By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

DETROIT – We generally support the efforts of Roy Roberts, the state-appointed emergency financial manager of Detroit Public Schools.

And we generally detest the actions of the Detroit school board, which has done a bang-up job of running the district into the ground over the past few decades.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

But this time we have to agree with school board President LeMarr Lemmons, who questions Roberts’ decision to give a one-time holiday bonus to every employee in the district, costing DPS about $1.7 million.

The bonuses will go to about 8,000 employees – union and nonunion – and will average about $1,300 per employee, according to the Detroit News.

Roberts announced in August that DPS would pay the bonus out of an $11.9 million operating surplus that the district ended up with at the end of the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The extra money is a great Christmas gift for district staffers who have surrendered a lot of compensation in recent years. It’s certainly difficult to teach and work in a district like DPS, and it’s hard to argue against a little extra money for people who face major challenges every day.

But the bonus is not a financially responsible move.

DPS is running an overall budget deficit of about $75 million and remains largely under state control through the emergency financial manager, according to the newspaper. Lemmons correctly noted that the goal is to get the district back on its financial feet and restore local control.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

He wonders if Roberts is trying to perpetuate the district’s financial problems to lengthen his stay in Detroit.

“Our teachers are very deserving of this and much more,” Lemmons told the News. “Nevertheless (Roberts) is perpetuating the financial emergency to keep himself in office. His first and only priority should be to rectify the financial emergency.”

It’s doubtful that Roberts loves his position so much that he’s willing to sabotage district finances to keep himself employed. He is a retired auto industry executive who should be in Florida or Arizona enjoying his relaxing years, rather than battling incompetent bureaucrats over the best way to rescue a horrific school system.

We believe Roberts truly wants to reward dedicated staff members who have put up with so much in recent years.

But the students always have to come first.

With such a large overall budget deficit, it’s a fair bet that many teaching positions remain unfilled and many student programs have been cancelled, as well. All extra funds should be used to fully restore as many academic opportunities for students as possible, before any employees receive any type of raise.

The schools are, after all, for the students. And the students of Detroit haven’t been delivered much in the way of quality educational services in a very long time. Every available penny should be spent to meet their needs.