DETROIT: Some progress...

I really have to say how much I admire the work Robert Bobb, emergency financial manager of the Detroit Public School (DPS) system is doing despite all the road - blocks erected to impede his mission; one brave and determined professional fighting Detroit’s entrenched culture of corruption and incompetence.

The latest brave move by Bobb was to privatize DPS custodial services to save $75 million. He is allowing five (5) minority-owned firms to take over custodial services for the school system.

Bobb defended his move by saying that the core mission of DPS is not cleaning schools but educating students.

One of Detroit’s big problems is that people depend on the city for employment when it is not the business of the city to employ people; the city must provide services not employment.

City unions, including the union providing custodial services to DPS have been riding a gravy train for many years with no real accountability for their performance. Yes, all the current jobs will be lost but the workers can be re-hired at their same rate of pay and doing the same job by the companies now taking over the custodial services after passing background checks and fingerprinting.

To me, this is the wave of the future and the only way cities like Detroit can survive. Bobb and Bing face tremendous obstacles but I am so buoyed by the successes they are having…

Related articles

• Detroit's deepening education deficit | Nducu wa Ngugi (guardian.co.uk)
• Can Robert Bobb Fix Detroit's Public Schools? (time.com)
• Detroit Public Schools undergo immediate hiring, spending freeze (justjobs.com)