Statement on teacher boycott

Monday, March 27, 2006

March 24, 2006 – Detroit Public Schools Superintendent William F. Coleman III issued the following statement regarding the school boycott by some teachers:

The decision by a large group of teachers last Wednesday to stay away from work was an assault on the District’s goal of increased academic achievement. By forcing the closure of 54 of our schools and cheating approximately 40,000 children out of a day’s education, the teachers put union politics above the educational needs of our students.

Particularly distressing is the fact that the teachers’ grievances are based on an erroneous premise.

The teachers claim the district took money from the teachers and gave it to principals and assistant principals in the form of raises.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The current contract with the Detroit Federation of Teachers, the union representing the teachers, calls for the teachers to loan the District five days’ pay, among other wage and benefit concessions. Unlike the concessions taken by all other employee groups, these loaned days will be repaid to the teachers. Lean economic times and declining enrollment have forced us to scale back many programs and retrench thousands of employees. Even employees who were not laid off felt the pinch, as salaries for all positions, including mine, were reduced by up to 10 percent.

In contrast, the concessions on the teachers’ contract averaged less than 10 percent.  This angered many of the leaders of our other 14 unions who believed we had given the teachers too much. The leaders of the teachers’ union, on the other hand, boasted that they had thumped the District at the negotiating table.

Now those same leaders of the teachers union are deliberately misstating the facts about the contract that they negotiated.

First, the pay adjustments recommended for principals and assistant principals are not across-the-board pay increases.  Rather these school administrators are getting varying pay adjustments that move them closer to the middle of their pay range. The adjustments are designed to compensate these individuals within their pay ranges based on their relevant experience.  This is the same process that is used for unionized employees, including members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers.  Unlike unionized employees, these administrators have not received annual step pay increases since at least 2000.

Second, the money for this pay adjustment had been budgeted long before negotiations for this current teachers’ contract were concluded.

Third, this inequity in pay has affected morale and also hindered our efforts to recruit and retain talented school administrators.

We have some of the finest teachers in the state. But they need to get the facts. They should not allow themselves be hoodwinked by their leaders. The Detroit Public Schools system is going through some of the most turbulent times in its history. Enrollment is down, our finances are in precarious shape, and we are striving to improve academic achievement.  My team and I are working diligently to change the course of this district. In order to do that we all have to work together.

More episodes like the kind we saw on Wednesday will only drive students to charter schools.

Negotiating on the backs of our children is not the way to go. Our children and parents deserve better.


About the Detroit Public Schools

The Detroit Public Schools, founded in 1842, is one of the nation’s largest public school systems. Detroit Public Schools is a school district of choice and is open to children who live outside the city. The District offers a variety of highly competitive academic and career and technical programs.