Schools and parks

It has been a while since I last posted - I apologize for my absence.

In the meantime, I still have not heard back from Mr. Bobb about my offer to volunteer and help his effforts to fix the Detroit Public Schools. I followed up with a phone call to his office last week, and his assistant told me his chief of staff still hadn't looked at resumes and offers to help...I think that is a bit outrageous, but sadly, it isn't the worst I've seen in terms of volunteer management.

Alas, more bad news out of the Detroit schools today - today's Free Press reports that the district may have to declare bankruptcy (that isn't even the worst news - a number of students were shot this afternoon waiting for a bus!). Here are some highlights from the article:

"Calling the Detroit Public Schools budget the worst he's ever seen, the state-appointed emergency financial manager said Monday that he is considering other measures -- including filing for bankruptcy."

" "I cannot balance the budget," Robert Bobb told the audience of less than 100 people at a public hearing at Cass Technical High School. "I never thought I'd hear myself say that.""

"DPS will enter the next school year with a deficit of about $259 million, down from the projected $430 million, Bobb said."

On a brighter note, I am a bit closer to piloting my idea to turn abandoned plots into mini-parks. Imam El Amin liked the idea, and we've identified a small lot owned by the city near the Muslim Center that we could convert. I'll keep you posted.