John Wisely

Detroit Free Press

State Sen. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart, said two bills to help DPS will be introduced Thursday.

Coalition was formed in 2014 to advocate reforms to Detroit's education system.

Today's closures are latest in series of protests of what teachers say are unsafe working conditions.

District says it's doing the best it can to maintain the buildings despite budget problems.

The city will launch inspections of all Detroit public schools after Mayor Mike Duggan visited four schools earlier this week following mass sick-outs by teachers protesting conditions.

"This effort isn’t about blaming anybody," Duggan said in a statement this evening “It’s about making sure that every child and every teacher in Detroit goes to school in a safe and healthy environment. We’ve been assured by Emergency Manager (Darnell) Earley that DPS will respond promptly to correct any deficiencies found in these inspections and we look forward to working with the district to resolve these problems.”

The city expects to finish inspections by the end of this month of 20 buildings in Detroit Public Schools considered to be the most problematic. Inspections of all 97 school buildings in the district will be completed by the end of April, the mayor's office said. Charter schools also will be inspected.

The city said problems with mold, heating and cooling and other issues can be reported on the city's website www.detroitmi.gov

The announcement came on the same day that a group of community leaders created to help reform Detroit schools blasted Gov. Rick Snyder and the state Legislature today for months of inaction on a growing crisis in DPS.

"Everybody knows things are bad, and getting worse," said the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. "Where is the governor? Where is Lansing? When will the schoolchildren of Detroit get the help they so desperately need?”

State Sen. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart, told the Free Press that two bills to address DPS's problems would be introduced in the legislature Thursday. He said resolving the district's debt problems would be a priority because "it’s an emergency situation."

Duggan: Some school conditions 'break your heart'

Teacher sick-outs have forced the closure of dozens of Detroit schools this week as teachers have used the protests to draw attention to issues such as overcrowded classrooms and what they say are dangerous conditions in schools.

Are the DPS sick-outs illegal?

Walbridge CEO John Rakolta Jr., said the state is liable for DPS's debt and that if legislators fail to address it, the district will soon go broke.

"They can do nothing, and what will happen is the state will run out of money to pay teachers in April or May," Rakolta said on a conference call today. "What is left is bankruptcy. It will be catastrophic for the state."

DPS emergency manager decries 'misguided' sickouts

Anthony and Rakolta are part of the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren, which formed in 2014. It includes community members from education, business, faith and philanthropic organizations. The coalition releaseda report called Choice IsOurs in March 2015, offering proposals to improve conditions. Rakolta said that Snyder has adopted 85% of the coalition's recommendations, but that the Legislature hasn't introduced any bills yet.

“The governor recognizes the urgency of the situation, and has kept attention on this work for much of the last year," said Snyder spokeswoman Ann Heaton. "He released a plan to address the challenges in Detroit Public Schools last spring and has been working diligently with legislative partners ever since to resolve the difficulties facing Detroit’s families while at the same time addressing the debt issue proactively.”

Bills on fix for DPS expected to be introduced Thursday

The plea for action from the coalition came as five schools remained closed today. The sick-outs are the latest in a series of such closures that have canceled classes at 78 of DPS's 97 schools in recent days.

The schools closed today were Durfee Elementary-Middle School, Keidan Special Education Center, Mason Academy, Ronald Brown Academy and Schulze Academy for Technology and Arts.

Angela Reyes, executive director of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation and a coalition cochair, said she understands why teachers are protesting.

"I think we can all agree these are not normal times, and desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures," she said. "I think the teachers see themselves as advocates for the children."

Another coalition cochair, Tonya Allen of the Skillman Foundation, said she worries that the sick-outs could antagonize wavering legislators, but she understands the teachers' frustration.

"None of us condone absenteeism of teachers in the classrooms, but the real issue is the absenteeism in Lansing," Allen said.

Some parents welcomed the statements from the coalition and sided with teachers.

"As far as the sick-outs, I support them 100%," said Jeffrey Gisstennar, president of a parents group at Renaissance High School, which his son attends. "Anything that can draw attention."

Gisstennar said his son went without an English teacher for a whole quarter and now has no French teacher. He said he attended a gathering last year when the coalition made its recommendations, but he hasn't seen any changes.

"Nothing has happened, but the debt continues to rise," he said. "Their excuse is always 'We're in all this debt and we can't afford to pay our teachers.' "

At a rally Monday, teachers displayed poster-sized photographs of broken windows, mold and other safety hazards. Teachers also have faced repeated cuts to their pay and health care benefits as well as growing class sizes that they say make teaching increasingly difficult.

Earley said Tuesday that the district is doing the best it can to maintain the buildings. Duggan toured some schools Tuesday, calling them a "mixed bag," with some in good shape and others that "break your heart."

Michigan law prohibits teacher strikes and includes punishments of up to $5,000 a day for teachers found to have conducted an illegal strike. But before those penalties can be imposed, the district must file a formal complaint with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. No formal complaint has been filed so far.