consolidated boundaries.

[reddog289]

I myself think that some of the biggest outcry against this would come from the administration of the various districts. Less Supers, less $100.000 + a yr jobs.
I work for the schools, I find it amazing how much districts will spend to get your kid to go to their schools. What also amazes me is how some parents get on the kick that another school district or charter school can solve their kids problems.
A friend of mine whom I consider as a brother, gave up his home, moved to his girlfriends in Haslett which is east of East Lansing. Therfore taking his daughter who was in the middle of her junior year in high school with him. Then he got on the soap box to tell me how my district, the same one his daughter has gone to for most of her schooling time sucks and how Haslett is much better.
Yet while I think that this plan might work,Alot of people have higher paying jobs then I with the district and they will not like this one bit. They will put up a big fight. As for me I like the fact that my "daughter" can walk to the bus stop and go to a school which I feel gives her a good education and is clean.
No I myself would not like it if she had to go to a school in far away SW Wayne County.I for one would love to see the stats on the break down vs public , private/church and charter schools.
I myself have seen a few kids go of to charters and then come back, Not always for the better.

[sumas]

No jokes about Finney please. I attended Finney from 7th grade through my senior year. Went on to WSU and have completed a part of my masters program. All schools have the potencial to educate our children. The home environment is what is critical.

Sundays were alway special in our house. We would cook a big breakfast and read the Sunday paper. Then on to church. Our eldest son, as a toddler, couldn't read so he would look at the pictures in the Funnies pages. In second grade he was reading at a 6th grade level. In 6th grade, he passed the ACT and the SAT. Our youngest son, sometimes passes up "good times" because he likes to read. He thinks it sad that his friends do not understand the value of a good book. Both my boys are grown now but we still share books and a love of reading.

I have no issues with regional education. I prefer to stress quality teachers. Within all our varied school systems there are so many wonderful educators and unfortunately just as many lousy ones. Teachers can impart so much and can also do horrible damage.

I think my favorite horror story was a teacher in a GPP middle school. She told my youngest son, face to face, in front of me and the school principal that he was a loser. I forget my issues now, I requested the meeting, but she said this to a well adjusted, straight A student. The principal was as horrified as I was at her totally uncalled for rudeness. He sent her from the room. The bitch is still teaching. Go figure?

[mauser]

Wow, this would be a dream for all metro counties not named Wayne County.

As for Wayne County homeowners, kiss your investment goodbye. And now that GP South has the same student body as nearby Detroit Finney, GP is a few years away from being a ghetto.

"Nearby Detroit Finney" at Cadieux and Warren is boarded up and closed.

Those kids share a middle school over on Marlborough now.

Ease up on "the brown people are coming" chant until you get your paranoia straight.

[iheartthed]

"Nearby Detroit Finney" at Cadieux and Warren is boarded up and closed.

Those kids share a middle school over on Marlborough now.

Ease up on "the brown people are coming" chant until you get your paranoia straight.

He's not racist. His girlfriend is Mexican.

[crawford]

"Nearby Detroit Finney" at Cadieux and Warren is boarded up and closed.

Those kids share a middle school over on Marlborough now.

Ease up on "the brown people are coming" chant until you get your paranoia straight.

Right, it's race! No problems whatsoever with DPS!

Finney High is fantastic! What was I thinking? How could anyone sending their kids to GP South have a problem with sending them to Finney?

They must obviously be racists over there in GP, especially the many young black families that have moved to the Pointes in the last 10 years.