WHY JOHNNY CAN'T READ, WRITE, OR FIGURE A GROCERY BILL – AT 11:01 P.M. ET:  Detroit is a legendary mess, and here is one reason why.  It's incredible.  From Fox:

As if Detroit doesn't have enough problems these days, the president of the city's school board offered the shocking admission that he can't pen a coherent sentence.

Otis Mathis, who oversees the academic future of 90,000 public school students, told the Detroit News that he's a "horrible writer" after reports surfaced that he sent a Feb. 29 e-mail to the financial manager of Detroit Public Schools that was rife with spelling, punctuation and usage errors.

"If you saw Sunday's Free Press that shown Robert Bobb the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, move Mark Twain to Boynton which have three times the number seats then students and was one of the reason's he gave for closing school to many empty seats," the e-mail read, according to the paper.

Mathis, 56, of Detroit, has had difficulties with language as early as fourth grade, when he was placed in special education classes. His college degree was also held up for more than a decade due to repeatedly failing English proficiency exams required for graduation from Wayne State University, the paper reported.

Some parents are now questioning whether Mathis is fit for his role.

COMMENT:  Certainly took the parents a bit of time to wake up, don't you think?

When I was very young I was privileged to attend a New York City public school system that had teachers who could diagram an English sentence.  Today New York has some teachers who can't even write one.  But Detroit puts New York to shame.  That's a city that really knows how to fail.

March 5, 2010