Trying to teach in Detroit Public Schools amid decay: 'It's a travesty' - Polidicks

[url=http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/01/14/detroit-schools-problems/78804118/]Source[/url] [quote]Temperatures outside are in the 20s, but the windows in the principal’s office at Detroit Institute of Technology Preparatory High School are cracked open and two fans are running to keep the indoor temperature from reaching 90 degrees. Fifteen ceiling tiles are missing over the head of Principal Latoya Hall-King as she explains that her side of the building must tolerate desert heat to keep the other side of the building from freezing in the January air. "We have a boiler that needs to be fixed," Hall-King said. "But it's very expensive with a cash-strapped district." Hall-King was hosting Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who visited Detroit today for a meeting and toured the school to see first-hand some of the conditions that have prompted teachers across Detroit to call in sick in recent days, forcing more than 70 schools to close. In addition to temperatures that were either too cold or too hot, Weingarten saw hardwood floors buckled with moisture, restroom stalls with the doors ripped off, an auditorium where the wooden seats have decades of graffiti carved into them and a computer laboratory with plenty of computers but no Internet access. "There are two temperatures, arctic and the hottest summer day," Weingarten told the Free Press after the tour. "This is an abandonment of children. It's a travesty." Detroit teachers have complained for years that the buildings provide unsafe environments for both students and teachers. Beginning last week, teachers across the district began using sick-outs to call attention to the district's plight. The district faces mounting debt and risks running out of cash in April or May unless the state, which has run the district for 14 of the past 17 years, comes up with money. State Sen. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart, introduced two bills today to help DPS, but the district's debt is $515 million and some Detroit lawmakers say the $250 million in the legislation is not enough.[/quote] [quote][img]http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/cba46142da8fafe94960c089b9b502fb8d63f761/c=136-0-2264-1600&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/2016/01/14/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/635884022195979675-OSBORN-011416-rhb1.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/cba46142da8fafe94960c089b9b502fb8d63f761/c=136-0-2264-1600&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/2016/01/14/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/635884022209551936-Osborn-011416-004-rb.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/d52c70b419eee900096bab21f9540146305057e3/c=99-0-2227-1600&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/2016/01/14/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/635884022204247834-Osborn-011416-006-rb.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/a408d6f84dc8746980db8f17fb2d13a3c9690d89/c=269-0-2397-1600&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/2016/01/14/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/635884022373355086-Osborn-011416-002-rb.jpg[/img][/quote] More photos in source

Holy shit, that is depressing.

Huh, Actually reminds me of my old high school just the building was in worst shape as it was constructed as a temporary building and was suppose to be replace about two years after it was build. 60 years later and it was still there.

...They have schools there?

[QUOTE=ZakkShock;49536368]...They have schools there?[/QUOTE] Contrary to popular belief, hellholes straight out of post-apocalyptic setting still have public education.

Detroit is used up and has served its purpose, it should be abandoned and turned into a forest reserve like those old ships that are sunk and made into reefs.

[QUOTE=Stolons;49536751]Detroit is used up and has served its purpose, it should be abandoned and turned into a forest reserve like those old ships that are sunk and made into reefs.[/QUOTE] I live about 30 minutes outside of downtown and you're wrong. Detroit is growing and getting back up on its feet. It's slow going, but it's happening. Everyday there's young people moving into the city, there's new businesses opening up, there's old buildings coming down or being renovated. It's currently slow going but it will pick up speed. The largest problem is the suburbs surrounding the city itself. They are huge, don't pay much in taxes, but take up a ton of the cities resources.

Pretty common sight where I live right now lol. That actually looks way better than some of the public schools here.

[QUOTE=Fish Muffin;49536872]I live about 30 minutes outside of downtown and you're wrong. Detroit is growing and getting back up on its feet. It's slow going, but it's happening. Everyday there's young people moving into the city, there's new businesses opening up, there's old buildings coming down or being renovated. It's currently slow going but it will pick up speed. The largest problem is the suburbs surrounding the city itself. They are huge, don't pay much in taxes, but take up a ton of the cities resources.[/QUOTE] What do you mean detroit is getting back up on its feet? The population is still in steady decline: [url]http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26/2622000.html[/url] [quote] Population, 2010 713,777 Population, 2014 estimate 680,250 Population, percent change - April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 -4.7% [/quote] A mild revival of a downtown district means little when the city as a whole is still hemorrhaging multiple thousands of people each year.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49543136]What do you mean detroit is getting back up on its feet? The population is still in steady decline: [URL]http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26/2622000.html[/URL] A mild revival of a downtown district means little when the city as a whole is still hemorrhaging multiple thousands of people each year.[/QUOTE] The welfare of the city and its people is the defining factor when it comes to determining how well Detroit is faring. Population loss is irrelevant as long as the city is still recovering.

[QUOTE=Cheshire_cat;49543531]The welfare of the city and its people is the defining factor when it comes to determining how well Detroit is faring. Population loss is irrelevant as long as the city is still recovering.[/QUOTE] He was saying that Detroit is growing and that people are moving in, which is the complete opposite of what official population figures state. A mild recovery in the downtown area means nothing when people are still leaving in droves. Why are they leaving if the city is in recovery?

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49543563]He was saying that Detroit is growing and that people are moving in, which is the complete opposite of what official population figures state. A mild recovery in the downtown area means nothing when people are still leaving in droves. Why are they leaving if the city is in recovery?[/QUOTE] Besides the failures still crippling the city, Detroit has acquired a strong stigma that drives people away. Even once the city successfully resolves its numerous crises and jumpstarts its economy, it will take a while to stem the population decline and wash the past eight years away. I live about half an hour away from St. Louis, so I know how people can revile the big city to the point where they wouldn't live there for the world.

My sister lives in Ann Arbor working at U of M, and her SO just got a job as a teacher at a public school in downtown Detroit. The dude's crazy, but really believes in the city and wants to make a difference

[QUOTE=Cheshire_cat;49543993]Besides the failures still crippling the city, Detroit has acquired a strong stigma that drives people away. Even once the city successfully resolves its numerous crises and jumpstarts its economy, it will take a while to stem the population decline and wash the past eight years away. I live about half an hour away from St. Louis, so I know how people can revile the big city to the point where they wouldn't live there for the world.[/QUOTE] I don't know what you mean about the past eight years, because Detroit has had a persistent and steady population decline for half a century. I wouldn't say that Detroit is recovering in any capacity until the population stabilizes at the least. Until then, you will still face declining taxes, weakening public services, all kinds of civil institutions/groups (from schools and universities to hospitals and churches) getting quieter and abandoned, the decline of infrastructure, and reversion of large parts of the city to the wild.

Not a city school here but every winter the halls were lined in trashcans to catch the roof leaks America's school funding system is a disgrace

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49544127]I don't know what you mean about the past eight years, because Detroit has had a persistent and steady population decline for half a century. I wouldn't say that Detroit is recovering in any capacity until the population stabilizes at the least. Until then, you will still face declining taxes, weakening public services, all kinds of civil institutions/groups (from schools and universities to hospitals and churches) getting quieter and abandoned, the decline of infrastructure, and reversion of large parts of the city to the wild.[/QUOTE] population decline doesn't mean jack shit if most of them were living in awful conditions smaller urban communities of higher living conditions will always be better than simply stuffing people into ruins for more taxes when they can't even get basic services and amenities distributed to them

As far as I understand each state runs the school districts and comes up with the funding, but why isn't the Federal government coming in to help with the payments at this point? Kids are required to go to school but sending them to places like this is absurd, they've even locked the bathroom on a floor in one school in the article because its been infested with mold from a leaky roof. It's really not a healthy environment, and respect to these teachers and students who put up with this shit.

thats because Detroit is a third world country. I lived just outside Detroit for 5 years. wasn't too bad there, but a hope skip and a lap to the left and you are in the ghetto getting mugged.

The answer is obvious but no one wants to admit it.

[QUOTE=Jund;49544325]population decline doesn't mean jack shit if most of them were living in awful conditions[/QUOTE] except it does? population decline means an inevitable loss of economic activity. schools get quieter, you have less money circulating around the local economy. various places (clubs and pubs, shops and cinemas) all close down due to lack of traffic. detroit is in an especially bad position because it is still hemorrhaging massive numbers of people. outside of this downtown area (which seems to be somewhat bucking the trend if we are to believe), virtually the rest of the city is returning to the wilderness whence it came. its caught in a slow death spiral that won't end until the lands which make up the city are administratively reorganized to account for these realities and budgets are changed accordingly. at present there are people who still seem to pretend that its a major city when over half of it has been virtually abandoned. they're also going to have to reform the present administration of the city and massively downsize everything to focus on the central populated districts

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49544517]they're also going to have to reform the present administration of the city and massively downsize everything to focus on the central populated districts[/QUOTE] ok? that's what i said in the second part of my post that you didn't quote if they do that then of course overall population will go down. the point is to focus on areas that can be saved or are coming back so areas that are unlivable don't have to be supported anymore once everyone moves out

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49544517]except it does? population decline means an inevitable loss of economic activity. schools get quieter, you have less money circulating around the local economy. various places (clubs and pubs, shops and cinemas) all close down due to lack of traffic. detroit is in an especially bad position because it is still hemorrhaging massive numbers of people. outside of this downtown area (which seems to be somewhat bucking the trend if we are to believe), virtually the rest of the city is returning to the wilderness whence it came. its caught in a slow death spiral that won't end until the lands which make up the city are administratively reorganized to account for these realities and budgets are changed accordingly. at present there are people who still seem to pretend that its a major city when over half of it has been virtually abandoned. they're also going to have to reform the present administration of the city and massively downsize everything to focus on the central populated districts[/QUOTE] Case in point being post-WWII London. There can be a revival but until population recovers it won't happen

Yes Sobotnik, people are leaving Detroit. People that live in the suburbs and already dont pay much (if any) taxes. However, many young middle class college students are moving into downtown, as are new businesses. Downtown must be fixed before the suburbs can improve. I visit Detroit pretty regularly. It is in better shape now than it was 5 years ago. When was the last time you were in Detroit? When was the last time you were in Michigan? Never because you dont even fucking live in this country. Why do you always feel the need to argue with Americans about subjects you know nothing about in any personal way? you act like you know more about this city than people that literally live right next to it. Why are you literally the worst poster on this forum? Youve been permabanned twice now, why dont you just stay permabanned next time? [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Flaming/Trolling, Ban History" - Big Dumb American))[/highlight]

Why isn't our money going to help our country instead of pouring it out to every other country on the planet? Hell, we operate off of debt, we don't even need to cut down on spending. We could STILL be delivering the same foreign aid AND rebuild detroit at the same time, but we don't.

[QUOTE=Fish Muffin;49545561]Yes Sobotnik, people are leaving Detroit. People that live in the suburbs and already dont pay much (if any) taxes.[/quote] It's still a rather major net loss overall. The loss of people still contributes to an absolute decline in economic activity and communities breaking down through steady attrition. [quote]However, many young middle class college students are moving into downtown, as are new businesses. Downtown must be fixed before the suburbs can improve. I visit Detroit pretty regularly. It is in better shape now than it was 5 years ago.[/QUOTE] Sure, but that happens pretty much everywhere. In my own city there are recently gentrified areas, some of which bring in monies to the local economy. However, the city as a whole has a stable population (unlike Detroit which is losing many people still). Detroit having a mild recovery in the downtown area is nice and all for the few thousand people that directly benefit from it, but ultimately you still have tens of thousands of people leaving the rest of the city. [quote]When was the last time you were in Detroit?[/quote] Five minutes ago on google streetview.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49547452] Sure, but that happens pretty much everywhere. In my own city there are recently gentrified areas, some of which bring in monies to the local economy. However, the city as a whole has a stable population (unlike Detroit which is losing many people still). Detroit having a mild recovery in the downtown area is nice and all for the few thousand people that directly benefit from it, but ultimately you still have tens of thousands of people leaving the rest of the city.[/QUOTE] At first I thought I was misunderstanding you but now it seems like you actually believe that the real problem is that people who pay nearly no taxes moving out of areas that receive next to nothing that taxes pay for like infrastructure maintenance, police protection, and utilities (that are already stretched thin enough as it is). And that the solution to this problem is more people = more taxes = more money, like simply having people around means that they're gonna pay taxes and spend their cash on non-existent local businesses. No shit people moving out is a bad sign, but it's a symptom, not the cause. Population shifts are due to desires to move in/out of places. How do you intend to "stabilize" Detroit's suburban population when there's nothing for them there, by putting a giant cage over it? [editline]16th January 2016[/editline] goddam fish muffin went in

All I know about Detroit comes from following the bankruptcy proceedings and a certain local fox reporter. That seems like enough, its not that great. Not enough taxpayers to pay police or other service workers and crime/health/vandalism scares away working taxpayers.

Wow, it looks like a regular Russian school now. Except, slightly more prettier.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49547452] Five minutes ago on google streetview.[/QUOTE] hahahahaha is this for real talk to me when you stop in at Lafayette Coney Island or sit down for a bite to eat at Slow's. Maybe hit up Batch Brewing Company for a beer and head to Shinola or Third Man Records for some shopping, then we can have a discussion about the revitalization of Detroit until then STAY IN YOUR FUCKING LANE.

[QUOTE=Lone Wolf807;49544359]As far as I understand each state runs the school districts and comes up with the funding, but why isn't the Federal government coming in to help with the payments at this point? Kids are required to go to school but sending them to places like this is absurd, they've even locked the bathroom on a floor in one school in the article because its been infested with mold from a leaky roof. It's really not a healthy environment, and respect to these teachers and students who put up with this shit.[/QUOTE] States get federal funding for things like buildings and such but the problem is it's usually meant to be supplemented with leavies passed to raise funds, however pretty much nobody ever votes yes to actually enact the taxes to maintain the schools until they are practically crumbling. My school district hadn't passed a leavy in 20 years and each time the funding gap got bigger and bigger, if people had paid for the first leavy they went for they would have had half the tax raise, but because the school needed funds and the facilities were getting worse they had larger needs. Most school districts are paid for in taxes which are usually decided through voting, some states also just impose mandatory tax hikes, others don't do shit, its really a holdover, but like federal academic standards, states righters will fight tooth and nail to prevent it from being overhauled, and when they do touch it congress is too dumb to put together a functional reform