Facing the possible end of his career in DPS, Bobb will be on the stand again today (Friday) at 2:00 pm for the third day.
Judge Baxter’s courtroom is room 1421 of the Coleman A. Young Center (City County Building) in Detroit, Michigan.
Open to the public!
excerpt from www.detnews.com coverage of Thursday’s court hearing, which got heated:
Bobb’s attorney Clark, representing the attorney general’s office, had been questioning Bobb on the stand when Baxter interjected with a series of pointed questions for the emergency financial manager.
She asked him whether he understands city residents voted to have the school district governed by a locally elected school board. Bobb agreed.
If the voters determined the school board should provide an academic plan, “how do you override that,” Baxter asked.
If the voters determined the school board should provide an academic plan, “how do you override that,” Baxter asked.
Bobb reiterated he thought he was working toward an agreement with the board to jointly develop an academic plan.
Bobb acknowledged academics and finances are two separate disciplines.
Why then would an emergency financial manager write an academic plan? she asked.
Why then would an emergency financial manager write an academic plan? she asked.
“Because it provides a road map for where we need to go as a school district,” Bobb replied.
Baxter continued to probe. How do the voters get their choice for an elected school board “if you are making all the decisions and you only talk to your people and you don’t talk to the board’s people?”
Bobb paused and Baxter rephrased.
“You have the power to implement the (academic) plan, yes?”
“Yes,” Bobb replied.
“Yes,” Bobb replied.
“Do you have the right?” she asked.
“I believe I had the right as well,” Bobb said.
After the series of questions, Baxter offered her thoughts on his relationship with the board.
“Did you ever listen to them? I think you have a duty to listen.”
Earlier in his testimony, Bobb was peppered with questions by the board attorney George Washington, of BAMN.
Bobb said he doesn’t believe closing 30 Detroit Public Schools will put students at risk academically, though he acknowledged he has not studied the impact of past closings on student achievement.
Bobb also defended his model to combine elementary and middle schools into one preschool through eighth-grade campus, also saying he believes the format will not hinder academic achievement of district students.
Washington prodded him that closing so many schools may adversely affect students and may not improve finances if parents don’t embrace the Pre-K-8 school merger model and send their students elsewhere — at a cost to DPS of about $10,000 per student.
Bobb defended his plan, saying the Pre-K-8 model was in Detroit before he was appointed emergency financial manager in March 2009 and the closings will save the district money.
“Aren’t you presiding over the destruction of Detroit Public Schools?” attorney George Washington, for BAMN, asked Bobb in his final question.
“Absolutely not,” Bobb retorted.
Bobb will be back on the stand Friday for the expected conclusion of his testimony.
From The Detroit News:
Sent by Detroit Federation of Teachers
