SOME ANSWERS TO THE FREE PRESS QUESTIONNAIRE

For the first 7 questions about my past, simply check-out my resume.

I begin this piece with the question about my Race/Ethnicity?

White, although I may well owe my life to a black man and one-time family slave, Lidge Smith.  Lidge was born in 1854 in the same year as my father’s father, as a family slave.  My grandfather and Lidge grew-up as playmates, but by age 10, it was clear that Lidge would become a slave.  A year later in 1865, however, at age 11,  Lidge became a “free man”.  But, he continued to work for his whole life as a household servant to my grandfather’s two single brothers, who lived in the Old Stone House, a house that had been built by their grandfather, Ben, the first, with slave labor between 1787 and 1791.  The brothers died off in the early 1930’s, and left very little behind them, because they had continued to live from 1865 until 1933 as “country gentlemen”, by mortgaging their land.  They hated to actually work for a living, because that was simply beneath them.

Well, I was born on the farm just across the road from the Old Stone House by the light of a kerosene lamp on a cold November night in 1935, with the help of a Morman midwife from up the road.  I still have that lamp today in my bedroom.   Lidge was then 81, which I too will be this year, and lived just up the road in an old pioneer cabin on the Truman Farm. (President Harry S. Truman’s father was born in that cabin, and moved on to Missouri in the late 1800’s.)

My father had picked-up on that mindset of his uncles.  He too hated to actually work for a living.  He met and married my mother in February 1935.  She was a share-cropper’s daughter, who had an 8th grade education, but she was also epileptic, which back then was considered to be and was shunned for having an affliction placed by God upon the sins of her parents.

My father owned nothing before they were married.  But somewhat by chance, he had been a fur-trapper in his 20’s, and had sold his pelts to an international jewish fur and banking outpost in Louisville, the Rothchilds. So, in 1934, in the depth of the Great Depression, when banks were no longer making loans, he went to the Rothchilds, and based upon their past history, they made him a personal loan with which to buy a fifth (88 acres) of the old Washburn Plantation.

But, it was my mother who was the hard worker, who made it possible to pay off the Rothchilds loan.   She got everyone up every morning to make a go of the farm.  So my one younger brother and I grew-up in this 4-room farmhouse, with no closets, and no running water or electricity.

When I was still a tottler, and my mother needed to go to work in the fields, she called upon Lidge to come down and watch-out for me, to keep me from falling into the 40-foot uncovered well in the back yard.  I do not clearly remember those times, but I vividly remember that day in 1940, when I was playing that morning behind the kitchen stove, building little forts with corn cobs.  The cobs were taken from outback where we ran them through a corn-sheller to feed the chickens.  There was a can of kerosene on the top of the kitchen stove.  My mother would dip some of the cobs into the can, and then use them to start the morning fire in the stove.  That morning, as she lit the stove, she looked out the window up the hill, and screamed, because she saw that Lidge’s cabin was aflame.  He perished before anyone could get there.  That was the most poignant moment in my lifetime as to racial relations.

Growing-up, most of the folks around me were died-in-the-wool racists, but not my mother, and perhaps because of her affliction, she identified more with folks who were shunned and discriminated against.

What would you do to ensure that every child in the City has access to a quality education?

Whoever coined this question is clueless as to existing realities.  The more appropriate question is:  given probable financial limitations, what is the best thing that we can collectively do?  Bernie Sanders had it right.  For the past 40 years, the only way that middle Americans have kept their heads above water is:  1.  Wife went to work.  2.  Both worked more and more hours.  3.  They borrowed against the equity in their home.  4.  They ran-up more and more credit card and student debt, and now, they are at the end of the tether.  Do we need more money in the Educational Trust?  It’s not going to happen.  Suggestions that it can are totally misleading and irresponsible.

What should the board do to retain and attract teachers to the district given the financial constraints and concessions that teachers have taken?

There is little that the Board can do my itself to retain and attract teachers, other than to clearly demonstrate that it’s old micromanaging ways are over, and that much of the future of our schools lies squarely in their hands.   Real education requires a close collaboration between parents, students and staff, with high respect among everyone.  It also takes continuity.  We may not be able to pay teachers what they are worth, but we need to reward those who stick with the same group of parents and students, year after year.  Actually, truly dedicated teachers will have little problem with my statement.  Most are proud to stick with their guns, despite the pay gap, so long as they are respected.

With limited funds available, how do you balance the physical needs of district buildings with spending money to improve academics?

This is one of my top issues.  Check my website.  I’m concerned about debt service for the $2 Billion of bonds which are outstanding for capital improvement needs.  Only 50% of Detroiters are paying their taxes.  How can that diminished revenue pay-off the principal and interest coming due on those outstanding bonds?  It will be another 15 to 25 years before those bonds are paid off and the District can once again borrow to maintain its buildings.  Meanwhile, all critical building maintenance needs must come from the Foundation Grant, which means diminished funds for academics.  The CFO says that 51% of this year’s budget is going to academics, the DFT does not trust those figures.  For a healthy district, the needle needs to be closer to 60%.  I get it.  This gap is a front-burner issue.

Should the district penalize teachers who participate in protests/sickouts?

From the first day that they could legally organize back in 1965, the DFT has waged battle against “jerk administration”.  It’s nothing new or recent.  Top-down abuse has been going-on for decades, and it makes the unions intransigent.  If we ever hope to turn this situation around, the School Board itself is going to have to  pave the way, with a truly squeeky clean behavior.  If the Board actually shows that kind of trustworthiness, I expect that the DFT and our teachers will shout hooray, and let’s get at it.  These are mostly very dedicated people, but they do need to be respected, and by no one more than the Board in the way that it conducts itself.

 How would you improve parental engagement?

Todays parents are mostly very young; they did not finish school, or if they did, they did not have a high achievement.  They have little respect for our schools, and are told by the media everyday that all they need to do to make change for the better, is to bitch, or to jerk their kids out of their present school.   It does very little good to send a paid district employee to argue with or intimidate these parents.   Very few of these young parents are church-goers.  But, many of their older extended family members do belong to church congregations.  The most effective means for School Board members to make a real difference is to get out to the churches on Sundays and Wednesdays, and to engage these extended family members to:  intervene with their younger parents, to encourage them to forge strong bonds with the teachers of their children, and with the parents of their classmates.

What does the district need to do to improve academic achievement?

We need to continue to harness an academic leader who is respected down the ranks, with respect to honing-in on attendance, cultivating high academic expectations, and intensifying mutual staff collaboration.  We already have one; we just need to support her.

What’s a realistic time frame for Detroit schools to meet their academic targets?

The State School Reform Office says that half of our 94 schools are failing, and could be closed, but have allowed the district another 3 years to show improvement.  I think that threatening to close schools is stupid as a motivator.  But, I also think that these schools can show significant progress within 3 years, if we sanitize the Board, focus upon attendance, get teachers working more closely together, get extended families pitching-in, and by providing some lower-cost wrap-around services.  This is the low-hanging fruit.  Meanwhile, we need to right-size the budget priorities and assure that we stay within our means; deficits damage teaching and morale all down the line.

What is your position on the use of non-certified teachers in the district, as allowed by the DPS legislation that was signed into law earlier this year?

I am open to discussion on using non-certified teachers, but I also have my reservations.  One of the greatest teachers that my children ever had was a total parent volunteer.  She was not even an American citizen; she was from India, but she had a PhD and taught science, and the students loved her.  I favor local school control in making these kind of decisions.  When all of the impacted teachers at a local school are cool with this choice, then I would support it.  But, what if a locally empowered principal abuses this option and wants to hire family and friends?  If we say “no way”, we may miss out some great opportunities.  And if we say “yes”, someone may abuse the policy.  The devil is in the details and in how such an option is monitored to prevent abuse.

How can the Board hope to exercise governance over public education in Detroit at a time when most Detroit residents attend school outside its jurisdiction?

I personally am not “on the make” to dominate public education in Detroit, and anyone who does will not necessarily be acting in the best interests of the City.  With regard to the existing “control” situation, I say it is what it is!  The more that we get caught-up in trying to change that status quo, the more we take our focus off of the job before us.  Fifty years ago, school systems outside of Detroit railed against Judge Roth’s cross-district bussing plan.  Times have certainly changed to some extent.  Today, with declining enrollments, they actively recruit Detroit students.  I can not say that that is a bad thing overall, whether for the students, the City, the district, or students in those other districts who have had little or no contact with folks of another color and heritage.

How can DPS hope to stem enrollment losses in a marketplace to which private charter operators have virtually unlimited entry?

I think that the data shows that the charter movement has finally crested.  Economics and experience weighs heavily against much further expansion of charters.  Some have already failed, and those mostly upon the economics of running a charter school.  So, I do not think that charters have “unlimited” entry, other than by law, which is insignificant.

Should the state change its funding system to provide more funding for districts like DPS that have a disproportionately high number of high-poverty students?

Of course it should, but the likelihood of actually getting any improvement in the Foundation Grant is nil.  Given the current array of interests, if the formula is changed, it may be less advantageous to Detroit.  In the 60’s, Detroit had 18% of the state population.  Now, we are less than 7%.  In a highly compressed struggle, how likely is it that we will come out ahead?  Some folks think we only have to revive the tactics of the 60’s.  But, back then, everyone was earning more and more, and did not miss that 25% of their increased earnings that went to taxes.  Today, the whole middle is hurting; more taxes means a real cut in the everyday standard of living.

How would you attract parents who have taken their children out of Detroit Public Schools and sent them to charters or the suburbs?

I wouldn’t.  I would not encourage any parent to jerk their child out of any school, wherever it is.  It is very important that parents make one good choice and stay with it through thick and thin.  I have neighbors who send their children to charters and suburban schools.  Yes, they wish that there was something closer, which their children, and their children’s friends could attend.  But this wish is extremely wistful.  Kids need continuity; they need strong bonds and ties to classmates and teachers.  These relationships underlie and undergird all that they learn.  This should not be disrupted for some convenience.  This is also why even failing schools should not be closed.

What should the relationship between the school board and the Financial Review Commission look like?

I have no problem with the Financial Review Commission (FRC).  I think and know that the new Board will need to have a much tighter control over finances than is required by the FRC.  Some people complain about the Foundation Grant, but without the passage of Proposition A, the Detroit Public Schools would today be looking at revenue of less than $4,000 per student.  In 1993, we were within 2 mills of the Constitutional limit.  Proposition A has kept us afloat for the past 25 years.  The FRC is supposed to approve contracts over $750,000 or over 2 years in length. I say, let them do this, and keep the Board out of also approving these contracts.  Contract review corrupts the Board.

Do you support the creation of a Detroit Education Commission, which would have oversight over the openings, closings, location of both traditional public and charter schools in the City?

This can not be done without strengthening the notion that schools must be run from the top-down.  Seventeen years of Emergency Managers should have totally trashed that theory.  But here it is, rising back to life just like a zombie.

How would you address the surplus of seats in Detroit’s public schools?

There is no surplus of seats in the DPS.  Our high schools are far too big to succeed.  Anytime you have more than 400 to 600 students in a school, it will no longer be within the control of the teachers and administrators, because there are no significant bonds and ties between these elders and the students.  Mega schools were created to satisfy the egos of the jocks who used to be in control of the system.  They make no educational sense.  We need to find other uses for the unused parts of our buildings.  But closing schools in order to consolidate space, only disrupts learning, increases transportation costs, and results in student loss by disaffected parents.

What qualities would you look for in a superintendent?

There is likely no one country-wide with a proven record of turning around a district with Detroit’s sorry history.  I would hope so, and I would go looking for him or her.  But at the end of the day, I would want to find someone like Deborah McGriff overall, or like Alycia Meriweather on the academic side of the page, who has a proven ability, because of her past history in the district, to strongly appeal to teachers all down the ranks.  Our teachers have heard from a dozen different “leaders”, and after that, who can blame them for feeling “used”.  My concern with Alycia is on the budget; does she have the moxie to contend with her financial people, and then still do the right thing?

Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?  If so, explain.

No.

Have you ever filed for personal bankruptcy?  If so, explain.

No.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *