Detroit Public Schools: Abandoned by The State

In 2015 the New York Times sent Alex S. MacLean, an accomplished Arial photographer, to fly over the city of Detroit taking pictures as he flew. He captured scenes that spanned nearly all 143 square miles of The Motor City. The photographs were a vivid reminder of the exodus that has left neighborhoods largely abandoned. Detroit was a city built for two million people. Today, less than 700 thousand remain.

In the media, Detroit is depicted either as a city either stewed in troubles, or headed down the road of recovery. But to the residents of Detroit, the city isn't dying. It isn't on a comeback either. For them, Detroit is simply home.

"Who would want to live in Detroit?" is a question most Detroiters probably never got to ask themselves. Detroit is and has always been where they live, as a matter of fact. It is where they eat, sleep, work, and die. For the children, Detroit is where they go to school.

Detroit Public Schools (DPS) is the long-embattled school district that exists for the purpose of educating these children. Yet for four consecutive years, DPS students have scored the lowest in the nation (for big-city districts) in reading and math tests. This hints at the level of education that DPS is providing Detroiters. DPS' many problems long predate the city's bankruptcy, and the economic collapse of 2008. In 1999, the state of financial and academic affairs in Detroit's public schools were determined to be so bad that the Michigan Legislature took control of the district. Until 2005 DPS was run by the state, before it returned to local control.

The Days of State intervention at DPS are not over. In an interview with NPR, WDET News Director Jerome Vaughn outlined the cycles of state control that DPS has gone through since.

"Local control went back to Detroit in 2005 and there were just about four years that the city had control again and the state decided it needed to bring someone back in, an emergency financial manager, to take over the city schools because the finances were terrible and the academic success was terrible, too," (Vaughn).

This pattern of state control at DPS represents the state's best effort to provide an efficient education to in public schools in Detroit. DPS's finances are so bad that without support of Michigan's State legislature, It wouldn't have the funds to pay teachers throughout the remainder of. On  March 17, the Detroit Free Press reported that the Michigan house of Representatives passed a $50 million allotment to keep DPS above water.

Politically speaking, the concept of unity is  fundamental to the republic of The United States. Since we as members of society don't agree on everything - and can't, we must protect the freedoms that allow us to have differences of opinion and maintain our liberties. It is the first goal of government to do so (Hamilton, No. 10). We should strive to have a government that is primarily efficient at preserving our liberty. likewise, an efficient education provided by such a government is an education that provides its citizens with non-material resources which have value of their own in preserving autonomy and liberty.

DPS has sacrificed local control of the district for aid and direction from The State.The state passed the Emergency manager law in 2012 that gave an appointed Emergency manager expanded powers over the district. The Emergency Manager has "control over academics, as well as over finances of the district and this person - his job or her job - in this case, his - is really to get the school district back up on its feet," (Vaughn).

Despite state efforts, they have failed to save DPS. Not only are academics at rock-bottom rankings, but many DPS buildings are in a state of deplorable disrepair.

Speaking on background with The Michigan Daily, a DPS teacher said to why DPS faculty staged "Sick-outs" - protests where teachers called in sick together on the same day, with the hopes of calling attention to the myriad issues that plague their district and pupils.

"We didn’t want to get our principal in trouble for having a sickout, but we wanted to call attention to everything else and those people who have these chronic problems with lack of textbooks, lack of supplies and deterioration of buildings," he said.

It is the lack overwhelming lack of resources, both material and financial, facing DPS that virtually guarantees the district will continued to be troubled, until the problem is addressed.

In the introduction of The Federalist Papers, Madison reasons, "that the vigour (sic) of government is essential to the security of liberty," (Madison, No. 1, pg. 3). The link between access to resources (principally education) and the preservation of liberty is well-established. But  despite the sacrifices in self-control Detroit has made to make room for aid from the state, The States' authority has also failed to provide an efficient education - test results prove that.

Detroit has committed itself to the Republic and representative government, but is failing to be provided with an efficient form of government in return. This is the problem that plagues DPS, and to which the response of The State has insofar been inadequate.

Updated 3/27/16 at 11:29p.m. for revisions and improved clarity.