Robert Bobb 2.0 Part II: Granholm extends contract to start consolidation process

**jhartmich** · October-02-09, 05:37 PM

I see Granholm wants to extend Robert Bobb's contract. Rumor is that she will start consolidation first by merging Grosse Point South with Southeastern. Take a breath. I was joking.

As much as the school budget is holding up the state budget, I'm sure she's looking at making Bobb "school consolidation master" for SE Michigan.

Told ya so...

crawford · October-02-09, 05:42 PM

School consolidation will never happen, and I'm sure Robert Bobb will soon leave for more productive pastures.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-02-09, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by crawford

School consolidation will never happen, and I'm sure Robert Bobb will soon leave for more productive pastures.

It will never happen because people with your train of thought won't allow it to. This is considered "sinister" to people such as yourself

Robert Bobb has done something that should have been done years ago. He's to be commended.

**jhartmich** · October-02-09, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by crawford

School consolidation will never happen,... .

That's Michigan's problem: It SHOULD happen, but your probably right, it won't because we just can't put racism behind us. No matter that it keeps our state broke - segregation must continue, damn the costs.......say some people. <barf>

**French777** · October-02-09, 06:14 PM

Consolidate Northern Michigan Schools. Leenanau County for example does not need every district having there own High School and middle school.

**iheartthed** · October-02-09, 09:58 PM

I thought he was going back to California to run for mayor of Oakland?

ziggyselbin · October-02-09, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by jhartmich

That's Michigan's problem: It SHOULD happen, but your probably right, it won't because we just can't put racism behind us. No matter that it keeps our state broke - segregation must continue, damn the costs.......say some people. <barf>

Give me a break. Did it ever occur to any of you that suburban parents know the good will drag down the bad? Why in the hell should an outlying district take on the screw ups? The kids in Detroit that want to go to school are doing fine. It is the ones that have no parental support and disruptive home lives that will do nothing but bring down what ever district they are "consolidated" to.

Too bad boarding schools are for the rich.The best thing for kids in lousy environments is to be removed; boarding schools would accomplish that.

**jhartmich** · October-03-09, 05:57 AM

Originally Posted by ziggyselbin

Give me a break. Did it ever occur to any of you that suburban parents know the good will drag down the bad? Why in the hell should an outlying district take on the screw ups? The kids in Detroit that want to go to school are doing fine. It is the ones that have no parental support and disruptive home lives that will do nothing but bring down what ever district they are "consolidated" to.

Too bad boarding schools are for the rich.The best thing for kids in lousy environments is to be removed; boarding schools would accomplish that.

Take Detroit out of it for a minute if that makes it easier to swallow. Let's, for example, do as you suggest and keep the blacks segregated. Wouldn't you agree that consolidating, maybe, Troy, Birmingham, Royal Oak, Ferndale, and, say, Berkley, would potentially lower administrative costs?

Why do all these scare tactics of "us being aligned with bad, bad, bad, Detroit" have to derail the idea for the entire state?

Ok. We get it. We understand that you don't want to be associated with dem' blak kidz. What about the other 2000+ school districts? Republicans are always touting smaller government and economies of scale, why not do what other states have done successfully if it means being able to put more money into the classroom.

At some point folks, the status quo of having what we have always had will end. Michigan is broke and there's not much more to cut. We have to see how we can become more efficient and make the dollars we do have work for us better.

**jhartmich** · October-03-09, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by ziggyselbin

Give me a break. Did it ever occur to any of you that suburban parents know the good will drag down the bad? .....

It's not JUST about what people want, it's about what makes sense in making "the business of educating kids" smaller so the resources will be there for the classroom.

ziggyselbin · October-03-09, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by jhartmich

Take Detroit out of it for a minute if that makes it easier to swallow. Let's, for example, do as you suggest and keep the blacks segregated. Wouldn't you agree that consolidating, maybe, Troy, Birmingham, Royal Oak, Ferndale, and, say, Berkley, would potentially lower administrative costs?

Why do all these scare tactics of "us being aligned with bad, bad, bad, Detroit" have to derail the idea for the entire state?

Ok. We get it. We understand that you don't want to be associated with dem' blak kidz. What about the other 2000+ school districts? Republicans are always touting smaller government and economies of scale, why not do what other states have done successfully if it means being able to put more money into the classroom.

At some point folks, the status quo of having what we have always had will end. Michigan is broke and there's not much more to cut. We have to see how we can become more efficient and make the dollars we do have work for us better.

Fuck you no where did I say blacks should be separated.

**Detroit Stylin** · October-03-09, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by ziggyselbin

Fuck you no where did I say blacks should be separated.

Oh I agree....u didn't "say" it but....

ziggyselbin · October-03-09, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

Oh I agree....u didn't "say" it but....

But nothing. If the parents of shitty kids in Detroit or elsewhere don't want to take an account of their offspring why the hell should anyone else?

That rather pertinent fact seems to fly over the heads of many here. Consolidation is not the issue. Taking on shitty disruptive assholes is.

**jhartmich** · October-03-09, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

Oh I agree....u didn't "say" it but....

Thank you. That dude has anger issues. The hate seems to being oozing out of his pours. He must have been a Palin supporter. LOL....

He must be a selective reader. My recent post was asking, "What about consolidating OTHER districts other than Detroit?" Take Detroit out of it. Notice he had nothing to say. He kept on referencing Detroit and the "parents of shitty kids." He can't talk about the other 2000+ districts.

ziggyselbin · October-03-09, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by jhartmich

Thank you.

Whatever, you all obviously miss the obvious_ no one wants their kids around disruptive delinquents that are not interested in school. Solve that issue and consolidation would be welcome. Boarding schools for those disruptive students would be best.

**jhartmich** · October-03-09, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by ziggyselbin

..._ no one wants their kids around disruptive delinquents ....

I agree. NEWS FLASH! That's not what we are talking about.

I asked if, say, [[let's start small here), they consolidated Birmingham, Troy, and Bloomfield Hills [[I'M NOT ADDING DETROIT, I'M NOT ADDING DETROIT, I'M NOT ADDING DETROIT TO THAT GROUP). Ok? Got it now? Now, would combining those three districts have cost-saving benefits?

One more time in case you didn't catch it..... NOT DETROIT! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, talk about stupid....

ziggyselbin · October-03-09, 01:34 PM

from wikipedia

The city and Farmington, Michigan also share a school system, Farmington Public Schools. Farmington Hills also encompasses parts of the West Bloomfield School District; the Clarenceville School District; and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. The city also includes several private schools, including two parochial Catholic schools run by the Archdiocese of Detroit, an all-girls Catholic high school, Mercy High School, and a day school affiliated with Conservative Judaism, Hillel Day School. The city also contains a branch of the Oakland Community College system, as well as a suburban center for Wayne State University, which is based in Detroit, Michigan. It is also home to Farmington High School, and Harrison High School, from which Al Jean graduated, famous for his work on the animated comedy The Simpsons. Harrison High School's football team, the Hawks, are also known for excelling at football[6] led by Coach John Herrington who has been the coach since the opening of the school in 1970. Additionally, the city's North Farmington High School hosted President Barack Obama for a speech. In addition, Farmington High School's technological program has been featured in Time Magazine

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-04-09, 11:32 AM

^^ So what are you saying? Farmington"s school district is one of the better one's in the area?? I'm just asking, not trying to be sarcastic.

ziggyselbin · October-04-09, 12:03 PM

Just that consolidation is already happening and has been for a long time. I do remember a few years back in Farmington I believe that there was much opposition to consolidation. So when I am idiotically accused of racism because I say that regardless of district unruly students will be strongly resisted there may be history to support my observation.

**Novine** · October-05-09, 09:47 PM

The Farmington district isn't a consolidated district, at least not a recent one.

jhartmich - Go research the efforts to consolidate the school districts in Saint Clair Shores. As best I can recall, there's 3 districts in the city, all of which are pretty much equal and none of which offer something spectacular that would justify keeping them separate. No issues with "outsiders" coming in and taking control, or mingling with the kids or anything that's been thrown out here. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to consolidate. Every time it's been attempted, it's failed. Everyone says that ideas like consolidation sound good...for someone else's city or schools. When it comes to their own schools and own communities, unless they are backed to the wall and have no alternative, the majority of voters turn these consolidation efforts down 99.9% of the time.

**cmubryan** · October-05-09, 09:54 PM

None of Farmington or Farmington Hills is districted into the West Bloomfield School district. However, there are parts of West Bloomfield which go to Farmington schools. There are six schools districts which cover West Bloomfield: West Bloomfield, Farmington, Walled Lake, Bloomfield Hills, Pontiac and Birmingham.

**Novine** · October-06-09, 09:36 AM

According to this map, seven.

http://www.oakgov.com/oss/assets/doc...ist_letter.pdf

The geographic township of Royal Oak tops that with eight.

**bailey** · October-06-09, 03:03 PM

Hey, how about instead of demanding the hostile seizure of one communities assets for the "good" of less fortunate districts...or in the name of some undefined "efficiency", we just go back to the old way. Each community funds its own school district through it's own tax revenue. Half of the problem right now is Prop A anyway. so, chuck it. Local control, local taxation...get the state entirely out of income redistribution.

If Birmingham wants to spend 10k a student and not consolidate, and those that are paying property taxes to support that want it, why not?

Haikoont · October-06-09, 09:26 PM

Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate. So what is the perfect size for a school district? My idea is to just put one big school somewhere around Clare and all students in the state will attend it, K-12. Can't get enough of consolidation. It is the answer to all our problems.

**Maxine1958** · October-07-09, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Hey, how about instead of demanding the hostile seizure of one communities assets for the "good" of less fortunate districts...or in the name of some undefined "efficiency", we just go back to the old way. Each community funds its own school district through it's own tax revenue. Half of the problem right now is Prop A anyway. so, chuck it. Local control, local taxation...get the state entirely out of income redistribution.

If Birmingham wants to spend 10k a student and not consolidate, and those that are paying property taxes to support that want it, why not?

I realize this will never happen, but it is something to think about. The problem would be the poorest of the districts not being able to provide 'quality' education. Therefore, some students would be put in a position of risk. Each district, I'm sure, would have it's trouble makers. Students just not interested or motivated to get an education. But there are always a few shining examples soaking up all that knowledge like sponges. Perhaps someone would step up and open 'charter schools for those areas.

I'm just tossing out some thoughts here. Anyone else?

**detmsp** · October-08-09, 08:31 AM

This is a post from professorscott from another thread. I hope he doesn't mind me reposting it:

Originally Posted by professorscott

All of the "you're a racist!" "no, you're a racist!" arguments in this thread are worse than stupid; they're harmful. Let's face facts.

The Detroit Public Schools are so bad, so absolutely Godawful, that they are now probably the major reason black families continue to abandon Detroit for the suburbs. They have been bad for a very long time, and Detroit Board of Education after Detroit Board of Education has been all about the money and the power [[and the opportunities for corruption thereby provided), and never about children or schools. Mr. Bobb is working wonders, but he's a temp. If I thought he might stay on for five or ten years, and deprive the elected board of any power whatever, I wouldn't say what I say now:

Why would anyone think that parents in Dearborn Heights, or Allen Park, or Southfield or Oak Park or Fraser or anywhere else would want the people who control the Detroit Public Schools most of the time to have any say whatever in how their children are educated?

If anyone made a serious attempt to consolidate Detroit schools with any number of suburban districts, those suburban districts would depopulate so quickly there'd be burn marks on the pavement. And this has precious little to do with race, though there are some who love to play that card. For instance, I believe the public schools in Southfield are now over 50% African American; nonetheless, suggest combining DPS with the schools in Southfield and let me know how that conversation goes.

It's not about race, it's about effectiveness. Parents want their children to get a reasonably good education in a safe environment, and DPS has not delivered for many decades. DPS is the Detroit Lions of public education: they suck, and they suck every year, and they suck very reliably. DPS is now well under 100,000 students, and still sinking.

I fail to see how attaching other boats to a sinking ship is going to benefit anyone. I fail to see how making school districts larger is supposed to be in any way a good thing; Detroit is the largest public school district in the state, hardly an advertisement for "big".

I'm amazed at some of the rhetoric on this thread. Apparently for some of you, it's not about children or quality of education. Shame; it ought to be. We are throwing away tens of thousands of young lives every year, and it ought to stop, and it can stop, but merging DPS with anything else is ludicrous.