Detroit: Only 54% of public school students expected attend

Jason PJason P Posts: 19,157
edited September 2011 in A Moving Train
Umm ... I don't think budgets and taxes can fix this problem.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110907/NEWS01/110907051/In-Detroit-only-54-public-school-students-expected-attend-first-day?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

About 54% of Detroit Public Schools students attended school on Tuesday, the first day of school, a woeful rate, but narrowly better than last year.

DPS Emergency Manager Roy Roberts today said Tuesday's attendance was 43,660 students, about half of the 79,611 students that were expected. About 1,800 students were out of school because four buildings were closed due to power outages.

This year, DPS needs about 66,000 students to meet its budget projections and avoid more cuts. DPS gets about $7,500 in state aid for every student who attends school.

In light of a trend in DPS that involves too few students showing up for the first week of school, Roberts launched a campaign this year that included sending attendance agents to knock on doors and getting dozens of preachers to talk about attendance in church on Sunday.

The low attendance could be a bad sign for overall enrollment. DPS has lost about 100,000 students over the past decade, costing the district millions and leading to closures of half of the district’s schools. Last year, DPS enrolled about 74,000 students.

“The message to parents is: Get your child in school. No excuses,” Roberts said at a news conference today.

Less than half of the expected student population showed up Tuesday at Denby High, a renovated high school that has seen its enrollment increase over the past three years.

“We have to change habits,” principal Kenyetta Wilbourn said Tuesday.
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Comments

  • BinauralJamBinauralJam Posts: 14,158
    School is an antiquated concept, time for something new.
  • mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    Jason P wrote:
    Umm ... I don't think budgets and taxes can fix this problem.

    http://www.freep.com/article/20110907/NEWS01/110907051/In-Detroit-only-54-public-school-students-expected-attend-first-day?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

    About 54% of Detroit Public Schools students attended school on Tuesday, the first day of school, a woeful rate, but narrowly better than last year.

    DPS Emergency Manager Roy Roberts today said Tuesday's attendance was 43,660 students, about half of the 79,611 students that were expected. About 1,800 students were out of school because four buildings were closed due to power outages.

    This year, DPS needs about 66,000 students to meet its budget projections and avoid more cuts. DPS gets about $7,500 in state aid for every student who attends school.

    In light of a trend in DPS that involves too few students showing up for the first week of school, Roberts launched a campaign this year that included sending attendance agents to knock on doors and getting dozens of preachers to talk about attendance in church on Sunday.

    The low attendance could be a bad sign for overall enrollment. DPS has lost about 100,000 students over the past decade, costing the district millions and leading to closures of half of the district’s schools. Last year, DPS enrolled about 74,000 students.

    “The message to parents is: Get your child in school. No excuses,” Roberts said at a news conference today.

    Less than half of the expected student population showed up Tuesday at Denby High, a renovated high school that has seen its enrollment increase over the past three years.

    “We have to change habits,” principal Kenyetta Wilbourn said Tuesday.


    I wonder how much more we should spend on education to raise the attendance numbers?

    you can't make people learn. I am at the point where I think we should stop trying. If kids don't want to go and the parents don't care enough to make them...then let them go. Leave the resources for the kids who want to be there
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  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    mikepegg44 wrote:
    I wonder how much more we should spend on education to raise the attendance numbers?

    you can't make people learn. I am at the point where I think we should stop trying. If kids don't want to go and the parents don't care enough to make them...then let them go. Leave the resources for the kids who want to be there

    i think what is alarming is why would these kids not attend school!? ... i will guess that over 95% of these kids are from impoverished areas and that over 80% of them are black ...
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,157
    mikepegg44 wrote:

    I wonder how much more we should spend on education to raise the attendance numbers?

    you can't make people learn. I am at the point where I think we should stop trying. If kids don't want to go and the parents don't care enough to make them...then let them go. Leave the resources for the kids who want to be there
    The crazy thing is that the schools don't get money unless the kids attend ... $7,500 per each kid!

    35,951 kids X $7,500 = $269,632,500

    I wonder what provides the school board the most motivation to get the kids in school? Preparing the youth for the future or $269M smackaroos?
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • Terrible parenting or the complete lack there of.

    I can understand it though. When you, yourself skipped school, never graduated and you are living the high life in a government subsidized shithole there would be no reason to make sure your kids went to school. :roll:

    How about we start tying government $ to school attendance? You get what you measure.
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  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    Look at the bright side... the classrooms won't be overcrowded.
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  • Jason P wrote:
    The crazy thing is that the schools don't get money unless the kids attend ... $7,500 per each kid!

    35,951 kids X $7,500 = $269,632,500

    I remember there was an episode of season 4 of The Wire, where an ex-con who didn't want to work as a drug dealer any more got a one day job at the school. Basically he was paid out by a discretionary fund from the principal and his job was to drive around the neighboorhood, looking for kids who were either ditching school or working the corners, and drag their asses in by any means necessary. This was just so that the kids would be in school for that one day where attendance mattered so that the school could get its funding.
  • Heatherj43Heatherj43 Posts: 1,254
    They are speaking about kids who live within the city of Detroit, not the suburbs...and I can't imagine any decent parent who would let their kids go to Detroit public schools. Its awful!! The majority of kids from Detroit go to private schools, go to schools outside the city, church schools, home schooled, etc. I don't think the schools realize how many kids aren't going to attend public schools until after the kids don't show up. The school district needs to better monitor just how many kids they THINK they are going to get versus reality!
    I get chills thinking about Detroit Public Schools...adults don't even want to work there!
    Save room for dessert!
  • chadwickchadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    this is a shame...(thinking)

    mow the fucking town down. plow the bastard over. fuck em. they don't wanna go to school, parents are ding bats...ok, ok. fine. blow the fucking schools to bits

    i can imagine a detroit school teacher would be terrified daily at work.

    level detroit
    start over
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  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    How many students have moved out of district? Is there a large outflow to explain some of the losses?
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  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,435
    School is an antiquated concept, time for something new.

    As far as most schools today go, BinauralJam, I agree. My cousins daughter went to a Quaker school that integrated real life activities with education. The kids learned English, math, science etc. but the lessons were taught as integrated curriculum (a great idea in of itself that was shot down because that's no way to train worker bees :eh: ), critcal thinking was encouraged and classes were interspered with recreation, cooking, gardening, music and so forth. None of the kids wanted to miss out on any of this and most of them went on to do good things. Why this isn't done everywhere is... no, I know why, but it's Saturday night and I don't want to be depressed!
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