This is a really disappointing development. No matter where you fall on this issue there needs to be some serious debate and the advisory vote could have been a starting point in the discussion of governance of the school district.

The opponents of mayoral control has been able to frame this discussion in a couple of different ways

One Detroiters will lose independence to govern ourselves and big business/outsiders/charter schools will control our school district

This is a variation of the "watch out the outsiders want to take our assets from us"
argument that certain members of the community many of which are grass roots related have been making for decades, that is a tried and true method of getting peoples attention.

Never mind that we are supporting a dyfunctional system of governance that didn't work before the Engler takeover, didn't work during the Engler takeover, didn't work after the Engler takeover.

An independent school board governance system doesn't work for many of the same reasons an at-large city council doesn't work. You don't have a centralized point of accountability for results, of lack thereof that the voters can recognize and act upon at the polls.

So essentially these people are saying I know this system of governance doesn't work but its ours and I don't want outsiders telling us how to run our messed up system, we'll just keep doing the same thing and hopefully we will get a different result. We all know the definition of that kind of thinking

Another argument is that the mayor doesn't know anything about the schools, and he has enough on his plate running the city and doesn't need to be running the schools

While technically true,
I'm sure the mayor doesn't know much about the city water system either so he goes out and hires the best person he can find. If you find yourself having to boil water everyday because its unsafe, you better believe the mayor will replace that person or he will be replaced. The mayor doesn't have to be an education expert hell, I would consider most members of the current board as not being education experts. He needs to hire the right person then set the agenda for what he wants to see.

For as much as the mayor has on his plate, the health of the city and the health of the school district is linked and the mayor not only should but must have a say. People with school age children will avoid Detroit not only because of the crime but crappy schools as well.

For example when Kalamazoo started the Promise, people moved into Kalamazoo just so there kids could attend the schools in the district, and that was in a bad economy.

Mayor Bing, talks about running the schools but he really doesn't want to, not because its a lot of work, but it would put a level of accountability on him that would make it difficult for him or any mayor to be re-elected without showing results.

Thats exactly what voters need ! a level of accountability from our politicans that will make them uncomfortable and will make them think out of the box.

So I guess people will continue to vote with their feet when it comes to their school age children.












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