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By Tom Watkins Give Mayor Bing control of
Detroit Schools — and hold him accountable for results.
More than a decade ago, in
January 1999, I called for the governor and Michigan Legis- lature to place the oversight and control of Detroit Public Schools under the mayor of the city of Detroit.
Now 11 years later after the
wasting of billions of dollars and, even worse, thousands of children’s lives, the call to place responsibility under the mayor remains clear.
The arguments I present
here were presented back then. And the problems, mul- tiplied over a decade, are even worse today.
DPS should be the fabric
weaving together a vibrant and healthy community, yet in far too many neighborhoods the educational threads have come unraveled. The child who does not receive a decent education today turns into the adult without a decent job or hope for tomorrow.
The problems plaguing the
Detroit Public Schools are overwhelming, compelling and clear. Not only is the dropout rate alarming, but the number of children being failed by the system is tragic. The Detroit public school system has proven over the years that it is incapable of healing itself.
Isn’t it about time that we
as a community stop accepting the fact that our children are being relegated to a second- class lifestyle because of a third-rate public educational system?
If our schools were a gro-
cery store serving up poor products, they would be closed by the city, state or fed- eral regulators.
Make no mistake, there are
some outstanding teachers and schools in Detroit. How-
Tom Watkins
ever, they have become the ex- ception, not the rule over time. We also know the children of Detroit are more than capable of learning if given the tools and opportunity. The system is depriving far too many great teachers and wonderful chil- dren from excelling.
In 1999, Detroit leaders
and the broader community were unwilling to make a bold change and give the mayor the responsibility to manage and lead our schools to greatness.
While I appreciate the polit-
ical sensitivity of making dras- tic changes in our schools, our children have a relatively short period of time to obtain the education they need and deserve to thrive in our fast- paced, disruptive, transforma- tional, knowledge economy where ideas and jobs can and do move around the globe ef- fortlessly. I asked then and I ask now: “When will it be time?”
Strong mayors in other U.S.
cities have taken charge of large bureaucratic school sys- tems and transformed them fiscally and academically.
The citizens of Detroit,
and by extension all of Michi- gan, have a stake in creating a system where the children of
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
Accountability for the children of Detroit
June 16-22, 2010
Page A-5
Detroit receive a world class education. The children of De- troit are a big part of the hope for the workforce of tomorrow and they, and citizens in the city, state and ultimately the nation, can’t survive or thrive with results of the educational system today.
I urge the citizens of Detroit
to take charge of their and our collective futures by urging the governor and Legislature to place responsibility for edu- cating our kids in the mayor’s administrative hands. Then we would all know who to hold accountable for results.
The city’s future lies with
our children and the schools — be they private, public, tra- ditional or charter. We need to stop this silly fighting about what schools are named. The only adjective that should matter about schools is qual- ity.
We cannot build a vibrant
city and state without a solid educational foundation.
The focus needs to shift
from power, control, politics and adults to where it belongs: Teaching, learning and quali- fied graduates for the work- places of tomorrow.
The mayor can help main-
tain this shift that has begun under Robert Bobb, the Emer- gency Financial Manager.
This is not a Democratic,
Republican, city, suburb, or conservative/liberal issue. It is truly a survival issue for our children, our state and nation’s future.
I say give the mayor control
of the schools and hold him accountable for making the system work for the children — before it is too late.
Tom Watkins is a educa-
tion and business consultant in the U.S. And China. He was state superintendent of schools, 2001-2005. He can be reached at tdwatkins@aol. com.
JUNE IS NATIONAL MEN’S HEALTH MONTH
Keith D. Williams
‘Clean and Safe’ first goal of Williams’ H.O.P.E. Zone
By Greg Eno (Second in a series)
Rome wasn’t built in a day,
the saying goes, but no one says how long it took either.
The first component of
Wayne County Commission Vice Chair Keith D. Williams’ H.O.P.E. Zone for zip code 48238 is about to begin, and you can bet that it will take more than a day. You can also be sure that no matter how long it does take, Williams will see it through to the end.
The H.O.P.E. (Helping Our
People Elevate) Zone for 48238 —l ocated in the heart of Wil- liams’ 6th District on the city’s west side — is a five-year com- mitment to a three-component initiative that Williams plans to use as a model for other parts of the city and, eventu- ally, the country.
The plan is simple in design,
not so much in its implemen- tation.
The H.O.P.E. Zone’s com-
ponents — Clean and Safe, Education, and Economic De- velopment — are expected to work in concert to “elevate” 48238 to a point of destination for both residents and busi- nesses, thus making the area
stand out, and not in a “sore thumb” kind of way.
The first component, Clean
and Safe, has Williams work- ing with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
In the crosshairs is the sec-
tion of Broadstreet from Elm- hurst to Joy Road.
“This is going to be a full
court press,” said Williams, who uses sports terminology a lot because he likens the lessons that sports teaches to those in life. “Broadstreet will be our focus. We say ‘Clean and Safe’ because if you have one, you have the other.”
Enter Sheriff Benny Napo-
leon and his deputies. Williams says that as his
grassroots team of volunteers, clergy and community leaders are sprucing up Broadstreet and the surrounding areas, the deputies will be crack- ing down on drug houses and other illegal activity.
On June 9, three abandoned
houses on Fairfield were scheduled for demolition, just the start of what will be the eradication of nearly 40 such houses, which serve as havens to those on the wrong side of the law. This aggressive demo- lition initiative in and near the H.O.P.E. Zone is the ultimate
meaning of the words “Clean and Safe.”
“Knocking down those
homes is a great shortcut for us toward making the area safe, because now you’re taking away the hideouts and places where violent crimes are often committed,” said Williams.
The H.O.P.E. Zone team has
slogan — “A mile a month” — that refers to the approximate area, in square miles, that will be targeted for cleaning at a time.
The hope — no pun in-
tended — is that as more of the H.O.P.E. Zone becomes visibly improved, aesthetical- ly and functionally, the more the feeling of community and pride residents of the neigh- borhoods affected will have.
“Then we can start to re-in-
still the core values that have been eroding within our fami- lies,” Williams said, acknowl- edging that this is a daunting task, with so many families without a strong male, fatherly presence.
“Clean and Safe” is just the
beginning of the mission, and Williams is determined to see the H.O.P.E. Zone through, however long it takes.
“Having trouble paying your energy bills?
I can help.”
800.477.4747
DAVE JOHNSON
e = D T E ®
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