Detroit teacher sick-out closes nearly all schools
DETROIT — A mass of teacher sick-outs shut down 94 schools in the Detroit school district on Monday, as teachers protest the news Saturday that the district won't be able to pay them past June 30.
Detroit Public Schools enrolls about 46,000 students in 97 schools.
The Detroit Federation of Teachers on Sunday called for the mass sick-out of the district's 2,600 teachers.
Judge Steven Rhodes, the district's emergency manager, told the union Saturday that unless the Michigan Legislature approves sending more money to the district, there is not enough in the coffers to pay teachers their already-earned salaries after June 30. Summer school and extended special education services also would be canceled.
Teachers said they had been told that the $48.7 million allocated by the Legislature last month to fund the district through June 30 would cover summer pay for the approximately two-thirds of district teachers who signed up for the plan, which allows for paychecks year-round instead of just during the school year. The teachers receive less money during the school year so they can receive paychecks in July and August.
Parents to protest Detroit schools with student sickout
Rhodes denied this in a news conference Monday.
"I fully understand the frustration and pain that our teachers and other educators feel," Rhodes said. "I not only understand it, I share it."
Rhodes said he told teachers an overall rescue package of $715 million would cover those checks, and he urged teachers to call lawmakers and ask them to approve the legislation. The Senate has passed its version of the legislation, but it has yet to receive a House vote. Meanwhile, the House is pushing its own legislation.
But he said the mass sick-out that closed nearly all of the district's 97 schools is adversely affecting students and families. And he said the district could lose $2 million in state aid if the Michigan Department of Education opts to penalize the district for the lost day.
Hundreds of Detroit teachers rallied at the district's headquarters Monday, shouting chants of "No pay, no work," and "Enough is enough," calling for a forensic audit of the district and a guarantee they would be paid for their work.
"No one should expect to go to work without pay," said Ann Mitchell, the administrator for the Detroit Federation of Teachers.
Lydia Paknas, a reading recovery teacher, said the district is going back on a promise it made to teachers during a town hall meeting in March. She said it will cost her $8,000 in pay, plus what she would have earned by teaching during summer school.
"We have to stick together," said Paknas.
During a visit to Flint, Mich., on Monday, Gov. Rick Snyder, referring to the sick-outs, said, “That’s not a constructive act with respect to getting legislation through. That probably raises more questions ... with legislators.”
The union plans an emergency meeting Tuesday night, where it will hold a voice vote "to authorize a major collective action," followed by secret ballot votes in schools Wednesday and Thursday, Martin said.
Union officials did not specify if their collective action could include a strike — which has technically been illegal for teachers, police, fire and other municipal workers in Michigan since 1947, but have still occurred over the years.
"You’re telling people to come to work, but we aren’t necessarily going to pay you, that’s a lockout. And we have to be able to respond to what we see as a lockout," Mitchell said.
Teacher sickouts close nearly all Detroit schools
Detroit Public Schools, which has been under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager since 2009, has an operating deficit of $515 million. A $715-million education reform package to help keep the district afloat is currently being debated in the Michigan House of Representatives. The state Senate approved the package in March.
Rhodes, in a statement Sunday, said he is confident the Legislature “understands the urgency of this situation and will act in a timely manner” to ensure both that teachers get paid for their work and that school district operations continue uninterrupted.
Earlier this school year, some district teachers used sick-outs in protest of what they call deplorable building conditions, their rate of pay and other issues. In January, when sick-outs closed dozens of schools, the district sued the union, claiming it was promoting, in effect, teacher strikes, which are illegal under the Michigan Public Employment Relations Act. A judge ruled there was no proof the union or its leadership encouraged the mass absences of teachers.
Contributing: Jim Schaefer, David Jesse, Kathleen Gray, Paul Egan and Ann Zaniewski, Detroit Free Press. Follow Lori Higgins and Keith Matheny on Twitter: @LoriAHiggins and @keithmatheny