By Kianna Harris and Nyla Shields The Cody Connection
WXYZ news reporter Kim Russell stood in the rain outside of Cody DIT with her cameraman on Nov. 18 after being told she couldn’t enter the building to investigate the teacher shortage.
Carrie Russell, DIT’s only certified math teacher, called WXYZ to report that she was leaving. Russell was teaching nearly all of the 10th, 11th and 12th grades, and the freshmen were taking Algebra 1 from a substitute who isn’t certified in mathematics. When she heard DPS was hiring new math teachers at higher salaries, Russell, who hadn’t had a raise in her four years, asked to have her salary raised to the correct step. When DPS didn’t respond, Russell accepted a job in Oak Park.
“You don’t go into this for the money, but teachers deserve to be paid a fair wage for the profession that we’re in,” Russell said.
So she went to the media.
Despite record teacher vacancies, DPS promised that a certified teacher would be hired to fill Russell’s math position. They kept their word, but to students’ surprise, the new teacher was assigned to the 9th-grade algebra classes even though she is qualified to teach all levels of math.
Senior Jonice Sylvester said it isn’t fair for the freshmen, who have three years of high school left, to have the only math teacher.
“I can’t graduate without a senior math class. Why shouldn’t they make it a priority for us to have the only teacher?” Sylvester said.
Others say the numbers just don’t add up.
Sophomore Tavon Hale said if there is only one teacher, she should be with the larger group of students. There are 140 students taking Geometry or Probability and Statistics while the new teacher will be teaching Algebra I and Algebra II to only 100 students.
“I feel the certified math teacher should’ve gone with the majority of students until another can come so that the upperclassmen won’t be left behind,” Hale said.
History teacher Josh Sabo said he feels like not having a math teacher is an injustice for students.
“We are asking the students to take school seriously, when their school isn’t taking them seriously,” Sabo said.
Cody DIT ambassadors sat on a panel at a conference about urban education at Eastern Michigan University last month and in their remarks they spoke about not having enough math teachers. A teacher from Ann Arbor, who was present for the panel, said the school district needs to realize they make choices that have serious consequences.
“The district forgets that they are messing with actual people and not toys,” he said.
