school together or study together (because of transportation). It creates different
allegiances, but we want the best we can obtain for our grandchild so we make the hike
across town (to the closest public school). Some people had money to move out of the
district because of the school closures and the community is torn apart by this too. They
were basically pushed out to do right by their children. So you lose neighbors and friends.
…White students do not have a dictator come in to take $50,000 with one stroke of the pen,
and leave, no questions asked. The Governor would not do this to a white community. We
have no rights to speak up, or to say we disagree, we are black, our kids don’t matter, we
are inferior to him and there are black people who will do whatever he says for $50,000.
The stress and horrible environment they cause.”
“If you put too many people in a cage, they will be irritated and unhappy. You know what
happens when you put too many kids in a classroom? The teacher can’t teach. We can’t
learn like that. It is inhuman how I’ve heard Henderson disabled children are treated now.
It makes me feel like we are slaves.” 129
A May, 2015 document prepared for the Michigan Board of Education shows that Detroit Public Schools
does the heavy lifting for the special education community in the region. For instance, DPS has 839
students with autism. The EAA has just 27 students with autism and Wayne County Charter schools have
227 students with autism. One FTE of staffing is equal to one full time work week for one person. There
were 351.14 FTE for the 839 autistic children in the Detroit Public Schools. The EAA provided 12.28 FTEs
per week for 27 students with autism. Charters provided only 6.08 FTE’s for 227 students with autism!
A witness states:
Autism is only one category of disability. For many special education students, there has
been no staff available at the EAA or Charters.
Priscilla Sanstead, Co-Founder of the national teacher’s organization BATS says:
“Corporate education reformers of today are producing the same outcomes in Michigan as
segregationists who denied people of color equal opportunities during Jim Crow. Corporate
education reformers today are targeting Michigan's black and brown children aggressively
forcing them into schools far from their community and are subject to the turnover of their
education to a business model. Special education students in Michigan are being forced into
Charters where staff to meet their special needs is null and void. DPS provides 1442 FTE’s
for 1594 cognitively impaired students, the EAA provides 13 FTEs for 145 students and
Charters in Wayne County provide just 20FTEs for 469 students. What Snyder is doing is
discrimination, do the math!”
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