Our Kids, Our Schools, Our Voice

In 2014, 482Forward members decided we were tired of schools opening and closing in our neighborhoods without any say from us.  We started investigating who was making these decisions and found out there are 12 different groups in charge of opening and closing our schools.  And, we found out that when they make their decisions, they don't talk to each other, they don't talk to city officials or city planners, and they don't talk to Detroiters.

So we launched a campaign to create greater accountability, equity, and smarter planning in our schools.  It turned out we weren't the only ones noticing this problem - the American Federations of Teachers-Michigan, the NAACP Detroit Branch, MOSES, Excellent Schools Detroit, and the Skillman Foundation all agreed with us that something had to be done.

The Coalition

Together, we created the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren, over 100 community leaders who worked together to create legislative recommendations for how we should improve our chaotic and inequitable school structure in Detroit.

Dozens of 482Forward members sat on the Steering Committee and subcommittees of the Coalition and many more participated in the listening sessions that were held throughout the city.

Released on March 31, 2015, the recommendations include:
  • The creation of a single, locally accountable entity called the Detroit Education Commission to plan the opening, closing, and transformation of schools in accordance with the needs of our families and neighborhoods.
  • A Regional Council in each city council district made up of parents, residents, youth, and community members to lead a semi-annual neighborhood planning process for school transformations.
  • Empowered School Leadership Teams made up of parents, students (where age appropriate), staff, the principal, and community members in every school to make decisions about that school's budget, programming, and hiring.  The parents, students, and staff elect their own representatives.
  • A Public Advocate to train School Leadership Teams, provide trained advocates in disciplinary hearings and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, and investigate parent complaints or schools with patterns of violations.
  • Shared support services across DPS and charter schools, especially for transportation and enrollment, so that every child has access and support no matter what school they attend.
  • The State take responsibility for paying the Detroit Public Schools debt.

The Legislation

On June 8, the Legislature passed a package of bills that will:
  • Allocate $617 million to pay off the DPS debt and pay some of the transition costs of splitting the district into two entities: an "old co" to pay down the debt and a "new co" (Detroit Public Community School District) to educate students.
  • End Emergency Management at DPCSD and empower a new school board, to be elected November 2016, with oversight by the Financial Review Commission.
  • Return the Education Achievement Authority schools to DPCSD.
  • Protect staff employment and union contracts.

Notably, the legislation did NOT create a Detroit Education Commission to oversee the openings and closings of schools.
What is the DEC? (English)
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Que es la DEC? (espanol)
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My Voice Counts: Deniqua's Story

Like thousands of parents in Detroit, Deniqua Robinson surmounts tough odds every day to get her kids to the best schools possible. A single mother of 5, she has to stay home to take care of a sick child.

When her car broke down, she started taking her 3 youngest children to school by bus. Even though they each attend a different school, they walk and ride together for safety. But the trip makes her high school aged daughter late too often, and she has had to move in with friends during the week. Now, Deniqua spends 6 hours a day taking her 2 youngest to school, or she has to pay for them to get rides.

Alone, Deniqua knew the system was unfair but couldn't do anything about it. When she joined 482Forward, we challenged the Co-Chairs of the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren to walk with the Robinson family on their journey to school. After just one trip on the bus with Deniqua, John Rakolta and Dave Hecker became vocal supporters of providing transportation to school for every child and made it a key recommendation.

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482Forward members Ines de Jesus, Arlyssa Heard, Larry Simmons, and Angie Reyes sat on the Steering Committee of the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren
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482Forward members meet with Mayor Duggan about Our Kids, Our Schools, Our Voice
"Education policy expert: proposed DPS legislation 'is really a step forward'" (3/22/16, Michigan Radio)
Opinion: Senate bills battle for education (4/3/2016, Crain's Detroit)
The extreme sacrifice Detroit parents make to access better schools (4/11/2016, The Atlantic)
State must no longer allow charters to discriminate (4/11/2016, Detroit Free Press)
One poor neighborhood, one struggling school (4/12/2016, Bridge Magazine)
GOP pushes ideological affirmative action for charter schools (4/17/2016, Detroit Free Press)
Big donors have been big players in fight over Detroit Public Schools turnaround (5/12/2016, Michigan Campaign Finance Network)