Thank you. We're going to go ahead and get the meeting started. We do want to respect your time. Thank you so much for giving us your time today. Today is Tuesday, September the 10th. The time is now 537 and we thank Principal Perry and his entire administrative team for hosting us. As we know, we were at East English village on last month. So right now, we will officially call the meeting to order. Can we please do a roll call?
Angelique Peterson, Mayberry,
I'm present. Misha Stallworth,
Sonya Mays,
Dr Iris Taylor,
Sherry gay, Daniel go present. Latrice McClendon, present, Bishop. Dr colletta Vaughn,
Madam Chair, you
have a quorum.
Thank you. Meeting norms, we respect the right of all persons to participate in this public meeting of the board and kindly request that everyone engages in behavior that supports the same. In the event that anyone engages in behavior that is not in support of the good, we request that you refrain from that behavior. We will now go into our moment of silence. I Yes. So although we don't have any fallen soldiers, and I like to call them soldiers, because this battlefield for public education during this month, per se, for active employees, we did have several retired employees that the Board did pay honor and respect to after working over 40 years with our district. So we do want to lift up those individuals, and I will call their names before the end of the meeting. I'm just getting clearance from the families so that we could do that. But if we could remember all of those, in addition to those at Apple Lynch High School, if we can remember all of those during our moment of silence today,
thank you. We will now move into our national anthems. So school is back in we're excited that we have students again who are blessing us with their presence. We know over the summer we had recordings, but we have tonight with us, our color guard from Northwestern High School, and we have our Star Spangled Banner to Lift Every Voice and Sing from the Durfee duet of Brielle Brown and Emma Wilson. So if you could please stand as we welcome our color guard and our seekers for the evening. You
up, oh, they can use see?
By the dawn's early light was so proud and the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the peril. Ours we watched were so gallantly streaming gave
through. They gave to the night that our flag was
still there. Oh say, does that star spangled manner?
I Lift Every Voice and Sing to earth and heaven Ring with the
harmonies of.
Of liberty, Let our rejoicing rise as the listening skies Let it resound loud as the rolling sea sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us sing a song full of the hope that The present has
Facing the rising sun upon
you, baby, Gone.
Let us march on
to victory. Is one you
You may be seated if we could give another round of applause to our color guard from Northwestern High School and our derpy duet, and so I will say to Brielle Brown and Emma Wilson, it's not easy to get up in front of a large group of people and do what you did today, but we are here to support you as young people, and we thank you for being So brave for our meeting this evening. Thank you. So those three names that I wanted to lift up who were retirees from the district is Isabel Lewis, Patricia Gardner and Alfred Dean, Wiley. So if we can just remember those families in your thoughts and prayers later, we will now move to item number three, approval of the agenda. The chair will entertain a motion to approve.
Madam President, yes, I'd like to amend today's agenda, okay, I know that we have a number of recognitions and awards. I can't see the whole agenda, but I would like to move the recognition and awards and the closed session following the recognition and awards.
Okay, so on the agenda, where would you like those items to go? The recognition and rewards are currently during the Superintendent's report. So 8.01 is where they currently reside, and closed session currently resides at item number 10. Would you like to move? Where would you like to move?
I would like to move closed session up immediately following the superintendent report with recognition and awards.
Okay, so we're moving item number 10 up on the agenda. It will become the new number nine. There's a motion to modify the agenda. The motion is on the floor. Support is there's been it's properly moved by member gate agno go properly supported by member McClendon to modify the agenda, to move closed session up after the Superintendent's report, right before public comment. Is there any discussion of the motion on the floor, if not all those in favor of the motion on the floor with the modified agenda, signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. Item number four, so 4.01 through 4.04 we have approval of minutes the regular board meeting minutes from August the 13th, 2024 the academic committee meeting minutes from August the 26th 2024 the special board meeting minutes from September 4, 2024 and the special board meeting, closed session. Minutes from September 4, 2024 the chair will entertain a motion, motion to approve, to tie bar the items. Thank you. There's a motion on the floor to type our items, 4.01 through 4.04 and the motion was made by member Mays, is there support? It's been properly supported by Dr Taylor to tie bar. Items 4.01 through 4.04 is there any discussion of the motion, if not all those in favor of tie Byron? Items one, 4.01 through 4.04 signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried the chair will now entertain a motion for the tie bar. Five of items 4.01 through 4.04 is there support? It's been properly moved by member gay diagonal go properly supported by member McClendon for the tie. Bar of items 4.01 through 4.04 is there any discussion on the motion on the floor? If not, all those in favor of the motion on the floor. Signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. Public comment, registration has now closed. The time is 547, public comment, registration has now closed. The time is 547, for the chair. Remarks, I'll be brief, but I did want to just welcome everybody back to a new school year, the 2024, 2025, school year. We are hoping that this is a full year, a school year full of fun, learning, safety and all the productivity that you can handle as young people, as staff, as students and families. So welcome back. I'm not sure who was more excited as we welcome young people into the schools on two different occasions, but we know we officially started school on August the 26th and there were some who joined us on August the third. But either way, the amount of energy and momentum from all of those in the schools has been extremely electric. I know Dr Vitti will probably talk more about what our numbers look like right now. Really excited about the initial numbers, preliminary data around enrollment and a number of students that have come into our school district. So we're looking forward to that. And I also just want to commend the facilities department under ms Jackson, because I know there were some schools they were in bit of a disarray over the summer. However, the team worked really hard to make sure that they were ready for the first day of school. There were even some locations that had to move to other locations while they're getting new buildings built, like Paul Robeson, Malcolm X and I know I visited the new facility where they are right now, holding until their new building is built. So I just wanted to also send a shout out and really thank the facilities department, because they have done an amazing job getting our schools prepared for opening day. The last thing I'll say is, you know, we've been recognized and visited from a lot of people in the last two and a half, three weeks. We know we had our current president of the United States visit us last month, and this just this week, just last week. I'm sorry, we had our current Vice President visit us as well as our US Secretary of Education visited us as well as they were on a bus tour for this fight for public education tour. So they made a stop at Cass tech. Our Vice President was at Northwestern High School, and then our president was here at Renaissance High School. So it's good to be not only considered, but actually selected, when you're talking about people of that caliber coming in and thinking enough of us to not only consider us, but actually take advantage and come and see how great we're doing in the district, and see those gaps we had their ears, so we shared with them a few things that we would love for them to do in their respective roles. So I just wanted to lift that up as well. Aside from that, will conclude the chair. Remarks, the Chair will entertain a motion to accept the chair. Remarks, is there support? It's been properly moved by member gay DAG, no go. Properly supported by Dr Taylor, to accept the chair. Remarks, any discussion with the motion on the floor? Now all those in favor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. We will now move to item number seven our finance report, and we will receive that from our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Vidito,
good evening, board members and community. This evening, we're reviewing the financials for the month of July. We received approximately $11 million in our capital debt millage, the 13 mills and an additional 1.8 million on the operating millage, given our tax collections and our property account, we were able to make a 14 point 1 million supplemental debt payment in July. Again, this is going to repay the operating debt that's in DPS. Dpscd, overall revenue was right in line with projections. Local revenue was slightly higher given higher interest earnings. State Revenue was slightly lower than expected. That was because the budget assumed a per pupil increase, and the state ultimately did not adopt that so we conduct Budget Amendment One, we will reduce the forecast on the state per pupil expenses were slightly higher. As you know, we ran the summer school program for Balmer that had slightly higher expenses than we initially projected when we building out the budget model. Overall, we continue to remain in a healthy County. Cash Position. We have 22 weeks of available cash, which will take us through the fall when there is no state a pen that concludes my report.
Thank you, Mr. Rotito, do we have any questions for the CFO? Any questions? As we know that there are subcommittee meetings that happen as well where there's more robust conversation, but is there? Are there any questions? If not, the Chair will, I'm sorry, Dr, I'm giving you a doctor title, Mr. Bedito, we will go ahead and accept your report, and you could file that for auditing purposes, please. Thank you. Thank you. We will now move into the Superintendent's report. We're excited at some of the recognitions that we have today, our first one of this school year. And I see principals sitting out smiling, and so we're excited about having you here as well as Mr. Ray Hart from office Council, great city of schools. Okay, good. Okay. Dr Vinnie, all right.
Thank you, Madam Chair, good evening, everyone. I'm going to start with a brief update regarding just the opening of schools, and then I'll quickly transition to our recognitions. Obviously, every month we go over the strategic plan metrics, but considering we're transitioning to a new school year, there aren't many of those metrics that need to be updated at this point, so I'll have those slides and more traditional slides at the October board meeting. But most relevant, I think, is enrollment. As of yesterday, we had 53,400 or 53,044 students enrolled in dpscd. As I always say, we should be cautiously optimistic, because it doesn't really matter until count. But that 53,000 number is the highest we've been in the last three years. Apples to Apples. When you look at 10 days in to the school year, that's about 1342 students more than last year at this time, as of the 10th day, 90% of students enrolled have attended at least once. That means 47,540 that number is higher than the last three years, and namely 1222 students higher than last year. We are dropping the no shows. As of today, we have provided schools with additional funding to conduct canvassing meaning at the neighborhood schools, at least, and pulled robust and Malcolm X because we want to make sure as many students attend that school in the transition as possible, so schools will be relying on staff that they trust to be ambassadors to the school, to knock on doors in the neighborhood, generally, to not only continue to improve enrollment, but mainly to target no shows. And then k5 teachers will have the opportunity to phone bank and call students who have not showed up, either. Staffing wise, we're very strong at this point. Right now we only have 30 core teacher vacancies, only five special education vacancies. Remarkably, considering that we had well over 100 cafeteria vacancies in the past, we're only down to 20 cafeteria vacancies right now. We have 33, custodian contracted vacancies right now we have six assistant principal vacancies, one counselor, five academic interventionists, six security guards, 25 ese Paras and six pre K paras, which basically will be zero because we'll balance out our pre K classrooms with Paras and teachers in the next couple of weeks, also excited to report, and I'll go into this in more detail next month, we've now hired 200 extra academic interventionists through the literacy Lawsuit Funding. So I will, as the board knows, I'll be giving the board periodic updates regarding the spending of the literacy Lawsuit Funding. But one area where we are moving forward rapidly as the hiring of academic interventionists in general. That concludes just an overview of where we are with staffing and the opening of schools, mainly with enrollment. So at this point, I'll turn to recognitions. As you know, there's been some positive news reports about dpscd improvement in M step scores again, remember, M step is the state assessment that students take in grades three to seven and then five to eight in science and social studies, three to seven in English, language arts and math, and then they take the PSAT in grades eight to 10, and then The s, a T in grade 11 this year, similar to last year, the district's improvement in at and above grade level performance and literacy and math exceeded the state average and improvement. We also exceeded the city charter average and improvement, and the county Wayne County's average and improvement. This just builds off of the. A study that was conducted by Harvard and Stanford that indicated that dpscd is showing more improvement in at and above grade level performance than the state of Michigan, than suburban school districts in Michigan, even large urban school districts. We know we haven't arrived, but certainly we're on the path of improvement, and tonight is to generally talk about that improvement. I'll be breaking down those numbers in the next academic committee based on the request of academic chair, Dr Vaughn, and then at the October meeting, I'll talk more about m step. But tonight, it's really about recognizing the improvement and achievement that we've seen at individual schools last year. So this is referring to the 2223 school year. Now that we have results back again, I'll talk more district wide performance outside of what I've already said, but in today's recognition, we're going to recognize a number of schools. First, we're going to talk about the schools that had the highest achievement, as far as the percentage of students that performed at and above grade level in English language arts, that's m step, grades three to seven. In mathematics, M step, grades three to seven. Then we'll talk about the highest performance in science, that's grades five and eight on M step, and then the highest performance in social studies, that's grade five and eight, which we also call m step. And then I'll talk about growth, because there's certainly schools that showed high achievement as far as that and above grade level performance, but there's also schools that showed tremendous improvement, as far as showing at least one year of growth in reading and math. So the recognitions will focus first on k8 we'll have all the principals who will be recognized at the k8 come up to the stage, and then we'll stop and take a great picture, and then we'll announce our highest achievers at the high school level. So let me start with English language arts, the top five schools as far as achievement number one, Bates Academy, led by principal Bailey. We have number two, Chrysler Elementary, led by principal Shirley. And then we have a newcomer, new school that we're obviously excited about, Edmonton, Montessori, led by principal Johnson. Fourth, as far as highest achievement in English language arts is Flix last year, led by principal Hogan, now Assistant Superintendent Hogan, and we have principal hall here, who's our new principal at Flix. And then fifth, we have another new school, the school of Marygrove with principal Williams. So many of these same schools are our highest achievers in math as well, but number one in math, as far as at and above grade level performance, we have the school of Marygrove. Second highest performer in the district is Bates Academy, principal Bailey again. Number three, we have Chrysler Elementary, principal Shirley. Fourth, we have flicks again, that's now Assistant Superintendent Hogan and principal Hall now and then. Number five, Edmondson, Montessori, led by principal Johnson. So some of the same names, but some different ones for science, again, science for M step is grades five and eight. The highest performer in science this past year was bass Academy, principal Bailey, number two, Chrysler Elementary, led by principal Shirley. Number three, Flix, principal Hall, now former, now assistant super. Hogan Edmondson number four, principal Johnson. And yes, we have a new school to be named number five, Charles Wright, Academy of Arts and Sciences, principally jaywar. And then social studies. We have a couple new principals here too, not new to the district, but new on the stage. Social Studies is taken in grades five and eight, again, called M step, our highest performer in social studies. Very proud of this school, a neighborhood school, Barton elementary principal Glover and Adams, another neighborhood school, number two, Edison Elementary, led by principal Christian. Number three, another neighborhood school, Roberto Clemente, led by principal Martinez. Number four, another neighborhood school, Nichols Elementary, led by principal Hayward. And we don't want to leave out our application schools, but number five, Bates Academy, principal Bailey. And now I want to recognize growth so we. We we do determine growth through the M step, but we also determine growth through i Ready, these schools had the highest percentage of students showing at least one or more year of growth in literacy and math. I do want to say that the district average this year was a all time high of 60% of students showing at least one or more year of growth that exceeded the national average when you look at those who participated in iReady, but these schools had increases of over 70% so I'll name those schools number one, with the highest growth in our betrayal, principal Massey. Do we have room for more, or should we? Okay, let's go growth.
Yeah, you want me up there too? Okay, let's do let's take a picture with The proficiency, and then we'll go to growth. I
Congratulations, I'll give you a hug. 321,
no different. These are different, all right, so back to growth, so the principals who were just recognized can leave the stage now we're going to move into growth. So again, average growth last year for the district was about 60% the national average is about 50% so the district exceeded the national average. In these schools are well into the 70% of students at their schools making at least one year of growth. As I said, number one in reading growth was in our betrayal, principal Massey, number two, Nichols, principal Hayward. In growth. At third place was Ninas elementary with principal Rendon. Number four, Davison elementary with principal Coleman and number five, Munger elementary with principal Burroughs. Okay for growth. Now I do want to highlight there were two schools that had 80% of students making at least one year of growth in math that's outstanding, 80% number one in our portrayal, principal Massey again. Number two, ninus with principal Rendon, both with over 80% of students making at least one year of growth. Number three, Chrysler, elementary principal Shirley. Again, number four, clipper Elementary, led by principal Escamilla, and then number five, Detroit International Academy For young women, or dia With with principal montalone. So
all right, so we're going to end here with high schools again. This is the PSAT for grades nine and 10 and sat for 11th. And then we have the M step that's taking 11th grade for science and social studies full so for the high schools, for PSAT and S, A, T, when we look at literacy number one, Cass tech, principal Phillips you. Number two, Renaissance High School, Principal strawder. Number three, the School of Mary Grove, principal Williams. Number four, Detroit School of Arts, principal Reynolds. Number five, the virtual school with principal Lake.
Okay, we have many of the same principals for math, but we're going to recognize them just the same. Highest performing in math, Cass tech, principal Phillips, number two, Renaissance High School Principal strawder. Number three, the School of Marygrove, led by principal Williams. And then number four, we have again, Detroit International Academy for young women, or dia principal montalone. And then fifth, Davis aerospace, led by principal Davis. So in science again, these are taken by our 11th graders. Highest performing in science is Cass tech, principal Phillips, number two, School of Marygrove, principal Williams. Three, Detroit International Academy for young women, dia principal montalone For CMA or Communication and Media Arts High School, Principal, Cox and then five Renaissance High School, all right for social studies. Again, this is M step 11th grade, highest performing school in dpscd and social studies. 11th grade is Cass tech, principal Phillips, number two, the School of Marygrove, principal Williams, number three, Crockett, Midtown High School, science and medicine. Principal, lively. Number five, Renaissance High School, Principal, strawder, and then number five, Detroit School of the Arts principal, Reynolds, so obviously we're recognized. Our principals are representing our schools. But I also want to congrat give a big congratulations to all of our teachers, support staff that makes this happen, and our students and their families. Obviously, we have a lot of wonderful schools in the district. They are not all on the stage. But I also want to recognize that many of these schools are outperforming the state as well, and we don't. Many of these schools are all performing the state and some of the national averages. So you know, when you wonder what our children are capable of, these schools definitely represent them, and there are not some in a room as well, but dpscd is definitely on the rise academically. And I just want to celebrate all of these principals, the principals not here, and the teachers also that are not here. We'll take one last picture And then move the agenda.
You it. Okay. We have Dr Hart here. I believe Dr Hart is the executive director. I think I have that title right, CEO, leader of the Council of Great City Schools. He's here to recognize the district with its improvement and literacy. Again, we are not there. So we're not celebrating arrival. We're celebrating improvement, improvement that a lot of people question whether this district could do, but certainly we've demonstrated that pre pandemic and now post pandemic, and I will give the mic to Dr Hart, thank you for being here.
Good afternoon, everyone. I will be brief, but just wanted to say to members of the board superintendent Viti thank you for allowing us to join you this afternoon, as he shared, I'm Ray Hart, I'm executive director with the Council of the Great City Schools. And we work with 78 of the nation's largest urban school districts, of which Detroit is one of the 78 and we also like to honor as he shared, growth and progress in our districts. And one of the things that we have identified with a group of partners, and the partners are to my left, we have identified schools where we like to go in annually and do a renovation of the school's library, as well as a donation of books and one of our premier. Sponsors is scholastic Inc, and they are here with us. And so I want to thank our representatives from skill out scholastic Inc, Harold Edwards, who is here, as well as Ty Jones Chapman and Scholastic, along with the council, partnered to introduce, or to share today with Mason Academy elementary school to unveil a new brand new library, with completely renovated library, all new books and new materials. And we want to just honor them, and honor all of the principals who were just here on stage for your wonderful performance, your excellence in terms of improving student outcomes in the district. Thank you all for all that you do. And this award is the Richard M Robinson literacy Champion Award. And Richard M Robinson actually recently passed away, but prior to that, even as a young man, he came to the council's meetings. The Council was started in 1956 and he and his father came to council meetings, and he came as a young meeting young man, then to be a part of the the learning process and the growth of large urban school districts in the country. And so we're honored to share this award. And so I will turn things over to Ty Jones Chapman, from Scholastic to present this honor to Mason Academy.
Well, good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for your time. I will be brief. I just want to say a very special thank you to principal Johnson, Assistant Principal Allen, you guys the work that we've done in the school, it's more you know, reading for us can teach children about them themselves, as well as how to recognize what they want to aspire to. So it was very important for us to create a setting that was not only a learning environment, but that was a community platform that everyone could enjoy. So it is my hope that all of you get to see the environment it is equipped from live plants to hopefully something that will extend its life within the rest of the district, and that we can learn and grow from with the students. So I thank you so much for the honor. I'd like to read the plaque. It simply says, Present it to Detroit Public Schools community district, Dr Nikolai Viti, Superintendent Mason at a mason Academy school. Adrian Johnson, principal in partnership with scholastic and the Council of the Great City Schools. Thank you So much. I
these bitches.
It. Thank you. I think we could say this is the way that you start off a school year. I know our principals actually have been working all day, so they have a lot of them have left, but I do want to make sure to Dr Vitti point about just knowing that the village that sits in and around the schools are yes, the principals are the leaders of the school, and we know that our staff is there and they are community partners. We saw an abundant amount of support on the first couple of weeks of school with our community partners and our parents. So we thank you all for welcoming them and allowing us the opportunity to just acknowledge some of their hard work with the amendment of the agenda. We are now to a point for closed session. Closed Session the chair will intermotion, enter, entertain a motion to enter into closed session, pursuant to MCL, one, 5.268, A, C, E, I. NH of the Michigan Open Meetings Act to consider I personnel action at employees request. I i to discuss strategy connected with the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement. I settlement of a pending litigations and for number four, a written legal opinion. So the chair will entertain a motion for the closed session. Is there support? It's been properly moved by member, gay DAG, no go properly supported by Dr Taylor for closed session, Madam Secretary, can we please do a roll call?
Latrice McClendon Yes.
Sherry gay, Daniel go, Dr Iris Taylor,
yes. Sonia Mays, Angelique Peterson. Mayberry, yes. Madam Chair, you
have a quorum. Thank
You. We will now Enter closed Session. You
Testing, testing,
testing, Testing. Okay, the Chair will now entertain a motion to come out of closed session. Is there support? It's been properly moved by Bishop Vaughn, properly supported by Vice President stalwart west, to come out of closed session. All those in favor of coming out of closed session, signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you.
Ma'am. Madam
Chair, sorry, I was having a sidebar. Madam Chair, due to extenuating circumstances, I have to make a motion to move our vote before public comment. I will not be able to stay. I have to go. I've made other commitments, and I cannot stay. I love to hear our constituents, and I will avail myself days after this, but this evening, I have to leave, and so I'm asking to amend the agenda to move our votes up before public comment. Okay,
there's a motion on the floor. Is there? Support? Support? It's been properly moved by member gay dagno. Go to put item 11 and 12 above public comment. Sorry. Is there? It's been properly moved and properly supported by Bishop Vaughn. Any discussion? All those in favor of the motion on the floor, signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried, thank you will now move to item number 11, 11.01 is administrative terminations. We know that every termination that we saw for administrative terminations for was for job abandonment with a five day quit after no call, no show the
superintendent's recommendation is
there support? Support. It's been properly moved by Dr Taylor, properly supported by Bishop Vaughn to accept the superintendent's recommendation for administrative terminations all those in favor of the motion on the floor. Signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. Terminations for cause, item 11.02 so there's been extensive conversation, follow up and debriefing about the record the superintendent's recommendation for termination for calls for the employees that were listed. The chair will entertain a motion to accept the superintendent's recommendation. So moved? Is there support? It's been properly moved by Bishop Vaughn, properly supported by member Mays all those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried from closed session. There was also a action item of the two settlements that were discussed, so that we would need to put those before us as an action item as well. So the chair will entertain a motion to accept the OGC recommendation. It's been properly moved by Dr Taylor, properly supported by member McClendon, to accept the OGC recommendation for settlements. The two settlements that were discussed, all those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. We will now move to item number 12, consent agenda items. So items 12.01 through 12.06 the chair will entertain a motion to accept the consent agenda items. So moved, it's been properly moved by Dr Taylor, properly supported by Vice President Stallworth west, to accept the consent agenda items, which are would include 12.01 through 12.06 any discussion of motion on the floor, if not all those in favor, signify by saying aye, any opposed motion carried Thank you will now move to public comment.
Members of the public are welcome to address the board during public comment. Individuals wishing to address the board must register in person or raise their hand online prior to the chair announcing the close of public comment registration today, the time was 547 for those in person and chair will call the names of individuals to address the board in the order received, please remain seated until your name is called for virtual public comment that will be facilitated through a zoom webinar, The link and phone number for which can be accessed through Detroit, K twelve.org, backslash. Board meetings, Individuals wishing to address the Board may do so by choosing one of two options. Through your computer, you can select raise your hand, and that's option on your screen. Or through the telephone, you can press star nine, and that raises your hand on your phone, the Chair will select the individuals in the order received, you will remain muted until your time to speak. All Comments are limited to three minutes. The superintendent will reply to questions andor concerns raised today that do not violate ethical or legal standards, confidentiality, privacy of others or require additional information to respond. If you would like a direct response to your question andor concern, please forward an email to the secretary of the board, Daniel Moore at venue, dot more, Detroit, K twelve.org, so we will start with our public comment tours, in person. We have two microphones, so if we can have Nita Garrett journey metal and Rachelle green to one mic, Antonia wells, Tina Galloway and Jasmine Toole to the other mic, please. I
One Go ahead. Yes, go ahead. Please, one second your mic is not on. Can you test the mic? Please
speak into it. Hello. No,
thank you. Yes.
My name is Nita Garrett. Um, I'm here again. I'm here with my son, Stanley Garrett, we was here at the last meeting. Um, since I've I was at the last meeting, nothing has been done in action or recourse about the sexual violation against my son. The young man, is still in school. DPD has not reached out to other district pertaining to what has happened. Kids are still in school with these phones. And is is this? This situation has really overwhelmed me in a way that I don't think none of y'all can understand, because my son has went viral with this picture of his body parts. You know, I'm in the lawsuit now with DPS behind the actions and the recourse that y'all have taken and discriminating against my son with this athlete. You know, y'all haven't reached out to me properly, and even, I mean, nobody here has represented tonight the ASD community. If nivia Ashby is supposed to represent the ASD community, where is she? As of today, these kids don't have lockers in school. Y'all say that the special ed is there's no separation when it comes to giving these kids what they need. The ASD kids didn't start with lockers. All the other kids had lockers. My son has been a king for three years, for three years that he has to walk to school with a young man who has sexually violated and all I ask was that y'all separate this young man from the school. We wouldn't even had to go to court, but y'all refused to do it because he's the athlete. This is straight discrimination against my son is nowhere, no way that I could see around for what this boy, they had done to my son, and y'all still let these kids remain in school. Y'all have put out no notices about kids. Don't take pictures on your phone. Y'all have really done nothing. But listen that me complain y'all have done nothing. I'm not satisfied with the action that y'all have taken. Whoever is supposed to be repping the ASD community, they're not doing. Nothing to say. Is noone here? Nothing Y'all said tonight that said nothing concerning these ASD kids. They need more ESCs in the classroom, the more paraprofessionals. They're they're not. They these paraprofessionals do a lot of work with these children. They do a lot of work with these children. You have parents that don't even come to the schools. They drop these kids off, these special ed skiers, and our school is supposed to be our support. I haven't been supported by DBS. I haven't been supported. And it's not just my kid. I'm standing here for all the kids who have been violated. This was a violation against my son. Are you guys here?
Are you guys? Thank you, Miss Garrett. We need to make sure that there's a different touch point. I know that some people did contact you after the last board meeting, but we will do that again today. Thank you, Miss Garrett. Journey metal, if we can have journey metal. Rachel Green,
go ahead. Miss jernay medal, Oh, okay. Rachel Green is not here. Tanya walls, Tanya wells, Tanya Wells is not here. Tina Galloway, okay, go ahead. Miss. Tina Galloway,
hello. I'm Tina Galloway. I am the Executive Vice President for local 345, Ashby, and I'm standing in standing up front to let you know that children cannot learn properly if they're not fed well, and if they don't have rest. And these rules should apply to your employees, ese, pair professionals are paid so low. We work in two and three jobs we don't get rest. We want these children be serviced properly. Yes, we have doors open to other districts to go out and service those children, but we choose to stay in our community. I said this many times before we chose to stay in this community to serve our children and our neighborhoods, you guys gave the teachers a beautiful contract. That's nice, but we're working with these teachers heart to heart. Hand in hand with these children and offering us 67 cent is ridiculous. It's a slap in the face. We are CNAs. We are security guards, we change diapers, we feed tubes, we do all of this stuff, but you guys don't value us. We are the foundations to make these teachers looks very good. I'm not saying that they don't do a good job some teachers do. But we are the foundations. We the foundation that hold this district together. When we stayed in the buildings in covid, we did that. We was taking temperatures and doing everything else. We did everything. We did everything to help hold this district together, and we get a slap in the face. We have members that's going to the food bank. It shouldn't be. We have members borrowing offered a 450, 7b just to survive. And that is not fair. We need is not a want. We need a livable wage. We are very valuable to this district. Yes, we are. I don't know how you guys feel about it, but we are very, very valuable. We watch those children and take care of those children like they were our own children, and we need to get paid for what we do. Thank you. Thank
you. Miss Galloway. We have Jasmine Toole is Jasmine tool still here, if not Michelle Lee, is Michelle Lee still here? And if we could have perlene Campbell to the mic, as well as Elena Harada,
so I will say to those where this may be your first board meeting, we do have a policy in place that for very similar comments, You could designate one person to speak for five minutes for your entire group. So just, just consider that, because we do have a policy in place so that the same we have actually heard the the comment. So I just want to lift that up. Um, is that Miss? Miss Jolie, yes, yes. Go ahead. Miss Lee. President, I can't see. I can't see out there. I'm sorry. President Lee, go ahead. 45
Good evening.
I have not too
many words to say, other than one job should be enough.
Wow, one job should be enough. Yes, we have pearlene Campbell and Elena Harada,
I can go.
Are you Miss Campbell? Yes, okay, yes, go ahead.
My name is pearly, calm. Ese paraprofessional. I've been a paraprofessional for 13 years, and during the 13 years, the raises have been total of $2 in 13 years. Like pinched I have worked two jobs for 13 years. Over the 13 years, I have two underlying health conditions. I have a grocery bag full of pills that I have to take every day because I'm not getting the proper rest, because I have to continue to take care of my kids, but at the same time, like they said, I could go somewhere else, but I love those kids. Those kids mean a lot to me. I work in my community that I grew up in, just to see you guys for the first time. This is my first time seeing y'all, and I am very disappointed, because I want to know why we can't get the respect. What is wrong, why we can't get the respect? You know, I don't, I don't understand. Why is this a separation of paraprofessionals from teachers? We're like the peanut butter and jelly we jailed together. It's a together. We are the village. We're the village. I don't know. I need y'all to go home and think about it. I have children. I cannot live like this. My pills cost $500 What am I supposed to do? My check was $380 Tuesday. What did I get to do with that? What did I get to do with that? But today, no weapon formed against us shall prosper. We will get there. We will see the change. You say we rise by lifting others. Well, lift us up. Lift us up. We need that. We're not standing here just to say we need a raise. We need a pay increase. The cost of living is ridiculous. I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul. I'm making negotiations with the bill people until I get paid again. On top of me being sick some days I can't get up some days my I can't my medicine is it's just a mess. But if I had one job. Up, then maybe I can be better. Maybe I can be a better person. Maybe I can come into my job and help better. And you know, I love these kids. These kids mean the world to me. I pour out my motherly skills too. I pull out my CNA skills as well. I get sick. I get sick from them too, because I'm loving on them. I'm trying to help them. I'm trying to make sure they get the proper need that they get. I'm trying to make sure that they have the right food, and I'm trying to make sure that they understand, and I'm trying to make sure when they go home, they go home satisfied for the day. This is just not no randomly job. You we deal with the parents. We try to help parents find different strategies to help us. When you go home tonight, remember me, come to my school. Come see what I do. Come, come see what I do.
Thank you. Miss Campbell. We have Elena Harada and Adam B. Is Adam B still here? Okay, Adam, you could actually just go behind. Ms, Arata, Santana Hill and Ivy horn. If you can go to the other mic, please go ahead. MS, Harada,
I'm really sure.
Thank you. I'm bringing to you a document which is so huge, and Dr Vitti does have a copy of this, and you can look at it for yourselves. I'm asking the board, the board members, who are elected and who are also library commissioners, to stand with us to fight the tax captures that are taking the money that belong to the people who are doing this work, that belong to the special needs students. And I can't really read these numbers very well because they're too big, but we'll say under dpscd, the tax captures have taken 205 $205,000,755.70
$6,000 from tax captures out of Detroit schools to give to the billionaires for development. This is for the Little Caesars arena for the Downtown Development Authority. You know this, but I have the actual figures here for you, because our group, Detroit is for tax capture. I'm sorry, Detroiters for Tax Justice have done the work to do the Freedom of Information, to get this information that they did not want to give us, they didn't want to give us, but these are the real numbers. Please join us in this battle and get the money where it's supposed to go, because when people pay their taxes, they expect them to go to the schools. The new people moving to Detroit don't have to pay these taxes, and they're putting their kids in private schools. Please join us in this battle. We will be calling you by your names, even if you've been in on the looting, we will still be calling you by your names. Thank you.
Thank you. Adam b
Yeah. Adam Barrett, Southwest, Detroit, member of Detroiters for Tax Justice. I'm going to repeat a couple of those things, just in case anyone didn't hear it or believe it the first time around, using FOIA requests, that's Freedom of Information Act requests, Detroiters for Tax Justice has compiled this new report on the effects of tax incentives, also known as corporate welfare for downtown developers on our millages Since 2014 you may have seen us on TV a couple weeks ago. We just as she said, We submitted a copy to Superintendent Viti earlier tonight, we have other copies. Unfortunately, we were at city council this morning, and we don't have any further copies with us, but you can express your interest, and we will get copies to you if you're interested. So in this report, we combined the totals of public money lost through both tax captures and tax abatements, and we tallied it up for each millage on your tax bill since 2014 the dpscd millages have lost almost $350 million between combined Tax captures and the abatement the tax abatements, where developers are allowed to not have to pay taxes for up to 35 years. Wayne resa lost a total of almost $65 million from its three millages, which is a massive hit to our special needs programming the. So there's claims out there that these captured funds are reimbursed by the state, but it's kind of dubious, considering that's usually heard from the pro development camps, and even if it were true, why, even if the school aid fund is being tapped to fill in these gaps, how is it fair for the rest of the state to have to subsidize downtown developers in Detroit out of that fund, speaking of which, our research also found that another 83 million was looted from the State Education millage Since 2014 again, we have copies of this report available to anyone Who's interested. Please get with us after the meeting. Thanks.
Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Adam B Santana Hill and Ivy horn.
Good evening. School Board, parents, teachers, paraprofessionals and all under the sound of my voice, I come to you today as a concerned and very scared parent of a Flix elementary school student, I received a disturbing email wherein a threat was at the school. And after the events of what happened in Georgia and after what I heard today about students in South Lyon sending threats to their district, I must speak up. Metal detectors in schools, in elementary schools would be a step too far, because, as we know, our black children are criminalized and parentified and adultified, way too much. But to do nothing when we have elementary age children bringing weapons into the school grounds would be a step too little. So I charge the board and parents today to come up with funding to provide clear backpacks to our elementary age students, because I must applaud Flix administration, because they did backpack checks this morning. However, that was a very large disruption to the parents and to the school environment, and it is scaring our kids. So I humbly ask school board and parents to please try to identify somewhere in your line item to provide clear backpacks to elementary age students, so that I don't have to get an email like that no more, and so that I don't have to potentially decide when it's safe for my child to get an education. I also charge the parents listening to me today to check your child's backpack before
you leave every day, check that child's backpack, check in on what these
kids are doing. And finally, please, I implore the state of Michigan to please invest in mental health and wraparound services for our elementary age children. Please cover our babies. And in my day job, I work as Chief of Staff for Detroit City Council member Mary waters at large, and I would be delighted to assist with budgetary preparations for identifying the funding for clear backpacks, because I can't do this no more. I can't and you all have an excellent day, and may God be with us all. Thank
you. Thank you, Miss horn. We have Tania Kay and Jalen Thompson. Is Tania K and Jalen Thompson here. Okay, and then if we could have Emma Holland, Bolton and Tyler wood to the other mic, please?
Yes, it's Tanya, capital Tanya. I'm
sorry. It's IA,
so I'm here to speak to the people here in the meeting and to speak to everybody out there watching to demand a change for this school board come this November, it has been outrageous the way that this school board has just rubber stamped everything Viti has done. All we hear is about high stakes testing, not about our students needs, not about smaller class sizes. I'm here to urge everybody out there to elect the, by any means necessary, slate for the school board this November. Because Nicole Connolly,
excuse me, marketing and promotion for the I'm here
to speak about the need for a change so
School District, please.
I'm saying that Beatty needs to go and that we need to defeat Trump's movement.
Can we like please? Thank you. Can we go to Jalen Thompson, please. We are. We will not. We will not continue to support that type of culture and environment at the board meetings. Jalen Thompson and Oh, Jalen is at the mic. Go ahead. Miss Jalen, please.
Hi.
Thank you. Can we we have someone speaking? Thank you. Go ahead.
Hi. Um, so I'm just, I'm just, um. Know, basically, I have a, I guess I want to say a termination. So I'm just asked, trying to see if my, you guys can look into my case for, like, my termination. I want to say, my position to be reconsidered. I got a few emails from like, I want to say Tina curry. I really wasn't understanding all of it, of all of like, the emails that they were sending or that she was sending me. So, yeah, I don't know like, like. I didn't even know like that. I had to have that. I didn't know it was like a board meeting. I just got an email, and it was saying, like to be here at 530 so I was thinking I was going to be speaking to Tina curry, but I really don't know what's going on, so I just need some type of information. Thank
you. We'll make sure that somebody comes and speaks to you. Jalen Thompson, okay, yes, thank you. Okay? We have Emma Holland Bolton and Tyler wood is Tyler wood here. I
Good evening, everyone. My name is Emma Holland Bolton, and I'm a proud fourth grade teacher at Thurgood Elementary School. I can report that despite two early dismissal days and several very hot days in the classroom. My new students are thriving for the first time in five years. Every student at Thurgood has daily recess. The bathrooms at my school are no longer locked, and the vibe in general is kid centered and celebratory. This is all because after six months of entreaties to this body, my former principal was finally removed last school board Yeah. Last school board meeting, members of the community shared data from the give the board a grade initiative, which included a cumulative letter grade from the last six months for each school board member, as well as a selection of stakeholder comments. I was going to compliment the board on immediately correcting their behavior at the last board meeting, but unfortunately, moving the closed session ahead of public comment earns an immediate F grade for this meeting for every member of the board. It shouldn't take six months of parents, students and staff begging for help or a failing grade from stakeholders to get this body to act. You can do right by your constituents right now, all it takes is a laser focus on students, speaking of which last meeting was brought up that our panorama surveys don't ask students about how they feel about the physical conditions under which they're learning. I wonder if the reason that we're not surveying students about how they feel about facilities is not because our buildings are vastly unequal and largely inadequate, but rather because the things students would likely make mention of are solvable problems that, for some reason have not been prioritized. Five years ago, I wrote to Dr Vitti about my school. I wrote about how it would be costly to update the older schools in the district, but that it's absolutely necessary that we do so. Unlike our new construction schools, which start to fall apart as soon as they're built, our older buildings were built correctly and built to last with a little investment, they will easily last another 100 years beyond that, they're beautiful. They tell students a story when they walk in the door that their learning matters and that they matter. Vidi, five years ago, responded that he agreed and that thurgo would be getting $7.5 million in improvements since that email, only one change at our school has been undertaken, and that is to install more security cameras. That's it in five years. The only thing that was deemed pressing enough to address was to update our already excessive surveillance camera system, not, for instance, installing AC in our building or addressing any of the other needs. I bet not one person on this stage works in a building that isn't climate controlled, but you're all comfortable with children sweating through their clothes, trying to learn in classrooms without air. I don't know why, in the largest district in the state, the priority has been spending money on surveillance cameras and not on AC or edible food or recess or social and emotional support. But we can change that, and we should put the priority where it belongs, and don't forget to continue to give the board a grade. And I just want to shout out my ask me, brothers and sisters, we stand with you. You should be getting more than a 67 cent raise. That is disgusting. You guys worked so hard, and you should be rewarded for staying at the schools that you're at.
Thank you.
We have Tyler wood and John Smith. Is John Smith here. Okay, Samaria Odom and rakisha Odom,
hi. My name is Tyler wood organizer with BAM by any means necessary. Want to say that this board is the. Overseer of the new Jim Crow that we see in Detroit and across this country, and is so afraid of the people like Nicole Conaway and Benjamin Royal and Taber and Joe who are running to replace it that they're trying to censor us so we're the only ones saying no rubber stamping to the VD Duggan agenda, and I'm going to read something that Tabor and Joe wrote that is, who is not here right now, says I'm a longtime advocate and activist for Public Education, affirmative action immigrant rights, union rights and civil rights. I began my activism when I joined BAM at the age of 11, organizing to oppose the anti affirmative action ballot initiative, prop two in 2006 on May 1 2007 I organized and led a walkout of middle school students to stop 50 DPS schools from closing, which saved my school, Malcolm X that year, have stood in solidarity with teachers of DPS since the DFT strike of 2006 where I joined the picket line with the community and teachers to fight for better wages for Detroit teachers and books supplies and smaller class sizes for Detroit students. As a student at University High School in Ferndale, I fought for equal quality education for myself and other Detroit students. Madam
Chair, point of order. Who are
being point excuse me, point of order is recognized. Go ahead, what's your madam
chair. This is a not a political moment, to read someone's resume that is possibly running for office. That's what's happening.
So there's point of
order running to stop Donald Trump's fascist right.
Can we cut the mic please? Because we're speaking, point of order has been recognized. Is there any objection to the point of order? Support? Okay, we are moving on. Point of order is recognized. We John Smith, Samaria Odom rakisha. Odom Samaria Odom, rakisha, Odom and Isabella Washington,
are we ready? Yes, sir,
so
we thank you for this opportunity to come before you. We want to acknowledge Dr vitian The board. These are trying times right now, but you see a political movement that's given us the opportunity to voice our concerns, our constitutional rights. My name is John Smith, and I'm an employee of the Detroit Public School community district, a paraprofessional at Charles R Drew, and I'm here to talk about paraprofessional wage increase in the past, I believe that my work ethic would speak for itself, like arriving to work on time, always ready to work, and helping my colleague whenever I could, however in the last several years, my belief or disbelief has changed. Surrounding school districts have granted their paraprofessional significant wage increases. Yet, here in Detroit Public Schools district, mind you, Michigan largest school district, our pay rate remains stagnant and one of the lowest in the state, year after year, when paraprofessionals gather here and ask legitimate concerning questions about our pay rate, You state that the district does not have the money in the budget for a wage increase consistent with the nearby districts. We know that this can't be, as we witness departments within our districts receiving wage increase of $1.50 an hour, and in some cases, more, this feels like the district leaders don't hear us. Think that we are content with 40 cents here and 40 cents there. Frankly, just doesn't care. Well, that's about to change for we know that hard work pays off, and with our newly elected president and our executive board, we will continue to advocate for all district paraprofessionals, not only for acceptable wages increase, but also for affordable medical care. Packages, safe working conditions and improved relationship between Aspie 345, and the district. I appreciate this opportunity to address my concerns with you, and I hope a resolution lies in the future. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Smith, is Isabella Washington, here Isabella, Washington, okay, we will move to our virtual public comment. Ms Drake, I will turn it over to you, please. Good.
Hi, Joyce, Jenning, please go ahead with your public comment.
Jenny please go ahead with your public comment.
Good evening. I just would like to cover everybody this evening in prayer, God. We thank you for another opportunity to be blessed to see another school year. We, thank you, God for our leaders, whether they were elected, selected, hired, appointed, however they came into the district, God, however they represent your people. Whatever they do until the least of these, they do it unto you. So I pray that this year, that through the board meetings, the committee meetings, the day to day operations, that if anybody brings forth any concerns that we will be solutions oriented, righteous solutions God, you are the source of every resource, so wherever is needed in order to support salary increases, bringing busses back to the district so we can make sure that our students get back and forth to school whatever safety concerns need to be addressed. We are not a prison system. Father. God allow our schools to be safe without targeting our children as though they're being pipelined to prison. God give them the best nutrition, the to eat, the students, the staff, whoever participates in the programs, the earth is the Lord's in the fullness thereof. For they that dwell within God, we don't serve a poverty stricken God. So whatever we need, God, you are able to supply. So I pray that we not take for granted that we are created by you, and as you work through us, God, we are well able to do greater works. God, allow this district to go back to the place that it was when before the school district was taken over, originally by the state of 1999 God, Doctor Viti is your leader, whether we selected him or were interested in him or not. He's been here. So he's your man of God. So whatever he needs, God strengthen him. For our presidents and our of the school board, Miss Angelique and all of the women that also are assembled the woman of God, your leaders the God, give them what they need. To hear your voice, Father. God, before they make any decision, I pray for all of their families. I pray for all the families of the district, and I pray, God, you will keep us safe from all hurt, harm and danger, whatever we need. God, let us trust you with our whole heart. Let us Lean not into our own understanding, but in all of our ways. Acknowledge you and then, dear Lord, please help me not to be angry like I have been in the past. But your Word says, Be angry and sin not so. Help me, Father God, to be a vessel to help influence
Hi. Ahmad, most shot, Mun, please go ahead with your public comment.
So I'm with the students trying to bring up the topic of adding a bus route from Amtrak to Cass tech to make the school route to and from the high school for the students in Amtrak easier and safer. I also wanted to, I guess, bring up the fact that this bus route will not only, you know, be beneficial for the students, but has the potential of bringing the two communities together. Panchamik is a has 30,000 people in the two. Miles, and it's unique in the sense that you can't build a highway and get those people to your city right, because they came from cities where they didn't need to drive, and because the city is the Hamtramck is walkable, they don't need to learn how to drive here either. So if you want them to participate in your community. You have to build a bus route. So just wanted to bring that up as well. You know, this is kind of like a win win win situation, and it's only beneficial, and it'll be a smart move for everybody. That's it.
Madam Chair, I have Aliyah Moore next, but she is in person. Would you like her to step to the mic? Sure. Thank you. Applause.
Uh, good evening, board and Dr Vitti. Thank you all for I just missed Dr Vitti today, coming to Paul Robeson. I guess when I got I left, he probably came a few hours later. I do thank our president for coming to Paul Robeson. I think this is like her third or fourth consecutive year for the first day. It's always good to see board members at schools. I really just have something basically to say to the board for the people that's exiting, that have decided that they're no longer interested, or they have served their purpose. We have Google says we have 110 schools, but our site says we have 106 if you divide 106 schools times seven board divided by seven board members, you have 15 schools apiece. We are in school 11 months. So if each of you all just take the time out, out of one month to visit one school, and then maybe what, one or two in between, you have done your job because you're taking notes, you're talking to staff, you're doing your job. And then maybe just then, you'll be able to come and report your findings, because it's evident, our president says, you all are doing the work and going in these schools. I'm a New CMA parent. My daughter is thrilled to go there, and I'm excited for her journey there, but I go into office and just asking, do board members? Have you seen any board members? I'm asking the secretaries, and all they did was look at me, and I know that look means no so if the work is being done, how do stakeholders, how does the community actually know, like this dish, like the people that have come together and did this grading scale, why can't the community grade you all, you all gave each other $250 without asking any of us. So what fair and equitable logic is that and you're leaving, two are leaving. What is your legacy? You know, you've dabbled in this money. The money's gone the 700 million, and we're supposed to see that. But as far as touching students lives, what's the legacy so moving forward with the remaining board and the maybe two to three new people, what are we going to do moving forward? Because you all can charge these comments as people just being hating and just being so negative. But like I said in a committee meeting on the Fisher building, and I was talking to Sonia Mays in that committee, look in the mirror. All of you look in the mirror and question, what are you doing and why? Because you can't take the money with us when we go after this life.
Thank you, Miss Moore,
Hi, Lindsay Matson, please go ahead with your public comment. Hi,
sorry I was I forgot to mute my other where I was watching hi board members and Dr Beatty. My name is Lindsay, and I work with youth in the Bangla town neighborhood. I'm here today to ask the board to please help us in securing a school bus to safely take Cass Tech students to and from the neighborhood to school. I. Many of these students have worked really hard to get to cast but due to their parents working schedule, immigration status and family obligations, they don't have secure, reliable transportation. So right now, I hear from students who I work with that their parents are spending 200 to $400 a month on transportation for just one student, and that the vans that students are pulling in are so full, the students are sitting on each other's laps, and they don't have access to seat belts. I'm really concerned about safety for these students, and while we're grateful that the school district provides free bus passes, the routes available for students in this neighborhood are also unsafe and impractical. Recently, a young woman was violently sexually assaulted while walking in the neighborhood, and that has led to parents being very anxious about the idea of their children being alone on the street or at bus stops. We're asking you as the board members to work with us to identify a consistent mode of transportation for these students who are passionate about their education, without the support, I believe students will no longer be able to keep attending Cass Can you all commit to helping us advocate for a school bus stop in Bucha town? I
Hi, Fatima, please go ahead with your public comment. You
Hi, Fatima,
please go ahead with your public comment. You
I'll do the next
one. Miss joy. Can you move on? There may be some technical difficulties, or if we can reach out to miss Fatima to get her comment, I
dipita Das, please go ahead with your public comment.
Hello. My name is dipita Das, and I'm a proud alumni of CAS tech class of 2017, and a two time graduate from the University of Michigan. CAS tech played a huge, huge and crucial role in my academic success, especially attending U of M from valuable programs such as DECA all the way to IB courses. However, there is a critical shortcoming, reliable transportation system connecting banglatown to cascade. Banglatown urgently requires dependable bus service linking the neighborhood to CAS tech. Implementing such a service would eliminate significant financial barriers faced by many families. From when I attended 2013 to 2017 I personally was paying $100 monthly for transportation. So when you do the math and for the for that four years, I nearly paid $4,000 to attend a public institution. This hefty expense could have been invested in my other college application process or even securing scholarships. My parents are already pushed to their limits. They're both financially and health wise, constrained due to their demanding factory jobs. And so doing a bus service from Bangladeshi Cass tech would alleviate a lot of these severe financial strains, not only for my family, but for countless other members in the community as well. More, ever, more, ever. I have a sibling who is a violating potential High School for the upcoming small cycle and transportation is a pivotal factor in her decision. While I do want to attend Cass tech and continue the legacy of mine of attending Cass tech, the number one school at the moment, the prospect of paying additional $4,000 for the next four years is not feasible within my family. So will you stand with your local community to help alleviate this pressuring financial and transportation burden? Your support could pave the way for more equitable and accessible future for college students and increase enrollment, as Dr Beatty was saying earlier, thank you.
Deepa Rashi Roy, please go ahead with your public comment.
Hello to the board. I'm Debra she Roy, a current student of Cass Technical High School, transportation is a significant challenge for families in banglatown, where the cost of getting school has become a financial burden, where with each ride costing $20 families are forced to pay $100 every week. If you do the math, that's $400 every month just for transportation, on top of the financial stray families don't feel safe using the public transportation system, further limiting their factors to affordable transportation where the money can be used. To pay their bills, their grocery money. How can families be expected to manage when such a large portion of their budget is consumed by a simple necessity of getting their children to school and the public transportation doesn't feel them like a safe alternative. That's my end.
Tyrina, please go ahead with your public comment.
Hello. My name is Tarina Rahman, and I'm currently a student at Cass tech. I am joining this meeting to show support about a transport, transportation system for students who live in Bangla, townhamtram, and have been paying over $1,000 in a year overrides, if there were a dedicated bus system connecting my area to Bangla town and himtram, it would not only reduce my transportation woes, but also make it more accessible for other students facing similar challenges. A public transit option would provide a reliable and affordable means to get to school, fostering greater opportunities for education and community engagement. So I would like to end this with asking if the board would help us advocate for a bus for students.
Ms Drake, yes. Ma'am, how many more public commenters do we have online?
Sorry, currently 11.
Okay.
Madam Chair, are they all pertaining to the same dynamics? So
I'm not sure. Okay, go ahead, Miss Drake. Madam
Chair. I just want to let you know that two of the online guests will require a translation, so there will be a pause while they're coming to the phone, and I will have the translator approach the mic. Okay? Thank you. I
Hello. She needs
Fatima if you can mute the YouTube stream that's in the background, you won't get that kick back. But do you require translation?
Fatima, yeah,
I thought someone, if you're listening, if you could email the board so that we can get your concerns addressed, I'm going to move to the next caller.
Manola, please go ahead with your public comment.
Hello. She would lead a translate, translation for this.
Thank you. Is that translation Bengali?
Yes,
thank you. Can the translator please approach the mic?
Should my mom speak?
Go right ahead with your public comment.
I need Marco, I need, I'm sorry one second.
Miss Drake, can we? Can we get them? Because we can't. We need to hear the translator. I'm
sorry to interrupt you. Could you please say part, and then the translator is going to translate to the board and then let you know when to go to your next portion.
Okay, okay,
so I have five kids, and every so.
One moment
I'm starting
to lie here. Guitar,
Ms Drake, is there a way we can possibly get a phone number, and maybe we can have the translator call, and they can speak to the translator through the phone, and the translator can speak to us through the mic.
Hello, Sure.
English as a
I mean her,
hello. Is there her turn to speak?
It is her turn, but we just need
to meet underway. Tarba, derto, I mean, hello.
Yeah, she's not gonna hear. She's not the translator. Come to me, Ma'am, can
you go to the back To the AV table?
One moment. Um,
Assalamualaikum.
G Ko, you, I
have six kids, and I every day they need their debt to drop them off in the school, but
the hookah public busses.
Okay, one of my daughter named Fatima, she takes public busses to go to the school, and I'm very worried at home. Every day I worry about her safety, but
the hookah,
but every week, I need 30 to $40 to pay for the ride. And sometimes add to that $5 or $10 tips, if there is after school, then I have to pay like $20 extra to get them at home. But also
sometimes I do not even get right. And at home, I stayed worried and thinking about my kids, what they are doing, but
the hookah another
we are all mothers, and we are mothers sending our students, children's in the school, and worrying at home, and we do not feel calm or peace in our mind while staying at home, but the hook up 930
God, help us, and everything should be okay by getting air like pass for the cheaper our Children and I get I will get a peaceful mind that thinking my children are safe, my oldest daughter, I do not send her to school, school because of the transportation, but
the hookah Academy, those donor vital shot. Commercial, baby, tiny
schools. I
have two kids. Goes to him trauma Academy. And I have another one going to preschool who needs like, $150 a week. And my daughter, Fatima, she needs every week 70 to $80
item. Number is
and I have three other daughters. They take the public busses.
Do
madam? Madam Chair, the second person I'm going to have her go ahead. That was Fatima who was having the audio problem.
Yeah, I can talk. I can talk in English. I don't like me
the translator, nope, no problem. Go right ahead.
So my name is Fatima. Fatima, I go to kes Technical High School. I've been campaigning to get this bus, to get a yellow school bus for cat technical students who live in who live in banglatown. For the past few weeks, we've been connecting with few of the board members to about these issues, but like they keep on saying that we should get we should take the public bus, but my parents, they don't feel safe taking the public bus, so and my dad and me, we pay over like $3,000 every year for me, for me to go to school when it's a public school. Also, this issue even led my sister to leave cast due to transportation. I'm reaching out to see if there's any way you guys can help us get this transportation and help our family and other families that really need the bus.
Thank you.
Elizabeth, Williams, please go ahead with your public comment.
Elizabeth Williams, please go ahead with your public comment.
Hello, yes,
please go ahead with your public comment. Hello. My
name is Elizabeth Williams. I'm an organizer with bam. I'm a proud Detroiter and a graduate of Osborne High School, and I want to say this political censorship is the reason this board has to go it is like ridiculous and tutorial to say that we can't speak politically about a political event such as a school board meeting. Like many Detroiters, especially those who have gone through Detroit Public Schools, the question of public education, the inequality and how to win real democracy in our world is one that I ask every day. And what is needed is a change. This is with for winning real equality for Detroit and for a student, means fighting for equal quality public education for our young people and building a movement. And what is needing is putting the movement on this board so that we can go to Lansing and fight for the funds so that we don't have so we're not following teachers asking for ADA accommodations and just it. It's going to take fighting. It's going to take putting the movement on this board, which is why I'm voting for Ben royal, Nicole Conaway and Terry and Joe.
Can you cut the mic? So the time is now 841, so we've been in public comment for one hour. If there's a desire to continue public comment, then the chair would need a motion to do that at this time, I
there's no desire. Okay, so those, Ms Drake, can you make sure that those who might have been interested in public comment, if they could just send something to you? Dr Vitti, I know that we have several comments that we. On questions that we want to answer for those and I guess I'll start with just, let me just say this about the political candidate. Excuse me. Let me just, can I just say this? Okay, Miss Thank you. Miss Moore, because we listened to you for three minutes too. You had your time. We were respecting we were respecting everybody that came. But what I want to say is, it's not about the political comments. Let's be real clear. We live in a democracy, so that's not it. But this is not the opportunity for candidacy. Not one board member is Canada doing campaigning for their candidacy on this board, or for anyone else, we are talking about issues that are relevant to our school district, and the same level of disrespect that we don't want to see in the schools and in the classrooms is what often times, happens at the board meeting. So that will no longer happen. We are putting an end to that today as we try to change culture and climate. The way that we do that is that we start taking a stand in that space, as these young people have reached out and been very upset and and very disappointed with the way that the adults are acting in the room. They do not need that type of advocacy. So let's move forward with all the questions Dr V that were asked tonight. I have a few, and if you miss and then I'll let you know which ones I have. All
right, thank you, Madam Chair. I'll personally follow up regarding ms Garrett's concern about her child as a ASD student not having a locker. I don't know the status of that at King, but I will look into that. I have MS Garrett's email, and I will email her or staff will call her directly. Just want to clarify that we have increased pera pay more than $2 over the years. We've had anything from 4% to 11% increases for paras, depending on the group. We've also provided bonuses from 2000 3000 in multiple different forms over the years, we're in active negotiations with all our non DFT unions. We had an update in closed session, and I look forward to going back to union leaders this week to continue negotiations with updated offers. As far as circle is concerned, yes, we are investing in the facilities at durkl. That's part of the facility master plan series six. Those projects will start at the beginning of 2026 remember, we have 1000s of projects in that facility master plan, and they're scaffold through a SIX series circle will receive updated heating systems, updated masonry work and electrical upgrades, as well as a reminder, we provide all of our high school students with free transportation through the city bus system. There is a bus that goes from the area that was discussed today directly to CAS, or a series of busses that go to CAS. So we are very careful with adding shuffle shuttles when there are city transportation. Because obviously there are many students, many families in many different neighborhoods that would like a yellow bus or shuttle service to a particular school, whether it be an exam school or another neighborhood school. We provide yellow bus service to our K students and our in some of our special needs students based on their IEP and needs. I will follow up an email regarding the advocacy for this shuttle bus. But we also want to be fair and consistent with all high school students and there are city busses that travel to that location. So if we add a shuttle there, I think we do create an equity as far as how we're providing transportation. There is a shuttle bus that goes from Southwest Detroit to CAS but that's because there's not a city bus line that goes from that area to Caz. Just want to point out that our schools do have budgets to purchase, for example, clear book bags. Some of them do that the school level decision. Unfortunately, the incident at flicks and other schools are about threats, and a book bag, in and of itself, isn't eliminate a threat. I think, to the parents point, we do have to talk to our students about what they're saying, how they say it, how they express their anger and their frustration. But as a district, we do take every threat seriously, and we use a threat assessment that the school level completes after a threat to determine if the extent of the truth of the threat a history of threats or violence by that student. Some of those threats actually move into a police our our dpscd Police visiting homes to determine if a weapons at that location or that home. And it does a threat does typically lead to a removal, a transfer from that school to another school, depending on the threat the type of. Threat and the other disciplinary issues that that student has faced that school and other schools. Madam Chair, I don't know if I missed any other points.
No, that was those were the points that I had, as well for all the questions and or comments, I am interested in the number of students that are in the Hamtramck area who actually would need transportation. So if you could get those numbers to to us, that would be helpful. Thank you. Is there anything else from the board as it relates to anything that was said today? Public comment? Anything? If not, we will move to item announcements. So that would be item number 13 on the agenda? Are there any announcements? Are there any announcements? If not, the Chair will entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved. So moved without objection. Thank you so much everyone. Please have a good night. Thank you for being here tonight. I
