To say things are bad for teachers in Michigan is tragic understatement. Layoff notices are being issued around the state (per union contracts) for the coming school year. The most significant was announced this week:
Detroit Public School teachers union members get pink slipsDetroit Public Schools administrators have mailed layoff notices to the 5,466 members of the teachers union as they prepare to scale back the workforce and jettison as many as 25 schools in June.
The district said it expects to revise union contracts next month, using authority granted by the state’s new emergency manager law.
District officials announced late Thursday the notices were sent to members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers.
The layoff notices, which are required under the collective bargaining agreement, are expected to arrive in the mail today or Saturday.
Here are a few others.
54 teachers & staff laid off in Comstock Park
34% of teachers laid off in Flint
All 343 teachers & 21 administrators laid off in Monroe
25 teachers laid off in Wyandotte
8 teachers laid off in Ontonagon
59 teachers to be laid off in Trenton
Meanwhile, Governor Rick Snyder is cutting taxes on businesses 86%. Perhaps that explains his most recent poll numbers showing his approval rating dropping 15 points in the last month from 54% to 39%. Keep in mind that in addition to cutting businesses taxes by this incredibly high number, he also has to fill at nearly $2 billion budget gap. This explains why he has cut higher education and done almost nothing to help our failing K-12 education system where the only recourse for local school districts is to let go of teachers.
In Detroit, the State-appointed emergency financial manager of the Detroit Public School System, Robert Bobb, has announced that he will use powers granted to him under the new law signed by Snyder to modify union contracts.
Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, put teachers on notice Thursday that he plans to use his expanded powers under a new state law to modify their contracts.“I fully intend to use the authority that was granted,” Bobb said, referring to a new law that gives emergency managers the authority to modify — or terminate — collective bargaining agreements. It was the first time Bobb had publicly indicated he intends to use the expanded authority.
Maybe school districts should begin putting “Inc.” after their names. Maybe then our Governor will start to give them some of his businessman’s love.
I’m just sayin’…
