9-30-2004

Resolutions from the Public Hearing on the Crisis of Detroit's Public Schools

Before the Taskforce on Education in Detroit of the Detroit City Council
 

Resolution calling for a NO vote on Proposal E

Proposal E aims to create dictatorial power over Detroit Public Schools in the hands of an unelected, unaccountable Mayor-appointed CEO. Proposal E means a Mayoral takeover and makes permanent the last five years of educational degradation and unchecked squandering of resources.

Every educator agrees that improving the quality of education requires smaller class size, new updated books, supplies, computers and the provision of a broad range of intellectual, artistic and athletic programs in K-12 education. During the last five years, Detroit has suffered massive layoffs of teachers, school closings, cutbacks in languages, arts, music and athletics programs. Students of all ages are increasingly warehoused in overcrowded, understaffed and under-resourced classrooms. Only a vote NO on Proposal E can place our schools on the road to improvement.

Voting NO on Proposal E means saying NO to Mayoral takeover of the schools.

Voting NO on Proposal E means saying NO to school closings.

Voting NO on Proposal E means saying NO to layoffs of teachers and support staff.

Voting NO on Proposal E means saying NO to thousands of students being driven out of the district.

Voting NO on Proposal E means saying NO to privatizing education.

Voting NO on Proposal E means saying NO to second class voting rights in Detroit.

Voting NO on Proposal E means saying NO to separate, unequal education for Detroit's youth.

This public hearing calls on the Detroit City Council to stand for a fully elected, fully empowered school board to represent the people of Detroit. We call on the Detroit City Council to stand for a NO vote on Proposal E.


Youth-led Detroit Civil Rights March to Defend Detroit's Public Schools and Restore Full Voting Rights

We, the youth leaders of the Detroit public schools and the community pledge to fight tirelessly to defeat Proposal E and other attacks against our right to an equal quality education. The outcome of the vote on Proposal E will determine not only the quality of our education but our fundamental right to democracy, justice, and equal opportunity. Our task is to build the new civil rights movement which speaks the truth, organizes mass mobilizations, and unites the people of Detroit in the struggles needed to win new and ample resources to improve our schools. The youth-led new civil rights movement can provide the youth of Detroit with the dignity and pride so long denied.

On Thursday, October 21, beginning at Wayne State University at 4PM we will march. We will stand up in defense of public education. We will say no to the attacks on our schools and our voting rights. We will march for equality in education and we will fight until we get it - our intelligence, our talent and creativity deserve no less.

We call on all schools, unions, churches and community organizations to join us in taking this stand.

This Youth March for Public Education in Detroit calls for:


Reimburse Detroit Public Schools for the millions of DPS dollars squandered under the state takeover; Equal and Equitable Funding for All School Districts Now

The Detroit Public Schools are desperately under-funded.

Under the state takeover imposed on Detroit Public Schools in 1999 by the Republican-dominated Michigan state legislature, the district went from a many million dollar surplus to a many million dollar deficit.

At the same time, unequal and inequitable state and federal funding schemes have gone unchallenged by CEO Kenneth Burnley and the Mayor's appointed corporate board.

The takeover board's failure to take this obvious step has widened the gap in educational opportunity between Detroit and the wealthy neighboring districts.

We need a leadership of the DPS that can unite the people of Detroit in a fight for the resources we need from Lansing and Washington DC to improve the quality of education in Detroit.

We demand reimbursement of the Detroit Public Schools by the state for the millions of dollars of public funds squandered under the state takeover. We demand equal and equitable funding for all school districts.


Stop the "Vote Yes" Fraud

The campaign in support of Proposal E has launched a deceptive and dishonest media campaign to deceive Detroit voters into giving up our fundamental voting rights and accepting an unaccountable dictatorship over the DPS under Mayor Kilpatrick's control.

A yes vote on Proposal E would institutionalize separate and unequal educational opportunity for the youth of Detroit and will put us on the road to the privatization of education.

We call on all civil rights, religious, labor and community organizations and leaders who oppose Proposal E to immediately launch a "Don't Believe the Hype" TV, radio and newspaper ad campaign to counter the lies being told by the vote yes on E campaign.

The Vote No on Proposal E ads should explicitly state that a No vote on E means no to a mayoral takeover of the Detroit Public Schools.

The Vote No on Proposal E campaign should take immediate legal action to stop the fraudulent vote yes on E ads from running on local TV and radio stations.

We will publicize all resolutions passed by this public hearing and actively challenge the media blackout of the Vote No on E campaign.


Resolution to designate November 2 a "Defend Our Voting Rights and Save Our Schools Day"

Proposal E is absolutely decisive to the future of the public schools of Detroit. Detroit's teachers, school workers, and students will be directly effected by the outcome of this vote. They must be given a full opportunity to participate in the voting process on Tuesday, November 2. Detroit must follow the lead of other communities such as Grand Rapids, Michigan that have already declared November 2 as a school holiday.

Detroit City workers and Detroit auto workers already have November 2 as a holiday in order to facilitate high voter turnout.

This public hearing calls for the Detroit City Council to proclaim November 2 a "Defend Our Voting Rights and Save Our Schools Day" and to call on the Detroit Federation of Teachers, the Coalition of Detroit Public School Unions, the Association of Detroit Principals and Assistant Principals, and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Detroit Public Schools CEO Kenneth Burnley to exercise their civic responsibility to guarantee a full and fair election for the people of Detroit by declaring November 2 a school holiday.