DPS Wants Good PR? Okay, Fix the Schools and You’ll Get It!
In the Friday, August 11 edition, our right leaning friends at the Detroit News ran a “Special Letter” from Jeanne Allen, president of the pro-voucher group Center for Education Reform blasting the Detroit Public School’s $500,000 PR campaign budget. Allen suggested instead that this money would be better spent if given to charter or private schools in the way of scholarships or expansion of services.
Granted the reason DPS needs a PR campaign in the first place is because students are fleeing in droves. But public relations isn’t the answer, and neither are vouchers.
How about relating to the students for a change? How about using that money to buy books? Or to provide toilet paper to schools that don’t have it? Or to provide needed facilities repairs? Or to actually educate someone??
What kind of PR campaign are they going to run anyway? The best news coming out of DPS is that many students are succeeding IN SPITE OF the failing school system. That’s nothing to brag about. The creative minds who will rack their brains trying to find good things to say about DPS should be spending their time revamping curriculum or purchasing toilets that actually flush.
And this is where Allen’s voucher argument fails as well. She suggests that this half a million dollars could provide “100 scholarships for children to private schools”. Why not use those needed resources to fix ailing public schools for the benefit of all students and for the city?
By the way, rumor has it DPS has been paying the press for positive stories. That’s more wasted money because parents want to see real results. They simply aren’t buying the bull.
As it is DPS is losing to charters, private schools and other local public school districts. Our city deserves a viable public school system. Better schools would be the best advertising.икони
