Downsized Detroit district greets students Tuesday
DETROIT (AP) — The start of fall classes for the Detroit Public Schools is expected to reveal a much smaller district in terms of the number of students and buildings.
There also appears to be a sense of optimism — something missing since the district's poor money management, lack of internal controls and ballooning budget deficit became evident several years ago.
The first day of school is Tuesday, and this fall there is a real plan in place, said Reggie Williams, who is helping with student recruitment efforts as part of the nonprofit Detroit Parent Network.
"There is a new academic plan in Detroit. People are seeing more initiatives take off," Williams said.
The district has set an enrollment target of 77,314 students, which is more than a thousand fewer than attended Detroit schools last spring. The troubled district also faces a budget deficit of $363 million.
State-appointed emergency financial manager Robert Bobb closed 30 schools at end of the past academic year. Some of those schools were aging