The teachers union in Detroit has called on all teachers to call in sick as a means of protest over issues in their salary. An estimated 40 Detroit Public Schools will be closed on Monday following the protest.
The move by the public school teachers Is due to the district transition manager's announcement that the DPS will no longer pay the teachers during the summer due to the lack of funding from the state. The Detroit Federation of Teachers has been furious about the news.
The DPS will not be able to fund summer schools or special programs after June 30 as announced by former bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes. Rhodes was the one appointed to oversee the districts status as per ABC News.
Terrence Martin, the executive vice president of the DFT, said the district's promises are no longer worth the paper that they are printed on. He added that this will put the teachers and parents in Detroit in a difficult situation and the district's broken promises have left them with no choice.
According to Fox 2, Ivy Bailey, the DFT president, said they have already reached a breaking point. Bailey also said they can no longer take the district's word at face value nor trust the promises the district has made. The DFT is asking for the full payment and funding of Detroit schools as well as returning the control to local leaders for them to be accountable to the community.
As reported by WXYZ, the shortage of pay has affected teachers who decided to have their paycheck spread out over a 52-week span and continue to receive paychecks during the summer.
A restructuring plan of $270 million has already been considered by state legislatures to pay off the district's enormous debt. The emergency funding that will keep the district operational through the end of the school year has already been signed by Governor Rick Snyder last March.
The Michigan law, however, restricts teacher strikes which are considered as illegal. Strikes will cause thousands of students to miss class. Nonetheless, district spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski has confirmed that a total of 43 schools will be closed due to the protest.
