Schools closing in Detroit

[hallk]

I recently came across an article describing how there are a number of schools closing in the Detroit area. Here is the article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37642350...s=us_news-life

Were any FIRST teams effected by these whether it be by a school closing or a merger?

[Andrew Schreiber]

I don't know about teams (haven't had a chance to look up all 32 schools) but after reading the article there is one line that chilled me.

"He hugged and hugged me and asked, 'Who is going to love me now? Who is going to take care of me?’”

Sort of makes you see things in a different light...

[MDiff]

Team 51 Wings of Fire (the merger of 47 Chief Delphi & 65 Husky Brigade) - Two Pontiac high schools

[JaneYoung]

When the education of our children is compromised to the point of destruction and ruin - by the choices made by the elected leaders of our country, locally and nationally, then we truly are in very serious trouble. We've known for years that teachers, on the whole, do not receive the value, recognition, or pay that they should - as educators and mentors who play key roles in the direction our future moves in, short term and long term, by their very impact.

I don't think we've seen the worst of it (destruction and compromise) yet.

Jane

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

I don't know about teams (haven't had a chance to look up all 32 schools) but after reading the article there is one line that chilled me.

Sort of makes you see things in a different light...

That is a scary part of today's society and younger generation!

[Mark McLeod]

Looks like team 515 from Osborn HS was affected. I don't see any others.

Cooley HS had team 557 back in 2001-2005, but hasn't participated since.

The great majority seem to be elementary schools.

[GaryVoshol]

There are other High Schools on the list that will close at the end of the 2011 or 2012 school year. One of them is Finney, Team 3096. The old HS building has actually been closed and the students moved to a temporary building. The team met and built at the MEZ facility this year. I believe they are to be combined with another HS into a new or remodeled building.

The problem is that the Detroit Schools population has been declining as the city's population declines. There aren't enough students and money left to keep all the buildings open. The cost of heating, maintenence, etc for the building is the same whether it is full of students or mostly empty.

[Ether]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

The problem is that the Detroit Schools population has been declining as the city's population declines. There aren't enough students and money left to keep all the buildings open. The cost of heating, maintenence, etc for the building is the same whether it is full of students or mostly empty.

True indeed. Thank you for pointing that out.

We could discuss why Detroit's population is declining, but that might lead to some heated disagreements.


~

[IKE]

My father was part of the big rural school consolidation in 1960s in Indiana. He went to 3 different schools while in H.S. I don't think it was easy on him, but ironically he now feels and interesting part of history. The final school is still doing well today, and the other old buildings are still there. One has been a cummunity center, the other has been through several owners and restoration attempts.
When change comes, we can sometimes fight it, but often we have to learn to adapt or we won't "survive". I think the students will adapt within a few years. The teachers though that are out of work in a rough economy will likely have a much tougher outcome from this.

[kramarczyk]

The tough part in all of this has been the rate of change in the plan. In the last 12 months Finney has gone from getting a brand new building in 2012, to being closed completely, to merging with Crockett in the new building. The lastest version of the plan, changed based on community input, can be found at http://www.detroit.k12.mi.us/news/article/1953/

More interesting to me than the closures are the schools that were removed from the closure list. For example, Kettering HS (FRC3097) was scheduled to close this year, but that is no longer the case.

This ongoing change can be disheartening for teams, and it certainly makes planning difficult. All we can do is make the best of it and continue to work on creating opportunities to inspire people. A special thanks needs to go out to the MEZ (especially Ken Snodgrass, Bob Koehl, and Jeanne Murabito) for creating some consistency among the chaos for team.

[oddjob]

The population of Detriot has been declining steadily for many decades, presumably with a decline in student population. After consolidation of buildings, the students will adjust and move forward. I don't see a problem with the same happening to FIRST teams that might need to consolidate, as long as the students still have an opportunity to participate. I had to change schools once and it wasn't fun at the time but it's also an opportunity for new experiences. It would be a great pity if any students lost the option of competing in FIRST.

[Mike Schreiber]

With how many teams there are in southeast MI I'm sure that any student that really wants FIRST can have it. Now try to say that about any other region

My guess is that these mergers will go similar to the 47,65 -> 51 merger Let's just hope they go as smoothly, although I don't have any knowledge of what actually happened internally this year with 51 they still were very competitive and had a great season, and that's what I mean by smoothly.