YOU SO YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT
WHEN YOU HEAD OUT THE DOOR.
Rhonda: BUT FIRST, BIG
BREAKING NEWS INVOLVING DETROIT
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
A TEACHER SICK-OUT HAS FORCED
MORE THAN 80 SCHOOLS TO CLOSE.
THAT NUMBER HAS CONTINUED TO
GROW IN THE LAST HOUR AND A HALF
THAT WE'VE BEEN ON THE AIR THIS
MORNING.
WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO NEARLY
ALL OF DPS SCHOOLS NOW.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU, EVERYBODY!
THANK YOU FOR WAKING UP WITH US
ON THIS MONDAY MORNING!
WHEN YOU WENT TO BED, THERE WERE
LESS THAN TWO DOZEN SCHOOLS.
AS I SAID, THAT NUMBER HAS BEEN
MULTIPLYING.
Evrod: AND IT CONTINUES TO
CLIMB AS THE DISTRICT LEARNS IT
WON'T BE ABLE TO PAY THE
TEACHERS AFTER JUNE, JUNE 30th I
BELIEVE IS THE DATE.
Rhonda: NICK MONACELLI IS
LIVE AT CASS TECH.
THE TEACHERS WERE UNDER THE
IMPRESSION THAT THE EMERGENCY
FUNDS THAT WOULD BE SEPTEMBER TO
THE DISTRICT WOULD COVER THEM
THROUGH THE SUMMER.
NOT THE CASE ANYMORE?
Nick: THAT'S WHAT THE UNION
IS SAYING.
WHEN THE $48 MILLION WAS
APPROVED LAST MONTH, THEY WERE
TOLD IT WOULD BE ENOUGH MONEY TO
COVER ALL THE TEACHERS AND ALL
OF THE SUMMER PROGRAMS
THROUGHOUT THE END OF THE YEAR.
THAT CERTAINLY IS NOT THE CASE
ANYMORE.
SINCE WE'VE BEEN ON THE AIR, THE
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS CLOSED HAS
TOTALLED.
THE TOTAL NUMBER IS UP TO 85 AND
THERE ARE ONLY 105 SCHOOLS IN
THE DISTRICT.
SO IN DETROIT, ONLY 20 SCHOOLS
OPEN AS OF RIGHT NOW.
THE NUMBER WILL CONTINUE TO
CHANGE.
WHERE IS ALL THIS MONEY
GOING?
Nick: AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
TEACHERS WORKING AND NOW MIGHT
NOT GET PAID ARE FURIOUS.
THIS IS HUMILIATING AND
DEGRADING.
Nick: DPS ANNOUNCED IT WILL
RUN OUT OF MONEY TO PAY
TEACHERS.
IT WAS ONE OF THE HOT TOPICS AT
THE NAACP FREEDOM FUND DINNER.
MAYOR MIKE DUGGAN BLAMED THE
STATE EMERGENCY SYSTEM.
8 YEARS OF EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT WITH 8 STRAIGHT YEARS
OF DEFICIT, 8 YEARS OF
ENROLLMENT DECLINE, 8 STRAIGHT
YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT DECLINE.
Nick: HILLARY CLINTON WEIGHED
IN.
WE CAN'T BE SATISFIED UNTIL
ALL OF DETROIT'S CHILDREN ARE
LEARNING IN GOOD SCHOOLS WITH
GOOD TEACHERS.
Nick: THE DISTRICT SAYS IT
WILL BE UNABLE TO PAY TEACHERS
AFTER JUNE 30th, WHICH IS THE
END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
TWO THIRDS OF TEACHERS OPTED TO
SPREAD THEIR PAYCHECKS ACROSS
THE ENTIRE YEAR.
SO WE CONTINUE TO WORK, IT
WILL BE LIKE WE'RE WORKING FOR
FREE.
WHAT PROFESSION WORKS FOR FREE?
Nick: DRAWING CRITICISM FROM
THE UNION, JUDGE STEVEN RHODES
SAYS SICK-OUTS ARE UNNECESSARY.
THEY WILL ONLY NOT GET A
PAYCHECK IF THE LEGISLATURE
DOESN'T ACT.
I'M CONFIDENCE THE LEGISLATURE
WILL ACT.
Nick: THE INTERIM PRESIDENT
OF THE TEACHERS UNION SAID THEY
DO NOT SHARE THAT CONFIDENCE.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
THE TRUTH IS, WE CAN NO LONGER
TAKE THE DISTRICT'S WORD AT FACE
VALUE.
Nick: RHODES HAS ISSUED A
STATEMENT: I AM ON RECORD AS
SAYING THAT I CANNOT IN GOOD
CONSCIENCE ASK ANYONE TO WORK
WITHOUT PAY.
WAGES THAT ARE OWED TO TEACHERS
SHOULD BE PAID.
I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION AND
ANGER THAT OUR TEACHERS FEEL.
AND CERTAINLY THAT HAS SPILLED
HERE ON TO THE STREETS OF
DETROIT.
85 SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED.
BACK OUT HERE LIVE.
WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT
IMPACT THIS HAS AND WHAT WILL
HAPPEN LATER ON.
THERE WILL BE A RALLY OUTSIDE
THE FISHER BUILDING AT 10:00
THIS MORNING.
ALSO, PEOPLE HAVE ASKED HOW MANY
TEACHERS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
AGAIN, TWO THIRDS OF THE 2600
TEACHERS IN THE DISTRICT, 1700
TEACHERS OR MORE, THAT ARE
LOOKING AT NO PAYCHECKS FOR WORK
THAT HAS BEEN DONE.
WE'RE LIVE HERE AT CASS TECH
HIGH SCHOOL, NICK MONACELLI,
"LOCAL 4 NEWS TODAY."
Evrod: LET'S TALK ABOUT A
LONG-TERM SOLUTION.
IS THERE EVEN ONE IN THE WORKS?
Nick: YES, THERE IS.
$715 MILLION EDUCATION REFORM
PACKAE THAT THE SENATE APPROVED
AND THE HOUSE IS CURRENTLY
DEBATING, AND THAT COULD HAPPEN
AT ANY TIME.
THAT PACKAGE WOULD NOT TAKE CARE
OF THE ISSUE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
SO SOMETHING ELSE HAS TO BE
PROPOSED.
SOMEBODY ELSE HAS TO FIND SOME
MONEY.
OTHERWISE, YOU HAVE TEACHERS
WITHOUT PAYCHECKS AND SUMMER
SCHOOL AND THE SUMMER PROGRAMS
WOULD BE CANCELED.
Evrod: ALL RIGHTY, OUR NICK
MONACELLI REPORTING LIVE FOR US
THIS MORNING.
THANK YOU.
Rhonda: AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
IT WAS NO EASY DECISION FOR THE
TEACHERS UNION.
WE DO WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM.
TERENCE MARTIN, FROM THE DETROIT
FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, JOINS US
BY PHONE THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING!
Rhonda: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
DECISION TO GO ON THE SICK-OUT
NOW.
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING WILL HAPPEN
TODAY TO GET THE TEACHERS BACK
IN THE CLASSROOMS?
WELL, WE'RE HOPING THAT THIS
DRAWS ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE.
OBVIOUSLY IT'S QUITE ALARMING TO
HEAR THAT TEACHERS WON'T GET
PAID AND SCHOOL WON'T HAPPEN
AFTER JUNE 30th.
SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
THE DISTRICT TO RIGHT THIS
WRONG.
AND WE JUST FELT IT WAS
ESSENTIAL THAT THE PUBLIC KNEW
ABOUT THIS, AND FOLKS WHO ARE
DEFINITELY ON OUR SIDE, OUR
PARENTS AND STUDENTS AND OTHER
COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WHO SIMPLY
WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR DETROIT
SCHOOL CHILDREN.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING
FOR TODAY.
Rhonda: IN TERMS OF THE
SICK-OUT TODAY, A LOT OF PARENTS
HAVE TO MOBILIZE AND FIGURE OUT
WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR KIDS AT
THE LAST MOMENT.
COULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN TOMORROW
OR THE NEXT DAY, OR IS IT JUST
TO RAISE AWARENESS TODAY?
WELL, TODAY IS TO RAISE THAT
AWARENESS TODAY, BUT OBVIOUSLY
IT WON'T STOP TODAY.
IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT FUNDING TO
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMES
QUICKLY AND TO SUGGEST THAT
TEACHERS AREN'T GOING TO GET
PAID FOR WORK THAT THEY'VE
ALREADY RENDERED IS SIMPLY
ABSURD.
THIS IS NOT THE IDEAL SITUATION
THAT WE'D LIKE, BUT OBVIOUSLY
SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE.
Rhonda: JUDGE STEVEN RHODES
SAID HE DOES FEEL COMPETENT THAT
THE LEGISLATURE WILL APPROVE TO
SEND MORE MONEY.
THERE IS THAT PACKAGE, THE
EDUCATION REFORM PACKAGE THAT IS
OUT RIGHT NOW FOR $715 MILLION
THAT ALREADY PASSED THE SENATE
AND BEING DISCUSSED IN THE
HOUSE.
ON BEHALF OF THE UNION ARE YOU
FEELING CONFIDENT THAT THAT
PACKAGE WILL PASS?
WELL, WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE,
AND WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS
PACKAGE WAS GOING TO BE
PRESENTED AND PASSED SOON.
THIS WAS MONTHS AGO, AND IT
STILL HASN'T HAPPENED
SO WITHOUT GUARANTEES FROM THE
DISTRICT, WITHOUT GUARANTEES
FROM STATE LAWMAKERS, WE SEE NO
OTHER WAY THAN TO ACT.
Rhonda: SO IT IS A CHANCE
OUTSIDE OF TODAY THAT THE
TEACHER SICK-OUTS COULD OCCUR
MAYBE TOMORROW OR AGAIN THIS
WEEK AND IN THE SCHOOL YEAR?
ALL OF OUR OPTIONS ARE STILL
ON THE TABLE.
Rhonda: ALL RIGHT, TERENCE,
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WE WILL BE COVERING THE RALLY
SCHEDULED FOR LATER TODAY, AS
WELL.
AND WE HAVE TRIED TO GET IN
TOUCH WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO
TALK WITH MAYOR MIKE DUGGAN