Detroit Public Schools has had quite the school year this year, closing nearly all of its schools for several days at a time due to teacher sick-outs in protest of undesirable working conditions. Though the last sick-out was less than a month ago, DPS is optimistic and hopeful that it will be able to recruit a significant number of teachers for next school year. “The district is holding a ‘DPS Day’ recruitment fair for new teachers at Martin Luther King High School on Tuesday. Officials admit that’s a challenging task when the district’s future is so insecure,” said Michigan Radio. All in all, the district is looking to fill 350 openings with an emphasis on positions in “early childhood education, special education, math, secondary science and world languages.” DPS is facing yet another challenge this year as it looks to recruit for openings despite the fact that Michigan legislators are still debating budget proposals that will have a significant impact on the district’s future. The last sick-out occurred because teachers were informed that the district might run out of money to pay them their earned salaries over the summer should the state’s legislators not act. Two sick-outs later, officials finally guaranteed that teachers would receive pay no matter what. Read the full story. Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor