Detroit Plan Would Shut Schools, Cut 600 Teachers

DETROIT, April 9 -- Detroit Public Schools would close 23 schools and lay off 600 teachers in a proposal released Thursday that would consolidate facilities in a shrinking district facing a projected $303 million deficit.

The proposal was made by the state's financial overseer, Robert C. 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 Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm (D) 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 proposal.

The president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, Keith Johnson, said Bobb's plan appears to be a move in the right direction for the district's long-term health.

"He's going to make sure teachers are equipped with the materials that they need," Johnson said.

The first in a series of town hall meetings for the public on the restructuring plan is scheduled for April 28, and the district is expected to make a final decision May 8. Bobb said that some of the laid-off teachers could return, but that another round of potential school closings will be announced this summer.