Posted by JM Ashby
The lost decade is here and now. Or maybe I should say the second lost decade.
DETROIT (AP) -- State education officials have ordered the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools to immediately implement a plan that balances the district's books by closing half its schools.
The Detroit News says the financial restructuring plan will increase high school class sizes to 60 students and consolidate operations.
...Bobb filed his deficit elimination plan with the state in January, saying it would wipe out the district's $327 million deficit by 2014
When I was in high school, even a class size of 30 felt crowded, but teachers in Detroit are now going to be looking at class sizes of 60 students. The quality of the education that kids receive will almost certainly take a nosedive. And what of the countless teachers and staff who will be fired because of this?
Can we afford to dish out hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cut to people who don't need it, but not afford to fully fund public education across the country?