I am DPS

I am starting my 15th year of teaching,
14 of which have been in the Detroit Public Schools.

I love education. I love teaching. I really like being in Detroit.
Thankfully, my experiences have helped to make me better at teaching. I love working with the kids/ students, whatever background, whatever race, sp ed or gen ed, science or reading, it's all good.

Don't love the bureaucracy.

Don't love the union. (they get a LOT of my money)

Don't love the incompetency of what seems to be the majority in leadership.

Don't love the millions of dollars that are wasted in our district.

This is the 6th Superintendent to take over the district that I've worked under (give or take a few, as I've lost count).

This year marks the last of our contract and so, I have the added bonus of preparing mentally and financially for a strike come fall. Will Connie Calloway be the one to break the union? I think eventually another major city besides New Orleans is going to fall and I just wonder if I really want to be a part of that...

I came across this article (dated July 20, 2008)

http://www.macsb.org/NewsIndex.php?parm1=229

All year long this past year I've been wondering what was going on with the DPS first-class status. Detroit is the only district in the state to have 100,000 students +, making them a "first-class district". Arguable wording I know. Well, until last year that is. How we have avoided falling below that # last year I don't know because I am certain that we were under that number as of 2007-2008.

Anyway, our state legislature voted to redefine first-class to a new threshold of 60,000 students, because heaven forbid that we would loose our $15 million special funding bonus for being the largest district. So, we can all stop holding our breath now. Let's also not forget the fact that DPS is $400 million in the hole, have a 75% drop-out rate and under the provisions there will be no audit.

What is wrong with this picture??

You know, like when you were a kid and you watched Captain Kangaroo, there was this game called, "One of these squares is not like the other".

How exactly does 1 district get to 400 million in the hole?

Thankfully, J. Granholm also allotted funding for the small school iniative with lots of incentives for those "dreaded charter schools".

Hey, I believe in public education and plan to remain a part of it.

I also believe in good, old-fashioned, healthy competition. If someone else can do it better, they should. I mean where would we all be without Wal-Mart?

If you lived in Detroit, would you send your kids to DPS?

P.S.

In case you're wondering, the "I am DPS" slogan began with our former superintendent, Dr. Kenneth Burnley who spent a good 5 minutes reiterating the slogan in new and savvy ways during his first year in. We've had a good deal of fun with it ever since.