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Denby HS
students
rally
against
EAA
takeover
Karen
Hudson
Samuels/Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) -
Over 350
Denby
High
School
students
protested
outside
their
school
early
Friday
morning,
upset
over
Denby
being
placed
under
the
control
of the
Education
Achievement
Authority
of
Michigan.
Chanting
“Save
our
school”
students
and
parents
gathered
around
6AM for
what was
termed a
‘lock
out”.
Assistant
Principal
Tracie
McKissic
said the
students
were
also
concerned
about
losing
their
identification
as a
Detroit
public
high
school
and the
possible
elimination
of
sports
programs.
Denby
Principal
Kenyetta
Wilbourn
said she
received
a
courtesy
call
from Dr.
Karen
Ridgeway,
Superintendent
for
Academics,
in
advance
of the
EAA
takeover
announcement.
Wilbourn
added,
“We are
not the
worst of
the
worst”
and
parents
in
today’s
demonstration
said
Denby
has been
making
progress.
Test
scores
alone do
not take
into
account
progress
being
made in
all
areas of
school
performance
explained
McKissic.
“Denby
has
improved
graduation
rates,
ranks
high in
scholarships
awards,
has high
levels
of
participation
in
extracurricular
activities
and has
satisfactory
ratings
from
student
and
teacher
surveys.
The
teachers
love
their
school
and are
happy to
come to
work in
the
morning.”
Statewide
schools
that
ranked
in the
lowest
5% in
academic
performance
were
transferred
to the
EAA
educational
authority.
Roy
Roberts,
emergency
manager
of
Detroit
Public
Schools
announced
this
week
that
Denby
along
with
five
other
Detroit
high
schools
and ten
elementary
schools
would be
controlled
by EAA
and
undergo
transformational
change
to
improve
academic
performance.
John
Covington,
Chancellor
of the
EAA, has
plans
that
include
extending
the
school
year to
11
months,
bringing
in
graduates
of Teach
for
America
and
enhancing
teacher
development
with
high
tech
programs.
When
asked
about
reports
that
staff
and
administrators
will be
fired
and must
reapply
for
their
jobs
under
the EAA
plan,
Principal
Wilbourn
said it
behooved
her to
tell
staff to
update
their
resumes
and
request
letters
of
recommendation
if they
want. In
the
meantime
she said
“Denby
will be
open and
for
students
to
receive
an
education”
and make
it clear
“My only
responsibility
is to
educate
children
to end
of
school
year. “
Tell Us
Detroit
spoke
with
Steve
Wasko,
Chief
Communications
Officer
for DPS
who said
“There
will be
no
schools
closed
in the
EAA
system”
and
emphasized
that
being
under
the
umbrella
of the
educational
authority
is not a
negative
statement
about
current
students
or the
administration
of
affected
schools.
Wasko
said
Principal
Wilbourn
“Has
changed
the
dynamics
and
culture
of Denby
in a
short
amount
of
time”.
School
principals
and the
families
of the
11,000
affected
students
were
notified
in
advance
by email
and
phone
calls of
the
pending
takeover
by EAA
said
Wasko.
The
communication
also
alerted
parents
to the
open
enrollment
period
currently
underway
until
April
5th.
“Meet
and
greet”
sessions
with
Covington
have
already
been
set-up
to
explain
how EAA
will
work to
improve
school
performance
and more
are
planned
in the
next few
weeks.
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