Gerald Johnson, a school security officer, kept students moving Wednesday as they left school.
(John T. Greilick/Detroit News via AP)
Facing $300m deficit, Detroit plans school closings, layoffs
Gerald Johnson, a school security officer, kept students moving Wednesday as they left school.
(John T. Greilick/Detroit News via AP)
Associated Press
/
April 10, 2009
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DETROIT - Detroit would close 23 public schools and lay off 600 teachers under a proposal released yesterday that would consolidate facilities in a shrinking district that faces a $303 million deficit.
The proposal was made by the state's financial overseer, Robert Bobb, who also has asked the state for $200 million in federal stimulus funds to improve the remaining schools and strengthen safety and security.
A financial emergency has been declared for the district, which has been struggling for years with declining enrollment as the city's population shrinks and charter schools draw students. The superintendent was fired in December and Governor Jennifer Granholm named Bobb the district's emergency financial manager the following month.
The 192-school system has about 5,700 teachers and an enrollment of more than 95,000; it had nearly twice as many students in the late 1990s. About 7,500 students would have to change schools under the new proposal.
Michigan Department of Education spokesman Martin Ackley said the state was reviewing Bobb's request for $200 million to see what might be available.
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