Detroit's Proposed School Closures to Impact Librarians

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By Lauren Barack March 8, 2011

Detroit Public Schools (DPS) district may face losing half its K-12 schools—and the impact on teachers and school librarians is likely to be extensive.

If the proposal takes place, only 72 public schools will remain and class sizes for kids in grades nine to 12 could potentially swell to 62 students, according to a deficit elimination plan filed with the Michigan Department of Education (DOE) in January.

Detroit Public School's Robert Bobb.

While repeated calls to both the district and its emergency financial manager Robert Bobb were not returned, one staff person there, who asked to remain anonymous, estimates a decision to cut or save the district's remaining 20 to 40 school librarians will depend on their seniority and whether principals will fight to keep them.

The district has faced a deficit since the 2007/2008 school year and is currently trying to close its $327 million budget gap.

Before a budget crisis hit neighboring Dearborn Public Schools in the 2009/2010 school year, every K-12 school had at least one half-time certified media specialist, says a Dearborn staff person who also requested anonymity. Now, 32 buildings in that district share about eight librarians, the staff source says.

Unlike Oklahoma or Tennessee, Michigan doesn't have a state law mandating a school librarian in every building, according to Kristin Fontichiaro, a clinical assistant professor with the School of Information at the University of Michigan.

"Far too many districts [around 848 in Michigan] have, due to budget constraints over the past decade, cut a certified librarian and replaced that position with a paraprofessional," says Fontichiaro by email. "Technically, the paraprofessional can do clerical work but not instructional duties, which include storytime. Sadly, however, there are many people without training as educators or librarians calling themselves librarians or media specialists and actively instructing—with little or no consequence."

While the Michigan DOE does ensure that school districts continue to follow educational standards set for all K-12 students statewide, they do not set class size or tell districts how to go about balancing their budgets, says Jan Ellis, spokesperson for the Michigan DOE. Instead, each district files its own plan on how to rebalance its books, which can include school closures and layoffs of teacher and school librarians. The Michigan DOE ensures the proposal makes financial sense and that it's followed.

Of 848 school districts in the state, 43 are currently operating within a deficit, says Ellis, who adds that most manage to regain financial footing within three years. Detroit has been operating in the red for its fourth consecutive year and has danced back and forth with financial problems most recently since the 2003/2004 school year, adds Ellis.

Michigan's Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan in February approved Bobb's proposal to start shutting 30 schools in FY 2011 to help close the current $327 million deficit by FY 2014.

"Any district drafts its own [plan,]" says Ellis. "We did tell them they have to implement their deficit elimination plan."

While DPS recently announced that graduation rates have increased to 62 percent in June 2010 from 58 percent in June 2007, Michigan released statistics showing only two of Detroit's 28 high schools had more than one percent of its seniors college ready, as measured by the ACT test. And with schools slotted to close, and class sizes expected to increase, improving these numbers may be difficult.

DPS's own plan estimates 31 students per teacher in K-3 classrooms, 39 per teacher in grades four to five, 47 per teacher in grades six to eight, and a whopping 62 per teacher in grades nine to 12.

But the plan to close schools is not a done deal as of yet, cautioned Ellis.

"They have been creating many plans and continuingly updating them," she says. "This is an ongoing living plan that can be amended."

This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.

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