Demonstrators protest Jan. 25, 2016, outside a hearing at the Michigan Building to decide whether to order an end to an earlier sick-out by Detroit Public School teachers. Detroit teachers conducted another sick-out that shut schools May 2, 2016. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
A districtwide sick-out has resulted in 94 Detroit public schools being shut down Monday as teachers protested news that they will not be paid past June 30, the Detroit Free Press reports.
On Sunday the Detroit Federation of Teachers called for a mass sick-out of the district’s 2,600 teachers, who serve about 46,000 students in 97 schools. The call to action followed a Saturday announcement from Detroit Public Schools emergency manager Judge Steven Rhodes, who told the union that unless the state Legislature approves sending more money to the district, there will not be enough funds to pay teachers their salaries after June 30.
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The union planned to hold a rally at DPS headquarters at 10 a.m. Monday.
"We are gathering to demand that the Detroit Public Schools and the Michigan state government guarantee that educators will be paid fairly for the work they do," a media advisory from the union read, according to the Free Press.
The union is demanding a "permanent solution to rebuild the world-class school system Detroit's kids deserve, with local control, full and fair funding, and the resources and supports our educators need to give our children the opportunity to succeed," the advisory continued.
