No - if there are more kids taking their vouchers to private school ABC, the school has more money and hires more teachers.

Dollarwise: if a voucher is for $8,000, and their are 20 kids in the class, the income is $160,000. Even the Teachers Union wold be happy with 20 kids per teacher.

You're talking about some utopia that definitely isn't Detroit. The unemployment rate is 7.1% in Michigan. The city is almost bankrupt. There are no county hospitals in this area. The crime rate is sky high and there are areas of the city that even police and EMS won't go because it's too dangerous. YET, the kids who fail in those schools are failing because of the teachers? Nope.

I share your feeling that it is a tough situation. It's a self-inflicted toughness, for the most part.

Michigan used to be about the most socialist state, with high welfare payments, govt. controls, and high taxes. Now it - and especially Detroit - are reaping the consequences.

Many of these parents are at fault - they may have dropped out of school, had children with no fathers for support, spent money on big screens instead of books, and watched soap operas instead of seeking a job. That was sufficient when welfare checks were coming in and getting larger every six months. Now they have a problem.

Agree with HOOSIER once again! Parents will or cannot disipleine Kids. it is not the Teachers Jobs to do this.

Because of the Laws in place via the ACLU. the Parents nor The Teachers can do anything.:(

So, where does the blame lay?

Many Mothers with Children with different Last Names? Mothers who are trying to get by on piticance from the Federal Govt Who cannot keep their legs together because they are are on drugs?

Detroit Has caused many problems them selves along with many Major Cities.

Do not ever blame on teachers as they are hamstrung too.

Beat The Kids Ass like many of us were! When No is said, Then NO is The Word!

We still have the high taxes, one of the highest in the country, I believe. Income tax of 4.9%, Sales tax of 6%, gas tax of (can't remember exactly, but I think it's 17 cents a gallon), cig tax of $2.00 a pack... I pay a 1.5% income tax to the city of Detroit but have no vote there. Residents pay 3%. People who work there pay more in actual dollars than residents do. With the city going bankrupt, they are cutting police and fire services. They cut bus services drastically,making it impossible for some folks to get to work at all. We're in rough shape right now.

I think the biggest problem is that they've remained dependent on the auto companies for unskilled labor jobs, but those are no more. Delph and Visteon are talking about cutting their employees salaries by 2/3. We're talking from almost $30 an hour to $9 an hour. How are people going to survive on that?

In part, unions inflated Michigan's economy and the businesses can't afford to survive here. Detroit never rebuilt after the riots of '67. There was a corrupt mayor for a long time. The fact that they allowed crime to get so bad in some areas that it's not safe for police or EMS is a crime in itself.

Maybe the city going into receivorship will help, but I'm not convinced. In any case, I don't think they should keep taking money away from those schools, because the school should be the one place where kids can feel safe, warm, get those two free meals and learn something, from stable adults who care about them.