Robert Bobb is not working out for DPS

**R8RBOB** · May-19-10, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by trstar

Bobb is a fianace person. He should stick to the finances of the district. He is not qualified to make academic decisions. His choice of bringing in new academic consultants with failing track records elsewhere is foolhardy. The current board, or previous board, fumbled their chance at running the district by hiring Calloway. She was CLEARLY not qualified to run the district. The state allowed the thieves in the temple with the Engler takeover.

Nothing is perfect......

We need to remind ourselves that when Robert Bobb was appointed by the governor to manage the finances of DPS, the board had fired Connie Calloway and the ship had no captain. The board is not in charge of creating an academic plan. That responsibility falls on the desk of the superintendent who again was fired by the board three months before Bobb arrived.

I know people want to beat up on Bobb and granted he attempted to conjure up some "pie in the sky" ideas that may have been too much for Detroit but at least he is attempted to change the status quo attitude that have made the school system toxic. The old saying is "you will take two steps backwards to take one step forward" and DPS will be taking a lot of steps back to move forward.

**Kevgoblue** · May-19-10, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

It's not the schools, it's the parents. The parents are responsible for improving their kid's test scores. The schools can assist somewhat, but they can only do so much with so little. What, is a teacher going to stay after school with 30 something kids?

Thank you. This is the part of the problem that nobody seems to want to talk about. Heaven forbid that we ask parents to do their jobs as parents. Its so much easier to just blame the teacher / principal / administrators. Sixty years ago young, poor minority children fared much better [[educationally) than the children of today. And their schools had much less funding available. They did better because their parents had the expectation that they go to school and learn something. I can understand why a child from a underprivilidged background might not know how to create a webpage, due to lack of exposure. But that still doesn't explain why he hasn't mastered the fundamentals of readin', writin' and 'rithmatic.

**Roq** · May-20-10, 04:25 AM

Originally Posted by Johnlodge

It's just amazing that people would not give this guy a chance without trying to shuffle him right out of here, yet sat idly by for years and years and years while corruption in the status quo funneled countless dollars away from the children. The entire school board should have been run out of town with pitchforks and torches when Bobb brought this stuff to light, instead, people want to run him out of town. Good luck, children of DPS.

And I don't think English's credentials qualify her to run a school district either, even if her rhetoric sounds peachy. Where was the talk of reform for years and years and years while money was being wasted on ghost employees on the payroll and rooms full of computers rotting away without even being hooked up once? Instead, people get upset they won't pay to keep open a bunch of 1/4 to 1/2 empty school buildings who are losing enrollment every year.

Give this guy a few years, then you can assess if his plan is working or not. Right now, you're just throwing grapes.

** [golf clap] **

Based on the fact those complete fuckwits such as Reverend Murray hate him with such venom and are suing him at every turn, he is doing something right.

**Zacha341** · May-20-10, 04:41 AM

Well stated. Thank you.

Originally Posted by kraig

Or, and this is appropriate since we're talking about education, we can do our homework before the election and not give control to any crooks. Whether they're local or from out of town.

**Zacha341** · May-20-10, 04:56 AM

Well stated. I'm not a fan of the board and some schools needed to close... Indeed Bobb has stopped some of the bold-faced, barely conceal, open corruption that was rife in DPS like the Mumford situation and other scams such as the ghost employees.

But for certain he has brought on some people who have very thin experience in certain key areas in the district, however most are not local [[or even from Michigan in many cases) and that seems to be the magic quotient. I am wondering how these new persons will function post Bobb?

I also wonder how those teachers feel who take that $250 per pay check pay cut and see that has had little impact as the deficit is now even higher.... If the whole thing goes bust they will not be getting that money back [[all agreements become insolvent when agencies dissolve or go bankrupt).

Originally Posted by 65memories

As is usually the case, English has a better grasp of the problems facing urban education than most of our current leaders/reformers, including Robert Bobb. Bobb has done a great job combating fraud in DPS [[I know for a fact that millions of dollars slated for improvement to Mumford High School via bond money in the 90's never got there...somebody else got that money), but Bobb's knowledge of what works in urban education is suspect. He has transferred or dismissed many educators who were indeed making a difference. As I sat in on some of the school closing appeals, it was clear that Bobb had no real idea what was happening in some schools before he made them get on their knees and beg to remain open.

**Zacha341** · May-20-10, 05:14 AM

Exactly... a bad idea. Incongruous and unsustainable. Typical big blue print, mega-glass and steel talk to impress the appropriate and appointed in the room, while the core entity is dismantled all together down the hall.

Blatant contradictions here with these sorta mega project!

Yet these are the kind of ROBO COP schemes you would often see from someone not local that would not be as sensitive to or aware of the the community, sustainability, demographics, land use or other details relevant to placement and development.

Thus, even this week Bobb finally had to rescind three of the proposed school closings once he finally responded to the facts re. the long term negative impact to the educational process those closings would make and the viability of those schools.

Now, I am NOT saying that no schools should be closed and none built. No! But proposals of mega schools like this are from poor and rushed, [[let me leave my foot print, addendum for my resume) planning, that speaks to Bobbs short comings. What? Did we think he was perfect?

Sure he has done some good. Not arguing that. But who is advising him? His friends from DC?

DPS: A district that seems to be going down ala the death by a thousand cuts... the charters are coming and current smart and prudent teachers should prepare for career transitions in that direction.

Originally Posted by barnesfoto

This guy has a tough job, and deserves some credit for trying to salvage a ship that has been on a disastrous course for decades, but now he is proposing building megaschools, which have a proven track record of failure.

Most school districts are moving towards smaller schools [[for example in Los Angeles, large schools have been broken up into small learning communities, each with their own educational goals)...Yet this man is trying to go backwards. One of his planned megaschools would be on the campuses of Western HS and Earhart Middle School, and involves acquiring homes in the Hubbard Farms neighborhood and demolishing them.

So, in a city filled with vacant land and buildings, he wants to force out another block of homeowners [[and homeowners in a historic district to boot) to build a gigantic school based on a failed educational model.

Hopefully, he's gone soon.

**maxx** · May-20-10, 05:24 AM

I wonder when was the last time DPS had had an audit before this one. Can't the school board demand that?

**middetres** · May-23-10, 10:23 AM

Why is Bobb being blamed for the deficit's not being erased when revenues have plummeted with the catastrophic collapse of housing prices in Detroit?

And to blame him for the abysmal test scores when he's been hampered at every turn in instituting any meaningful academic reform?

Let's see how reading scores are affected in a year for the kids being mentored by the Reading Corps. A Bobb idea that I believe will generate postive outcomes far in excess of the cost of the program.

**Patrick** · May-23-10, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

It's not the schools, it's the parents. The parents are responsible for improving their kid's test scores. The schools can assist somewhat, but they can only do so much with so little. What, is a teacher going to stay after school with 30 something kids?

Robert Bobb can fix the money problems. The test scores are already decided.....and Detroiters seem to be relatively complacent with them being low, so I suppose there is no other problem to look at here.

This.

A lot of it stems from cultural and social issues. Seems to me that you could pump hundreds of millions into DPS and not see a good improvement. It is kinda like shovelling shit into the tide...you just can't win. Schools can only do so much to improve the lives of urban kids. Parents have to take charge but how can they when Detroit has so many one-parent households? Detroit is going on 40 years of having shitty schools. Just what the hell is the issue? What is the underlying problem here?

**firstandten** · May-23-10, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by barnesfoto

This guy has a tough job, and deserves some credit for trying to salvage a ship that has been on a disastrous course for decades, but now he is proposing building megaschools, which have a proven track record of failure.

Most school districts are moving towards smaller schools [[for example in Los Angeles, large schools have been broken up into small learning communities, each with their own educational goals)...Yet this man is trying to go backwards. One of his planned megaschools would be on the campuses of Western HS and Earhart Middle School, and involves acquiring homes in the Hubbard Farms neighborhood and demolishing them.

So, in a city filled with vacant land and buildings, he wants to force out another block of homeowners [[and homeowners in a historic district to boot) to build a gigantic school based on a failed educational model.

Hopefully, he's gone soon.

I believe the key is how this mega school will be set up. Bobb is talking pre K thru 14. The year 14 makes sense because most DPS grads aren't ready for a 4 year college and the two additional years just take the place of the time they would spend at WCCCD.

Thats a lot of students at one location so it would all depend on how the classes were set up. Essentially making sure the babies aren't bumping into the HS students.

**firstandten** · May-23-10, 02:20 PM

What do you think of a concept like the Kalamazoo Promise. The kids can see a payoff at the end, and they would be motivated to at least keep a 2.0 GPA. It would take a lot of money to be done in Detroit since there are only 2 HS in K-zoo.

Its something that could be looked at on a smaller scale then expanded if proven to work

**fanniemae** · June-02-10, 07:50 PM

Give Bobb another year. He is no worse than what was there before, maybe a little better. Plus I think the city of Detroit will be taken over by the state, too much debt coming due. There is stuff not known about to the general public that Kwame did. Hold on to your seats folks.

**English** · June-02-10, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by fanniemae

Give Bobb another year. He is no worse than what was there before, maybe a little better. Plus I think the city of Detroit will be taken over by the state, too much debt coming due. There is stuff not known about to the general public that Kwame did. Hold on to your seats folks.

Welcome to the DYes forums. BTW, wow. Can you say any more about the bolded?

**fanniemae** · June-02-10, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by English

Welcome to the DYes forums. BTW, wow. Can you say any more about the bolded?

Sorry, can't tell what I heard.

**michigansheik** · June-02-10, 09:35 PM

dc schools national test scores have increased for the 3rd straight year, ms rhee seems to be effective....though i think boston public schools have really moved the needle in the last 5 yrs, they should be the benchmark....lets see what happens next year with bobb, hes only had 1 year and a few months 'in control' we should think of his task as a 3 yr role. lets face it we expect instant results but we did not get where we are instantly.

**English** · June-02-10, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by fanniemae

Sorry, can't tell what I heard.

I wouldn't mention it at all if it's that confidential, then. No one is 100% anonymous online.

**gnome** · June-03-10, 04:56 AM

You mean to tell me that Detroit is broke? That is has junk bond status? That the parks are turning to pasture? That the cops can't get a federal decree right? That crime labs are shuttered by stupidity? That a State appointed Receiver is going to come in and reset 40 + years of fuckedupness?

goodness, the stuff you find out here.

**maxx** · June-03-10, 06:36 AM

RE: test scores
Recently I watched a show on TV about a program which is successful at getting inner city children into college. They take the kids out of their homes and neighborhoods and give them intensive education not only in the usual academic subjects but also in middle class values like getting to bed by 9:00 pm.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n6506911.shtml

**maxx** · June-03-10, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by jbd441

I think it's funny how the School Board is suing to get financial control back from Bobb. I wonder if any of this would have been overcovered if it wasn't for Bobb. Maybe the school board should be replaced also.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in..._to_uncov.html

Maybe they've got something to hide.

**firstandten** · June-03-10, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by maxx

RE: test scores
Recently I watched a show on TV about a program which is successful at getting inner city children into college. They take the kids out of their homes and neighborhoods and give them intensive education not only in the usual academic subjects but also in middle class values like getting to bed by 9:00 pm.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n6506911.shtml

Great read! I believe the key is getting the kids out of the environment where it is difficult to overcome the lack of emphasis on education. I believe the boarding schools concept has been proven to work and I would like to see it used more.

Piney woods is another great story
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piney_W...ry_Life_School

**56packman** · June-03-10, 08:43 AM

One thing Bobb can't do, and that is fire/replace a high percentage of the parents of students in the district. Firstandten is on that path, without really saying as much.

**bailey** · June-03-10, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by maxx

RE: test scores
Recently I watched a show on TV about a program which is successful at getting inner city children into college. They take the kids out of their homes and neighborhoods and give them intensive education not only in the usual academic subjects but also in middle class values like getting to bed by 9:00 pm.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n6506911.shtml

And if it were attempted here how long before the grape throwers and the DFT marched on Lansing to shut it down?

**firstandten** · June-03-10, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by 56packman

One thing Bobb can't do, and that is fire/replace a high percentage of the parents of students in the district. Firstandten is on that path, without really saying as much.

I'll just say this.. For parents, who for whatever the reason cannot see the big picture, who cannot see the educational payoff down the road for there kids, because they are too busy dealing with there issues on a day-to-day basis. Boarding school could take some pressure off them, plus give the kid a chance to focus on its education.

**English** · June-03-10, 12:01 PM

In the long run, I don't think we can "fire" all the parents and put the kids in boarding schools without having it come back to bite us 20-30 years from now.

Besides, we've already tried this for other groups we considered degenerate:

American Indian Boarding Schools
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps...ding/index.htm

**bailey** · June-03-10, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by English

In the long run, I don't think we can "fire" all the parents and put the kids in boarding schools without having it come back to bite us 20-30 years from now.

Besides, we've already tried this for other groups we considered degenerate:

American Indian Boarding Schools
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/erdrich/boarding/index.html

Right on cue with the grape throwing and trail of tears rhetoric. Are you seriously comparing SEED or Piney Woods with what were, in effect, re-education camps?

no one is implying the youth of Detroit are "degenerates" or need to be "assimilated". The point is to get at risk kids out of unhealthy environs so they can learn instead of spending time on grandma's couch where they might catch a stray bullet.