Teachers Union Forces Nearly All Detroit Public Schools To Close

A number of Detroit public schools were closed on Monday after a teachers union urged educators to call out sick. The closure of Detroit public schools was initiated after the district announced that they have no more money to pay teachers this summer without further funding from the state.

About 87 of the district's 100 schools were closed for the day according to Michelle Zdrodowski, district spokesperson. The number of Detroit public schools that were closed indicated that many teachers supported the move by the Detroit Federation of Teachers.

Since teachers do not report to work, Detroit public schools were left no choice but to close schools. Around 46,000 students attend Detroit public schools leaving parents scrambling for childcare as thousands of students were forced to remain home.

A weekend announcement claimed that the $48 million supplemental funding recently passed by state lawmakers would only be enough to pay Detroit's public school employees until June 30. The district will also not be able to fund summer school or special education programs of Detroit public schools.

The basic agreement in America is when you put in a day's work, you will receive a day's pay, according to Ivy Bailey, interim president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers. Bailey explains that the district is breaking that deal by not paying for work effectively locking out teachers from Detroit public schools.

In March, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law an emergency fund that will keep Detroit public schools operating until the end of the school year. The state Legislature is also considering a $720 million restructuring plan that would pay off the district's massive debt, according to CBS News.

The union's choice to call a Detroit public school sickout was not only necessary but also counterproductive and detrimental to the efforts of people actually trying to help the school district, according to former bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes. Rhodes explains that while he understands the anger and frustration, he is confident that the Legislature will support the request to guarantee teacher's appropriate pay, according to U.S. News.

The Detroit public school closure on Monday is the second sickout that happened this year. The previous massive sick out of Detroit public schools was held in January due to teachers being upset over school conditions including dilapidated buildings, overcrowded classrooms, ramshackle finances and teachers' low pay.