Detroit high schools could have 61 students per class in the fall
DETROIT Class sizes in Detroit Public Schools could nearly double this fall.
A new teacher union collective bargaining agreement, which took effect July 1, raises the contractual limits for class sizes throughout the district, according to the Detroit News.
Currently, in grades K-3, the maximum class size is 25. According to the new contract, a class would need to reach 41 students before DPS moves to reduce it.
In grades 4-5, where 30 was the limit, it would take 46 students for the district to react. In grades 6-12, where class sizes were limited to 35, reorganization efforts would not begin until a class has reached 61 students.
Can you imagine a high school class with 61 students? Could anything but chaos result from such an arrangement?
DPS has vowed to make reasonable efforts to reorganize class size if overcrowding develops. Steve Wasko, a spokesman for the district, said class reorganization standards remain the same as previous contracts.
The reorganization is what takes place after the count days twice yearly, and at other times as necessary. The district does not intend to have classes at those sizes listed, said Wasko.
When asked why the numbers that trigger reorganization were set so high in the new contract, Wasko declined to comment, according to the news story.
In 2011, DPS made headlines when former Emergency Manager Robert Bobb issued a plan calling for high school classes of up to 60 students in an effort to reduce the districts $327 million budget deficit.
A survey conducted by the teachers union revealed that more than 200 classrooms at 42 DPS schools had oversized classes during the fall of 2011.
Until recently, DPS was forced to pay a fine to teachers stuck with oversized classes. However, when Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts imposed a 10 percent pay cut on all employees in July 2011, he also took away compensation for oversized classes. The change saved the district about $700,000 for that year, according to the Detroit News.
Last October, DPS buildings were investigated by the fire marshal after more than 50 students were found in one kindergarten class at Nolan Elementary.
Keith Johnson, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said the district does not have large enough classrooms to accommodate 60 students, adding the union would pursue legal action if class sizes became unreasonable.
This is part of their reduction process and plan to minimize teacher service. It would have an adverse effect on student achievement, he said. This is completely unacceptable. You would not hear talk of this in any surrounding community. This is a disregard for children and parents in DPS.
Our guess is that Roberts and other school administrators are simply dealing with reality. The school district has been teetering on the edge of insolvency for years, yet has continued to honor the union concept of last in, first out during periods of layoff. That means the most expensive teachers have remained on the payroll, while many young teachers who make less money were let go.
Smaller classrooms would be more likely if the district had more control over teacher salaries. A good teacher in a tough city like Detroit deserves to make a nice living, but the district must base its payroll on what it has to offer. And that isnt much at the moment.
We think DPS could use a new generation of highly motivated young teachers who arent so expensive. The district could hire more of them and have smaller class sizes. It would be a shame to lose many experienced teachers, but their salary demands may be more than DPS can afford right now.
Michigans emergency manager law gives Roberts broad powers to deal with the school districts problems. We wonder if that includes the power to clean house and hire a new roster of young educators who could get the job done for half the expense?
Its just a thought for a district that appears to be headed toward drastic overcrowding problems.
http://eagnews.org/detroit-high-schools-could-have-61-students-per-class-in-the-fall/
