Plan to close 37 schools moves ahead
March 22, 2007
Parents of about 20,000 Detroit students are one step closer to seeing their children's schools close or merge under a realignment plan that would shutter 37 of the district's 225 school buildings by the fall.
The Detroit Board of Education's facilities committee voted 3-1 Wednesday to recommend the schools -- including four high schools -- close. The full board is to vote on the plan in a special meeting at 6 p.m. Friday.
Committee members Marvis Cofield, Carla Scott and Jimmy Womack voted for the closures.
"This is a very difficult day for all of us," Cofield said. "No one wants to close schools. We do not have the money to make it happen."
Annie Carter was the lone dissenting vote.
"My heart is really heavy because I do love the children," Carter said. "I am committed to my district and to keeping all schools open."
Another 17 school buildings -- including Murray-Wright and Northern high schools -- will get new purposes, with the existing programs closing.
Two schools were successful in changing their fates. Detroit Open and Courtis Elementary had been slated to close, but the committee gave them one year to increase enrollment.
Detroit Open got a reprieve because of its good academic record, while Courtis was saved because of a large community outcry and a sound plan presented by backers to increase its enrollment. Both schools automatically would close in 2008 if they don't meet enrollment goals.
For the remaining schools, there was no reprieve.
The meeting lasted about three hours to allow everyone who wanted to comment to be heard. During two hours of public comment, parents, students and school staff members pleaded for their schools and warned the board of increased gang violence and long, dangerous walks they said they believed would be caused by the closures.
"My school is a good school, and I think it should stay open," Sabrina Lilley, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at Phoenix Academy, which is still on the list to close, told the board.
Parents from southwest Detroit were especially vocal. Some parents spoke in Spanish, while others accused the district of ignoring the growing Latino population.
Margaret Scales, principal of Mark Twain Elementary, grew up in that school's neighborhood and warned the district is eliminating too many schools in southwest Detroit.
"As a child, I walked the blocks, and I would be afraid to walk the blocks today," Scales said, speaking of the increased danger children would face if forced to walk longer distances to school.
Another parent, Trina Bryan, whose son attends Phoenix in southwest Detroit, was most concerned about seventh- and eighth-graders from Phoenix attending Southwestern High School.
"You can't merge 12- and 13-year-olds with 16- and 17-year-olds. It's going to be open season on gang recruitment," Bryan said.
Effie Harris, a parent and a staff member at Healey International Academy, told the committee she was disappointed that her school had not been given a 1-year reprieve.
"How do you close a school that has high academic achievement?" Harris asked. "We've made a commitment that we will increase our enrollment."
Melody Walls of Eastpointe, whose children attend Fisher Magnet and Fairbanks Elementary, begged the committee to keep Fairbanks open.
"All we have is uncertainty. Please keep our school open," Walls said.
Guyton Elementary on the city's east side is among those that must increase their enrollment or face closure in the future. It was on the original closure list both this year and last year, despite a very active community group.
"It's frustrating," said LaShanda Golden, whose 5-year-old twin sons, Jaylin and Justin, are kindergarteners there. The constant threat of closure only makes attracting more students more difficult, she said, adding she's concerned her sons will have to walk on busy Jefferson Avenue to get to school if Guyton closes.
"I guess we'll have to continue to fight the good fight and come together as a community," Golden said.
The competition for students is fierce in Michigan, and is especially tough for Detroit Public Schools, which has lost 60,000 students during the last decade. The schools system has closed three dozen schools because of an enrollment drop primarily because of competition with charter schools and suburban schools, city depopulation and a lower birthrate.
The system is operating under a $200-million state-mandated deficit elimination plan that calls for closing 50 schools within the next three years.
The downsizing plan would save $20.4 million a year, while pushing the number of vacant DPS schools past 70.
As grim as the news was, the cuts were less severe than an earlier plan. The first plan -- proposed in January -- called for closing 47 schools this year and five next year, the largest downsizing in the nation.
Over several subsequent community meetings, the realignment plan changed significantly.
Contact CHASTITY PRATT at cpratt@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
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