Detroit Olympics Update

Good news on Detroit's potential 2024 Olympic bid - the topic was the main focus of the program and discussion at the 2012 Southeast Michigan Summit, hosted by the Detroit City Council. Even better news - all the panelists and stakeholders present thought it was possible, and most thought it was a good idea to pursue! There is an incredible amount of work ahead of us, but at least the ball is rolling.

Speakers and Panelists at the Summit included: Councilman Charles Pugh; Ms. Susan Sherer (who led Detroit's efforts for the Super Bowl); Mr. Stefan Szymanski (Michigan professor of sports management); Mr. Dave Beachneau (Detroit Sport's Commission); Ms. Kathleen Lamako (SEMCOG); Mr. Marcell Todd (Detroit City Planning Commission); Mr. Bobby Smith (En Garde Detroit); and Dr. Syed Mohiuddin (Leadership Next, United Way).

At the end of the Summit, City Council President Charles Pugh even announced plans to add this to the Mackinaw Policy Conference agenda, and to put feelers out to other community stakeholders during the North American International Auto Show. Believe it or not, Detroit 2024 is now on the agenda!

Whether or not Detroit gets the Olympics, the investments and improvements needed for the Olympics are investments and improvements we need anyways. That being said, the Olympics would be a great way to celebrate a New Detroit in 12 years. Also, if the Olympics are a way to bring the world together, perhaps they will also pull Metro Detroit together in a way we haven't been in 40, 50 years. Our collective, united efforts will be needed to make a successful Olympics and a successful Detroit.

Here is a link to a presentation that has been reviewed with some key stakeholders and which was shared in part at the Summit: https://sites.google.com/site/fixingdetroit/12-07-30-DTW-Olympics-01.pdf

A Historic Day - Will Right-to-Work Help or Hurt Michigan and its Workers?

History was made today in Lansing, as Governor Snyder signed into law several "right-to-work" bills that would make it optional for workers to contribute financially when they work under a union contract. After spending two years denying "right-to-work" was on his agenda, the Governor added it to his agenda and signed it into law in the space of a week during this lame-duck session.

Unions and "right-to-work" both have pros and cons, and there is a lot to discuss and assess on that front. First, however, a thought on the process itself:

• Lame duck Republicans railroading this highly partisan, highly controversial bill through the Legislature with minimal discussion and no public input is a sham and a disgrace to Michigan; even if "right-to-work" is right for Michigan, such a bill should have gone through the proper channels and processes (I think a referendum would have been best); at best, this is a terrible precedent
• There may be economic merits to "right-to-work", but the political nature of the timing cannot be denied; Republicans are taking a shot at weakening Labor and Democrats, sensing weakness given the loss of Proposal 2 (I couldn't vote for Proposal 2 to put union rights in the Constitution, but I didn't vote against it for that reason, because I didn't want Republicans to take its defeat as a sign that "right-to-work" had support)
• The unions may have overreached by pushing Proposal 2, but it was more of a defensive measure than an offensive one in my view; given all of the anti-union legislation in the Midwest, from Wisconsin to Ohio to Indiana, it was only a matter of time before the battle came to Michigan; Governor Snyder could have shown true courage and leadership and taken a post-partisan stand by saying he would veto "right-to-work" legislation, but he never said that, and in the end, his reassurances that it was "not on his agenda" were hollow, as he supported "right-to-work" the second it came up anyways)
• Like those other states, I fear this act which disturbs the balance of power is just the beginning of a long war; I'm afraid it will create a toxic environment in Lansing (perhaps to rival DC) and cause gridlock and uncertainty at a time when Michigan has many more pressing issues (e.g., Detroit, regional transit, taxes, etc.); as this struggle unfolds, our policies in Michigan may become disjointed and incoherent over the next decade; as a businessman, the Governor should have realized that if there is one thing that delays investments in job-creation and that businesses hate, it is uncertainty...

Okay, aside from the political mess and effects, here are some thoughts on the practical impacts:

• Nothing will really happen for a few years; legislation will tie it up (even Governor Snyder is expecting some legal challenges)
• Companies will certainly view Michigan more favorably when undertaking site selection exercises for their business; whether a geography is "right-to-work" is often a consideration for such companies, no doubt about it
• That being said, Toyota or Volkswagen aren't coming to Michigan anytime soon; there is already too much auto production capacity in North America, their footprints are already elsewhere, so there is no reason for them to come to Michigan; I don't expect any other gigantic factories opening up in Michigan anytime soon either
• With or without "right-to-work", unions really need to reinvent themselves; unions have a bad reputation in many places, and certainly, the way the system is setup, there are many inefficiencies and much room for improvement; solidarity is great, but for instance, perhaps unions should take another look at better integrating worker-by-worker performance-based incentive systems as part of compensation; also, maybe seniority should not be the only factor when layoffs occur (maybe other options should be considered, like some kind of rotations or an average decrease in hours, rather than layoffs)
• Sure, unions will still be able to collectively bargain, but "right-to-work" will let workers "freeload" and benefit from the union but not pay the union, weakening them financially
• If unions disappeared tomorrow, compensation and benefits would also go down tomorrow
• "Right-to-work" is basically a step on the way down in a race to the bottom; Companies will typically pay workers as little as they can get away with (most think like Wal-Mart, not Costco); Governor Snyder indicated his impetus to support "right-to-work" was Indiana's passage of such a law earlier this year (the UAW rightfully feared his intentions in their misguided support of Proposal 2)...if all states adopt "right-to-work", then all states are just competing to have lower and lower wages; perhaps a national "card-check" law would level the national playing field; either way, we should be figuring out how to compete with Mexico and China (and not by lowering wages to their levels), rather than a zero sum game of shifting jobs between Midwestern states (and often paying hundreds of millions in tax incentives to do so)
• Perhaps this law will have the perverse effect of making it easier for Unions to organize labor places (after all, if someone doesn't lose any money in dues, and only gains with higher wages, why not vote to unionize?)

Dealing with Detroit's Debt

I've never seen the momentum, buzz, interest, investment, and other indicators around Detroit as good as they are now. It is too bad that the actual City itself has never been in worse shape.

Detroit's financial woes haven't been real news for years, but it finally looks like it is time to pay the piper. Gridlock between the Mayor, the City Council, the City Attorney, and the State, as well as the elimination of the Emergency Financial Manager option, make bankruptcy an extremely likely outcome. As an extreme case, some folks are already suggesting to dissolve the City and merge it with Wayne County, or (even worse in my book) liquidate the DIA's (City-owned) priceless art collection.

We can hope that our elected officials and public servants sort this out, but I'm not optimistic. Unfortunately, there is not much ordinary citizens can really do at this point to stop the slow moving train wreck. However, there is one trick that it might be interesting for some of us to pursue.

On the way to Operation HOPE's Global Financial Dignity Summit last month in Atlanta, I read about one of the Occupy movement's new focus areas – debt. One tactic they are pursuing is to purchase outstanding loans of bankrupt folks (that typically trade for pennies on the dollar) and then forgiving them. I'm not sure what Detroit's bonds trade for, but I imagine they are deep in junk territory and severely discounted. Perhaps this could be a solution for Detroit as well. If the Detroit's citizens can buy and retire $1 billion (in face value) of debt/bonds for ~$50 million (I'm not sure what they are trading at, but even $500 million would be a deal, if offset by future tax credits), well that's a good deal in my book. Maybe the City could even reward Citizens who help it out through such a gift (e.g., by reducing property taxes for a certain period, or giving out lifetime free parking passes in the City)

Governor Snyder last hope for regional transit?

Interesting piece in today's Free Press about the struggle to achieve (or re-achieve, as it were) a coordinated regional mass transit system: http://www.freep.com/article/20121202/NEWS15/312020246/After-40-years-of-region-trying-to-get-it-done-Snyder-may-be-key-to-mass-transit


I knew Detroit had a trains in the 1950s before our system was dismantled. I didn't realize the system connected Detroit with so many other cities.

"We had a very good transit system until then," said John Hertel, general manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), which runs the suburban bus system. "We had a trolley system that went from Detroit to Port Huron, Flint, Ann Arbor and Toledo. And it was all gone by 1956."


Who knew?

I also didn't realize our trolley's went to Mexico City, where they are still in use.

"It's a crucial piece of the public transportation pie for metro Detroit, which has struggled to stitch together a cohesive transit system since 1956, when the last of Detroit's streetcars were decommissioned and sold to Mexico City, where they still are in use today."


Anyways, it seems like everyone is on board this time except the state House. Time to call your Representative and get them to play ball and pass the necessary bills. Federal support is available to help, so now is the time to for action on this.

I guess I wasn't following this issue too closely a decade ago, but apparently Governor Engler vetoed our last chance in 2002. Hopefully Governor Snyder takes this issue across the finish line. Too much is at stake. 

Ballot initiatives and rethinking gerrymandering in Michigan's constitution

Voters in Michigan sent back six proposed constitutional amendments this month. It is heartening to know that citizens are at least sometimes too smart for the money and advertising rampant in our political system. The people did decide.

The fact that so many random amendments were on the ballot has me considering that it might be time to push for something truly meaningful and game-changing as a constitutional amendment in this state.

In particular, I think it would be extremely beneficial for all Americans if Michigan leads the way in combating the ill-conceived, unjust practice of gerrymandering by adopting a constitutional amendment to place the responsibility of redrawing electoral districts in the hands of non-partisan technocrats. These demographers should be mandated to redistrict Michigan in a way that promotes moderate candidates from all parties, rather than having a handful of Red and Blue districts that will automatically elect whichever Republican or Democrat emerges from the primaries, even if they are foolish, insane, criminals, Santa Claus, or a devolved primate.

The fact of the matter is that Congress had an approval rating in the low teens, and a re-election rate close to 90%. Democracy in action and at its worst. Our system breeds uncompromising extremists on both sides, and we are paying the price as a country. The looming fiscal cliff is only the latest in a series of failings by our national leadership. Redrawing the electoral lines to promote more reasonable candidates should be a national priority, and Michigan can lead the way. I hope our unions, businesses, and other advocates consider this option – uncertainty, extremism, and a bi-polar government serve no one's interest, neither the right nor the left.

To be sure, Michigan might on average have fewer senior, powerful, tenured representation in Congress. However, the folks we do send to DC will be moderate deal-makers, willing to cross the aisle and compromise - in today's Washington, there is no one more powerful (think back to the passage of healthcare reform, where a handful of representatives in the middle had out-sized influence on the outcome).

Alarming outlook - half of Detroiters gone in five years?

Everyone knows Detroit has shrunk by more than half over the past 50 years, to less than 750 k inhabitants. Unfortunately, according to a recent poll from Glengariff Group, commissioned by the News (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121009/METRO01/210090369/Poll-Crime-drives-Detroiters-out-40-expect-leave-within-5-years?), 40% of inhabitants plan to leave the City within the next five years.

Other insights:

• 57% of those planning to leave are families with kids
• Crime and insecurity is the key factor driving the exodus ("there's an aura of fear that just pervades the whole neighborhood" is an observation that sums up the problem nicely) - 58% of respondents say crime is their biggest daily challenge (comparatively, the economy and unemployment is the top challenge for only 13% of respondents)
• 53% of women feel unsafe (vs 43% of men)
• 66% of residents believe the City is on the wrong track
• Almost all city officials had extraordinarily low approval ratings
• Carjackings are commonplace

Young people and professionals moving to Midtown or Corktown or downtown are great trends. However, if we cannot address the instability in the neighborhoods, the influx and momentum we are seeing will be lost against the ongoing mass exodus.

Unique Detroit attributes for 2024 Olympic Games

Detroit has a lot of differentiating attributes that make it a unique and attractive candidate city for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

A - HOSTING RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES

Stadiums: Detroit and its suburbs already have several world-class sports arenas, including Michigan Stadium, the largest stadium in North America, as well as newer or renowned facilities like Ford Field, Tiger Stadium, and the Palace

Logistics: Detroit has arguably one of the best airports in the world, with minimal delays and great global access; Also, the City has a brand new port terminal which could welcome cruise ships for temporary lodging capacity

Experienced Host: Metro Detroit has extensive experience hosting a number of high-profile, well-attended events, from the annual North American International Auto Show, which typically attracts ~ 1 m visitors, to recent sporting events like the Super Bowl, NHL Winter Classic, Final Four, and World Series; while not as large or extensive as the Olympics, each of these events has been deemed a success by organizers and the City, and there is reason to believe a Detroit Olympics would be similarly successful

Corporate Support: Detroit and its renaissance have long enjoyed the strong support of local businesses, especially including two of America's 10 largest companies (and spenders on advertising) – GM and Ford

B - INHERENT POSITIONING

Spirit: Detroiters are proud of their City and its impact on the world, through its innovation, its music, or its heroes and the City is often considered among the top cities for Sports in the US; the level of civic interest and engagement in Detroit has never been higher, so a Detroit Olympics would have the full support of all Detroiters and Michiganians, and given the value of hard work and effort in this City, participation and contributions will come from all sides to ensure a successful event

Awareness: Detroit's global name recognition and cultural influence is on par with almost any leading city in America or the world – Good or bad, people have heard of us, they know our problems, and they know what we do

Legacy: The Olympic legacy in Detroit is one that is unlikely to be matched by just about any other city in the running; in the grand scheme of things, the Olympics represent a notch on the belt on places like Tokyo or London or Los Angeles or Toronto – in Detroit, the Olympics would represent the crowning achievement of a renaissance decades in the making

C - BRIDGE BUILDING

Global Nature:
Detroit is one of the world's largest border cities, and Detroit-Windsor is possibly the most important border crossing in the world; a Detroit-Windsor Olympics would have the unique opportunity to engage the citizens of two nations, and indeed, perhaps it is the only conceivable Olympic host where an event could start in one country and end in another

Diversity: Detroit has a very diverse population, with a large and influential immigrant population from many countries in different parts of the world; if the City is able to work with these Immigrants to build ties with those countries by celebrating this diversity, it could help sway some IOC votes toward Detroit

New City Lighting Plan?

The lighting issue has gotten quite a bit of attention from local Detroit media in recent weeks, mostly because the City announced a new plan/strategy for lighting.

Highlights so far include:

• Four-phase, $160 m strategy to improve Detroit lighting system in neighborhoods, around schools, and along major roads by 2015
• Immediate repair of 3300 lights on major thoroughfares for $614 k (or $186/light; I guess the to fix a streetlight, it costs 3x as much than it would for ACCESS to install a porchlight)
• A new call center for reporting outages is dependent on the passage of three bills in Michigan legislature (1-to create public authority; 2-utility user tax for funding; 3-delayed city income tax reduction for funding)

From the Free Press article, an overview of the four phases:

 

Phase One: Stable neighborhoods, such as Sherwood Forrest, Green Acres, east and west Outer Drive and Grand Boulevard would see lighting improvements. The city would convert about 1,525 antiquated lights and remove the nearly 14,000 nonfunctioning alley fixtures that dot the city. This would occur between November and April 2013.

Phase Two: The city would focus on converting 10,000 obsolete series light fixtures to modern LED lights on major thoroughfares, such as Gratiot, Grand River, Woodward, Livernois, Downtown, Midtown, and Michigan and Jefferson avenues. The city also would remove outdated fixtures from certain neighborhoods. This would occur from April 2013 to April 2014.

Phase Three: The city would continue to convert lights, including 10,000 in selected neighborhoods and what the officials describe as semi major thoroughfares such as Junction and Pembroke. Antiquated light fixtures would continue to be removed from neighborhoods. This would occur from April 2014 to April 2015.

Phase 4: In the final phase, the city would complete the removal of obsolete lighting fixtures and the authority would assess the population in distressed areas of the city to determine lighting needs. This would occur from April 2015 to April 2016. 

 

Also, on August 14, Mayor Bing wrote an op-ed in the Free Press to encourage State support for his plan. It is great that the City has recognized and prioritized the problem (this Detroit4Detroit project would not exist if lighting had been on the City's radar in recent years.
 

This all seems pretty good, and it is really great that the City is making lighting and safety a priority like this. However, there are some limitations and concerns. Of course, it is still quite dependent on the Republican legislature to come to anything. Also, many people will remain in the dark until 2015, and if I read the Mayor's comments correctly, thousands of fixtures will be removed, but he didn't mention anything about replacing them. Another point to consider, as Stephen Henderson notes, this lighting plan may come at the cost of a reduction in other essential services, like the police force.

Rationale for Detroit 2024 Olympics

We still have a lot of work to do to fix Detroit in the coming decade, but there are many reasons the City, the US, and the IOC should consider having the 2024 Olympics in Detroit.

Why the Olympics?

• Acceleration of necessary investments
• Alignment of local and regional stakeholders
• Fundamental re-branding and re-positioning of City in global perception (i.e., from failure to success once again)

Why 2024?

• Likely return of Olympics to US
• ~10-yr goal providing the impetus and timeline for Detroit to make necessary improvements local finances, governance, infrastructure, etc.
• Sufficient lead time for Detroit's nascent recovery to take root and would mark a significant milestone or crowning achievement in the recovery

Why Detroit as US Olympic candidate city?

• Most compelling potential legacy story
• Very high global name recognition
• Least disruption/ displacement
• Highest potential infrastructure legacy (i.e., public transit)
• Cost/investment sharing and other collaborative opportunities with Canada

Why Detroit as Olympics host city? 

• Triumphant return to the US with great story and potential legacy after decades long absence
• Strong local Olympic tradition, pool of Olympians and support base for participants
• Corporate sponsorship by some of the largest US companies and spenders on advertising
• Potential for sport to literally bring people of different nations together through joint events with Windsor

State funds to demolish abandoned Detroit homes

Earlier this month, I read in the Free Press about Governor Snyder's plans to tap a settlement fund to pay to pull down some abandoned homes around the City (in SW Detroit, Morningside, and Bagley). I hope the program goes well, although judging from my experiences trying to tap a program to pull down blighted buildings in a neighboring City, it isn't necessarily a straightforward process and could take a while.

More details about the Governor's plans are in this piece:
http://www.freep.com/article/20120714/NEWS01/207140400/Gov-Rick-Snyder-to-send-in-wrecking-ball-to-raze-eyesores-in-Detroit-neighborhoods

The Mayor of course had an initiative when he started up and has pulled down several thousand homes. Several governors in the past have also initiated similar programs. A Morningside resident makes a good point though - "What are we going to do with the vacant lots? How does demolishing houses make the neighborhood safer if the city's not going to clean up the land?" I'm planning on turning my vacant lot into a park, but large stretches of wilderness aren't great for the City either (albeit, better than havens for gangsters and drug dealers).

A local currency for Detroit?

A couple of days ago, I came across an interesting piece in the Atlantic that discussed some different "micro currencies" that have been launched in different places around the world (here is the link: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/05/the-next-money-as-the-big-economies-falter-micro-currencies-rise/257216/)

Now, I'm sure everyone has their own reason for promoting a local currency, but I thought the example of the Brixton Pound in London, put forward to encourage local spending (>200 local businesses participate), was instructive. I did a bit of research, and it seems like Detroit actually already has such a local micro currency (Detroit Community Scrip, or Detroit Cheers). I hadn't heard about it, and I'm not sure if it is still operational, but I think it is the right idea.

Model D wrote about Detroit Cheers back in 2009 (http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/detroitcheers18809.aspx) and I can't find a website for the currency, so I'm not sure if the bills are still in use. If so, I think more shops should sign up and more people need to hear about it. If the currency has fallen by the wayside...well, with the move to the City of new retailers like Meijer's and Whole Foods, more money will be spent in the City, and if giants like those sign up too...that might encourage them to spend more locally as well, which would be great.

Perhaps places like Hamtramck or Dearborn could take up a similar initiative (or even the same currency), to further re-inforce the positive retail trends that are taking place (e.g., in East Dearborn, or on Conant)...Detroit Dinar, anyone?

White Mayor?

Intriguing headline from the Detroit News today about Mike Duggan potentially running for mayor: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120429/OPINION03/204290307/0

I hope the City is ready for a qualified leader of any color to be mayor, though I am not sure it is quite there yet. Duggan may not be the best person for the job after Bing leaves, but if he is, race shouldn't be a reason not to elect him. The US has a black president...it would be interesting, and until now, a bit unfathomable, for Detroit to have a white mayor.

Excellent Schools Detroit Recap

Yesterday, I was able to attend the Excellent Schools Detroit Conclusion/Celebration event. It was interesting and encouraging to see that many participants had a more favorable than expected experience. I certainly was favorably impressed - there are some bright spots, where I wasn't really expecting any. Of course, there are many issues, but there is something to build on, too.

The new report card templates looked okay, but it only captures some of what we observed. I hope they are able to put together a document of best practices or solutions to the challenges all schools are facing in Detroit, based on the insights we gained from our visits. We collected a lot of information and saw some good things - that is pretty powerful, and if all schools adopted some of the best practices others are already implementing, then change can happen even faster.

Check out a clip from a news story covering our school visits at www.excellentschoolsdetroit.org

Detroit4Detroit Project

I think I had mentioned this opportunity a while back, and I followed my own advice and joined Detroit4Detroit as a Citizen Philanthropist. The project I am supporting is one with ACCESS to install lighting in a SW Detroit neighborhood (Chadsey-Condon) and improve safety. It has been a bit of a slow start, but I am optimistic about reaching the $3,300 target within the three month period. Check out my project page here: http://www.citizeneffect.org/projects/detroit-access-lights-4-safety-shamsuddin
I have started to post some blogs on that site as well. You can see one I posted today showing the crime map of the Chadsey-Condon area - hundreds of crimes reported just since the beginning of the year. Help make the D safer and support this project!
In other news, to promote this initiative, I have signed up for Twitter as @CitizenSyed, so you might see some activity and ideas over there now as well.

Reflection on Detroit school visits

I had the opportunity over the past couple of weeks to volunteer and visit and evaluate some of Detroit's schools as part of an initiative (School Quality Review) by Excellent Schools Detroit (http://excellentschoolsdetroit.org/). Despite several attempts to volunteer with Detroit schools before, this was probably my first opportunity to observe firsthand the reality of Detroit public schools. I'm glad I did it – the experience was quite an eye-opener. I feel like I must have seen the best and worst of Detroit schools, as well as what the typical experience looks like, at least at the high school level.

Some observations:

• At its best, a Detroit high school can be pretty great – key elements like motivated students, engaged teachers, great facilities, strong administrators, safe and secure premises, robust curricula, varied enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities make for an excellent school when brought together


• At its worst, a Detroit high school can be pretty depressing – with absenteeism, gang tension, student murders, deteriorating facilities, dangerous neighborhoods, minimal creative or extracurricular outlets, and a jail-like security atmosphere, it is a wonder any kids can thrive in such schools (and some do thrive)


• Even in the better schools, the security presence is there and you can feel it; I guess it would make me feel safer, but it also feels less like a school; the realities of being in the D, I guess; in some places, it is a bit stifling, with walkie-talkies going off loudly


• The effects of budget deficits and cutbacks are clear – schools seem to lack much in the way of electives; now, a school doesn't need a lot of electives to be great, but with some kids, it is a music teacher or an art teacher or something that can really help set them on the right path and that class motivates them – if it isn't there…well, some kids won't show up


• Some schools had a lot of extracurricular activities going on, while others had hardly any, which is strange (see below for my thoughts on why)


• Every student had free breakfast and lunch (and sometimes dinner) available to them, which I thought was brilliant, given the hunger situation in the City; some students chose not to partake in free lunch and didn't eat at all (or just bought junk food), which I thought was unfortunate and a bit hard to understand


• Given the drastic school closures over the past couple of years, space utilization is almost tragic – in some cases, multiple schools are often crammed into one building, and then in other cases, some schools have whole wings that don't seem to be used much


• Computers and other technology seem to be present in the schools, but I was a bit disappointed in the lack of emphasis on books (some schools didn't have a library)


• The teachers and administrators seem to be doing what they can (and in some cases are exceedingly supportive) - if a student wants to learn and is in a position to learn (given his/her home environment and other influences or circumstances), they should be able to succeed...however, it is that home life and outside pressures that I think might be at the root of the problem


• Another big variable was school spirit - some schools had uniforms but no school spirit or positive culture, while others had a more lax interpretation of dress code, but a lot more school pride

Some thoughts:

• I wonder if a deficit in student leadership at the non-magnet schools is contributing to the poor performance and atmosphere at those schools; a lot of learning is peer learning, and if students at the typical Detroit high school don't have any academic role models or student leaders because their stars are all at one of the magnet schools…well, they are left with no peers to help them in study groups and no organizers that take the initiative to form student groups and clubs; it is great for the top students who can leave poor performing schools for a better environment, but there may be some unintended consequences, I think…


• Given the decimation of student leadership at the non-magnet schools, it might make sense for student groups led out of the magnet schools to operate in partnership with some of those other schools; high school clubs are really driven by students, and if the "go-getters" are all at a couple of schools, that is where all the student organizations will be formed


• Even in the rougher schools, the building and teachers are there, as are basic resources; some could be better, but I can't imagine those are the real issue with performance; I think part of the issue may be student attitude, but the greater part is probably what they have to deal with at home and outside of school

Volunteer opportunities in the New Year

MLK's day of service have passed, but since then, I've come across a couple of very interesting opportunities to help Detroit that I thought I would share.
For the first opportunity, The United Way for Southeast Michigan is looking for about thirty volunteers to help evaluate different schools in Detroit (part of the Excellent Schools Detroit project). There is a 16-hour commitment over 4-days, but the volunteers get a lot out of this as well. It is a great learning experience, to figure out what to look for in evaluating schools. Also, unlike most volunteer project, there is a modest monetary stipend involved in this opportunity! Here is a link to register: https://volunteer.truist.com/uwsem/user/events/one.tcl?event_id=10504549070&utime=1326340932163498
The second opportunity, Detroit 4 Detroit, has received a bit more fanfare (I read about it in the Free Press: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120126/NEWS01/120126062/New-Detroit-initiative-offers-fundraising-help-budding-philanthropists). It just seems to be a mass effort at grassroots, citizen fundraising, which while not a new concept, could have a sizeable effect given the coordination and targeted nature of this effort. They are looking for 150 philanthropists to raise ~$2000-3000 each for a handful of high impact projects. I like it - check it out at http://www.detroit4detroit.org/
Unfortunately, I will be out of town for much of the next few months, but I hope I will still be able to participate in at least one of these great initiatives, so I've signed up for both. If something happens, I will certainly share my experiences.