Detroit schools emergency manager unveils plan keeping teachers, but administrators may face cuts

DETROIT -- The 10-point plan proposed by Detroit Public Schools' emergency manager could mean cuts from the district's front office administrators, but he plans to leave teachers alone.

Darnell Earley, emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools.

Darnell Earley's first step in trying to accomplish his goal of being Detroit Public Schools' last emergency manager was to announce a 10-point plan Tuesday that aims to have the state's largest district out of receivership by the end of his 18 months in charge. There will be a public meeting about Earley's plan within 30 days of Tuesday's announcement, in accordance with state law.

There is a restructuring component to Earley's plan, but it looks like teachers will not be on the chopping block. Instead, the contracts for administrators in the district's central office will all be up for review, he said.

"We're making an effort to reduce and minimize any impact (on teachers)," Earley said in a press conference Tuesday, adding that the plan is not to eliminate any teaching positions.

"My focus is on restructuring so at the end of the day we will have a functioning school district that's not saddled with debt."

Early identified 10 areas where he sees issues in the school district that need to be fixed, five of which are operational and five are academic. They are:

  • Governance
  • Staff development
  • Organizational development
  • Comprehensive funding strategy
  • Cash flow stability
  • Academic competitiveness
  • Higher education and collaboration with colleges and universities
  • Special education
  • Transportation
  • Customer service


*Read the full plan, with detailed descriptions on plans for each of the 10 areas, here.

Earley said he wants to stabilize the district's governance structure, along with its funding and how students move within the city's educational system. Part of this aspect of the plan is working across the entire city system of schools -- DPS, the Educational Achievement Authority, charter schools and private schools.

As a part of that aspect of the plan, Earley wants DPS leaders to meet with the leaders of the Coalition for the Future of Detroit School Children. The coalition is currently meeting with people throughout the Detroit education community to examine issues regarding the city's education system, and will then make recommendations on reforms to Gov. Rick Snyder

The coalition's report is due by the end of March.

"When their report is done, we'll sit down and compare those notes, compare those issues and hopefully come to a consensus on how to move forward," Earley said.

One of the things that Earley wants in that meeting is to ensure there are no new schools in the city created before the 2015-16 school year.

When asked if he meant charter schools specifically, Earley dodged the question and said he didn't want to see more "non-traditional schools" in the city before that time.

In addition to trying to get that moratorium, Earley said he wants to work with other education service providers in the community to create a work group that can identify opportunities to share facilities and possibly close substandard Detroit facilities.

Earley also wants to see the creation of a special education task force to address the location of special education classes, enrollment rules, long-term strategy and funding formulas.

The biggest thing that Earley emphasized is that change is coming.

The coming fiscal year is going to mean a lot of change in Detroit Public Schools, he said, as it tries to pay down its $175 million deficit while also working toward making the district and attractive district in the future.

While DPS will work to "right its own course," Earley said the state, city and private entities will play a large role in the coming changes.

"Continuing along the current path is not acceptable if we want a sustainable future," he said.

Kyle Feldscher is the Capitol education and MSU reporter for MLive Media Group. Reach him via email at kylefeldscher@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter at @Kyle_Feldscher. Read more stories here.

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