Tell them we ready. Testing, testing. Thank you. Good evening, and welcome to the board meeting, our last board meeting of the year. 2024 excited to see so many faces in the place we're going to go ahead and get started. The time is now. 532 I'd like to go ahead and call the meeting to order. Madam Secretary, can I have a roll call please?
Angelique Peterson, Mayberry, I'm president. Misha stall worth West, Sonya Mays, Dr Iris Taylor, Sherry gay, Daniel co Latrice McClendon, Bishop, Dr Coletta Vaughn, Michael West, Naomi Babatunde, present, Madam
Chair, you may begin. Thank you. Meeting norms. We respect the right of all persons who 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. At this time, we will have our moment of silence, and I just want to make sure that we lift up two of our DPS, CD, falling soldiers, and that's what I call them. We have Tulane Henderson, A ESC para professional at Charles Drew Transition Center. And we have crystal Lee, a teacher at Charles, Drew Transition Center. So if we can remember the families of Tulane Henderson, Crystal Lee and our entire Charles R drew Transition Center, family during our moment of silence today, you
you. Thank you. We will now move into our national anthems. We have the color guard with us from Renaissance High School The Phoenix so they will be presenting in for color guard and Star Spangled Banner. Lift Every Voice and Sing will be performed by Martin Luther King, Junior Senior High School voices of King Ensemble. So if We could please stand you,
Oh say, can you see By the dawn's early lights were so proudly we've brought stripes and bright
stars we watched Were so gallantly streaming And the rocket
The bombs bursting. Our flag was still there. Oh say, does that so? Spango,
way or the free.
Let every
voice sing.
Liberty. Liberty, Let our rejoicing rise.
Sing a song full of the faith that the darkness has taught us, sing a song full of
the hope that the present has
brought us Facing the rising sun. Of our new day begun. Let us march on till victory.
If we could please give a round of applause to the Renaissance high school, school Color Guard and the MLK voices of King Ensemble. Thank you so much. I know our young people are eagerly anticipating Christmas break, so we appreciate them being with us this evening. If you notice additional faces on the stage with us this evening. It is because we have our student board ambassadors in position, and so you will hear later for Miss Michael West and Miss Naomi Baba tune day, yes, and also Avery, Hearst is in the audience. So if Avery, where's Avery, okay, so we have Avery as well. If we could give our student ambassadors to the board a round of applause. Thank you so much. We will now move into public comment registration closing. The time is now 539, 539, public comment registration has closed due to lack of a quorum at the time. If you are in the audience, you know that we need four board members present to vote on any action items on the agenda. However, anything that does not require a vote, we are able to move forward, so I will now move into our chair. Remarks. I know that Dr Vitti, you know, he reports how every month as it relates to attendance of our students and even the staff, but we know that consistent attendance is absolutely essential part of student success, and as we attempt to address absenteeism, we want to remind everyone of the district's attendance policy, the requirement that we've actually implemented. It affects grade promotion guidelines so grades K through eight students who missed more than 45 days or more in a school year risk not being promoted and having to repeat the grade. That number for high schoolers, high schoolers is 23 or more days in a single course in that semester, high schoolers who find themselves in this place, or k8 who find themselves in this place, it will be no surprise, as they will be communicated to throughout the process if they are at risk. So this should be understood that this is not meant to be punitive. However, we are trying to foster accountability and enforce a set of excellence and standards. With our young scholars, we know that there are extenuating circumstances, and so those will be dealt with on a case by case basis, but we have to make sure people understand the importance of being in school every day, not just on count day. I also want to mention that we've had an increase in student behavior that is unbecoming of the young scholars that they are in our schools. So we encourage families and support systems to remind their young people of the consequences of actions such as making pranks or threats through social media about things that they will do to the school, bringing items to school that have nothing to do with the learning environment, like edibles, vape pens and even minor weapons and just The importance of respecting students private and personal space, and adults respecting the buildings and school staff. So we just want to reiterate this. All of these actions require consequences, and we'll continue to enforce them anytime that we have someone disturbing the learning environment for our students, as we do investigate these incidents. And so we just want to make sure that our young people are coming to school so that they can receive the whole child experience, and those things that I mentioned can often interrupt that rise up and read more. District competition for grades K through 12 is effective right now. Students participate in. Enjoy and engage in friendly reading competitions sponsored by the Department of literacy. The first challenge is now through January the 10th, and prizes are being offered to the student and to the classrooms who log in the most reading time. So good luck to all of our readers. I'm sure this isn't the first time that you're hearing about this, but if you're in the community, we want you to know about these reading challenges that we have active not just in the month of March for reading month as the weather changes. We also want to make sure that families are aware that the district has resources to help families who find themselves experiencing challenges by living in shelters, or even for young people who are in foster care, there is support in the district. So if you know someone that needs support, please have them reach out to the Office of homelessness and foster care. We know that we recognized that department a couple of months ago at a board meeting, but resources are available, so please don't hesitate to reach out. If you know families who are in that position as we tackle the challenges associated with our ese department, we do think it's important to celebrate those who work very hard and diligently to lead this work is extremely difficult work. So we want to congratulate Assistant Superintendent ms Lauren and zorma, who was awarded the National Association of gifted children administrator of the year award in Seattle last month. Yes, we look forward to a formal recognition for Miss and zorma next month in January. So stay tuned. The second to last thing I want to lift up is that I know that we have a lot of students present tonight, and we will be doing recognitions, so we will be congratulating, I just want to congratulate the central Trail Blazers football team for securing the state championship for District Six, and the cast tech football team for securing the state championship for district One. And neither one of these schools are strangers to this title, but we know that it's not easy to get there, and once you're there, it's really difficult to stay in that space. So we recognize and congratulate all of our student athletes and all the coaching staff in the school leadership. Lastly, this meeting serves as the final board meeting for two of our dedicated board members, they will be bidding us a farewell and a goodbye. They both were elected, along with myself in 2016 election, and we took office in 2017 this was the first year post emergency manager. We came into this space with challenges that seemed insurmountable, but they have left an indelible mark on the students and staff of the district with their leadership, their advocacy and their steadfast commitment, they ensure that they enhance the learning experiences of those in dpscd. So if you are unaware, this is the last official board meeting for board members, Miss Sonia Mays and our Vice President, Miss Misha Stallworth west. So if we could give them a round of applause for their dedicated work, wow.
So we do have a presentation we want to present. Thank
just, yeah, I
question.
So we will hear a few words from our vice president.
I did not have anything prepared ahead of time, so forgive me as I try to pull it together on the spot. Thank you very much for the recognition and thank you to everyone on the board for the opportunity to have served with you. Thank you to the community for having elected me and excuse me, trusted me with your children for the last eight years. And thank you to the staff for also putting that trust in me and in this board to lead this district in partnership with Dr beat, as the Chair mentioned, 2017 was a really interesting year coming out. Of emergency management, and when making the choice to run for this position and to run for it twice, I've said many times to folks that I knew up front, it would be an exercise in celebrating progress and building toward the vision that we have for all of our students in the city, while also failing every day, because that's what it is to rebuild something. That's what it is to understand that you have a standard that you are trying to reach, and you're not inheriting something that's already built and functioning well. And so I just encourage everyone to remain steadfast in that journey, to not be discouraged when we do inevitably fail, as we all do in life, it's about how we fail forward and how we recover. And to all of my colleagues and especially to my student leaders, one of the things I'm most proud of in this work, I'm still around and I'm ever a support system and advocate for this district. So thank you all very much. Thank
you to our Vice President. Thank you so much. I do want to now I know Dr Taylor has arrived, so before we hear an introduction from each of our student ambassadors, little about a little bit about who they are. I will go back to item number three on the agenda, which is the approval of the agenda. The chair will entertain a motion to accept the approval of the agenda as presented. So moved support. It's been properly moved by Dr Taylor, properly supported by Bishop Vaughn, the motion on the floor is to accept the approval of the agenda as presented 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 four, approval of meeting minutes, so we have 4.01 through 4.05 the regular board meeting minutes from November 12, 2024, 12th, 2024 4.02 the regular board meeting minutes closed session from November the 12th, 2024 4.03 finance committee meeting minutes from November 22 2024 4.04 policy committee meeting minutes from November 25 2024 and 4.05 academic committee meeting minutes from November, 25 2024 the chair will entertain a motion to tie bar items 4.01 through 4.05 so moved. Is there support? It's been properly moved by Bishop Vaughn, properly supported by Vice President starworth West, to tie by items 4.01 through 4.05 is there any discussion the motion on the floor? If not, all those in favor of tie bind our items, 4.01 through 4.05 signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried the chair will now entertain a motion for the tie. Bar of items, 4.01 through 4.05 support. It's been properly moved. Is moved and supported. Properly moved by Dr Taylor, properly supported by Dr Vaughn. Any discussion all those in favor of the motion of the tie bar 4.01 through 4.05 signify by saying, Aye. Any opposed motion carried now the chair will entertain a motion to accept the chair's remarks that were made this evening. So moved? Is there support? Support? It's been properly moved by Dr Vaughn, properly supported by Vice President Stallworth west, to accept the chair's remarks any discussion of 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. We will now move to item number seven on the agenda, which is the student report, and I will first turn it over to Ms. Michael West, thank you
so much, Madam Chair, I know I'm really
happy one second because the mic doesn't appear to be on. Try it now. Testing, testing is it is the button pushed?
Okay, try it now. Hello, okay, we got,
I know I'm so happy to be back. All right, for sure, I'm really happy to be back before we give our report today, we want to first provide some background to what the district executive Youth Council is, or known as the duic. The duic is an immersed group of high school leaders from each high school. We attend workshops, participate in leadership building activities, and represent our schools with pride. This year, we want to represent with excellence every du YC member by ensuring we give accurate reports that both highlight the good reports and heavy concerns happening within each high school. We will continue using the system implemented last year by the previous student board members, including myself, which allows the Superintendent and the Board to see exactly what the du YC members are saying and. Respond accordingly. In addition to the system, we present a section of our report meeting at the board meeting titled remaining questions. This week, we emailed the questions to the Office of the Superintendent for his review. Those questions arise from duyc members who feel their questions may not have been addressed by the representative from each school and their support staff. Okay, I'll begin with the highlights, Denby, DSA and Crockett high schools have experienced an increase in attendance over the past month. Students believe this may be attributed to a higher population rate than the previous years. This is very important as we are now aware of the new tenants policy implemented by DPS, CD and the superintendent, which was sent out to all students, staff and parents. Many high schools have also important. Reported an increase in school spirit events such as homecoming winter concerts and activities organized by the senior class. Schools like cast tech southeastern and Crockett are enthusiastic about showcasing the various activities they are hosting to strengthen community within their schools. Civil activities include ice cream socials, Homecoming winter dances, skating parties and a senior sunrise to bring in the school year. The duic encourages students to collaborate with school administration to plan such activities. Finally, in the highlights, we want to celebrate two football teams who have achieved success in the past season. Osborne High School has officially been declared all city champs, which signifies their top position in the city. And additionally, my high school, Cass tech, has won the state championship in Division one. We are excited to celebrate these student athletes and their achievements in the classroom as well as on the field. And with that being said, I'll pass it over to Naomi.
Thank you. Micah, at the duic meeting in November, students asked a variety of questions that will be sent to Dr reedy this week for his review, we have bulleted some of the policies and procedures that our questions will touch on, as follows, technology policy for high school and elementary school students, attendance and tardiness policies for all dpscd students, facility policies, student safety policy, curriculum and instruction policy, staffing policy,
okay, Madam Chair, that concludes our report for December.
Thank you so much. Do we have any questions from the board members as it relates to our student ambassadors? Okay? If not, thank you. We look forward to hearing from you every we know that we have conversations in between board meetings and in between subcommittee meetings, but we look forward to your report out in the community needs to hear from you. So thank you so much. We appreciate you. We will now move into item so member Mays actually has arrived, and we honored you in your absence and thanking you for your dedicated service to the district since 2017 when we took office. And we know that you have had two successful campaigns and done a lot of really impactful work in the district. And so we allow Vice President starworth was to have comments as well as we get, we are giving you your flowers while you can smell them, as well as a plaque so that you remember all of the work that you did. And I guess I will read the plaque, and it simply says, Thank you for eight years of doing your part to help students rise. When students rise, we all rise. And I think that says it all. I don't think that there is a need to be labor the moment. So member Mays, please.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and I'll be brief, I really appreciate that acknowledgement. The last eight years have been nothing but joy. I've been really proud to stand alongside six other board members for the last eight years and really work to move this district forward to its next level. Those of you who know me know how passionate I am about DPS. I'm a graduate, I'm a daughter of a DPS teacher, so it's just been an absolute honor alongside you ladies as well as Dr Vitti and the staff. So you'll be missed, but I'm not too far, so if anything comes up, if I could be of service, I'm ready and waiting. So thank you.
Thank you. And we did take a photo, and now that we have you and member gay DAG, no go present. If we can come back to the center for one moment, Please, right, absolutely, get your steps
on. Thank you. Applause.
Well now, we'll now move into the finance report from our CFO, Mr. Vedo.
Good evening, board members and community. Good evening. The clicker.
This evening, we'll be presenting the financials through October,
beginning with the DPS. The district received approximately $9 million on our 13 mills that brought our balance to $54 million we did make an additional scheduled interest, earning interest only payment on the capital debt of $23 million in October, on the operating millage. We did receive approximately $2.5 million in receipts, bringing our year to date balance. We are projecting, year to date, balance of 2.6 million. We were able, with the collections to make supplemental payments of $14.7 million this does leave a balance on the operating debt of approximately 4.5 million, which will be paid in the winter of 2025 on dpscd revenue came in slightly higher than projections. We received the $15 million from the Cooley award. So that was received increasing revenue on expenditure side, personnel costs still remain lower, as we have not fully implemented to all union agreements as well as contracted services have come in slightly lower than forecast, although we expect those to catch up throughout the year. Lastly, we ended the month with approximately $23 million or 2321 weeks of available cash. We are also completing the transfer into the facility master plan that was approved at last month's committees. That concludes my report. Any questions?
Thank you. Mr. Bodido, do we have any I know Dr Vitti in his report tonight, we'll talk a little bit about the mills, prop s, that whole conversation. But do we have anything for the CFO as it relates to his report?
No. Madam Chair, everything I want will come
from. Will be from Dr V super can Mr. Video. Can you just really quick, I know we have used showed a one time payment for the Cooley complex, correct? Yes. Can you just talk a little bit that may be new to some people who are unaware of what that project is? Yes.
So in the state adopted budget that was adopted this summer, there was $15 million allocation to the district to work on the Cooley facility. And so that money was received by the district and is available to now be spent on that project. We also received an additional $7 million allocation for the Davis aerospace moving to the airport. We had in October, we had not received those funds. We did receive those funds in November.
Thank you. Hence them being on the report now. Yes. Member gain technical, Yes, Madam
Chair, I just, I don't have a question for Mr. Video, but I do want to celebrate Senator Darren Camilleri, who worked on education appropriations with, I believe, Dr Iris Taylor and getting this work done, also rep Regina Weiss, our legislators are currently in session, and so my tardiness was due to me talking to them, As I shared with the president before coming in legislation that is being voted on tonight that impacts criminal justice reform. But nonetheless, our members from the Detroit caucus all pushed heavily for this appropriation, and so they should be celebrated. This is a huge deal to have this level of an appropriation for the project and other set projects. So I just want to be mindful as rep Weiss does represent part of the city of Detroit and has expressed a continued commitment to our district and my former colleague, Senator Darren camellari, but not just him, the entire Detroit caucus and Democratic caucus, for that matter, that made sure that this got across the finish line. Thank you,
and thank you for lifting that up, because often times those are those unsung heroes. I know we have a lot of conversations and meetings away from the grid, and people are unaware of the amount of energy put into it, but this, again, is a huge win for us. I know the Tuskegee Airmen partnership with them as well. They've been extremely vocal as as we have about the fact that we do not feel that Davis aerospace students should have ever left the city airport, and so they will be going back to the airport, and the land over at Cooley High School will not go to the room. So thank you. We will now go to item number nine on the agenda, which is the Superintendent's report. So Dr video, I'll turn it over to you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening everyone. Tonight, I'm going to start recognitions by first reviewing some broad district data around advanced placement and then have an opportunity to recognize some of our students and the schools those students are at. I had an opportunity to review these data points at the last academic committee waiting for it to go up on the screen. You can see here, the district has been very intentional about increasing access to advanced placement classes for students across the district, not just at our exam schools. The importance of increasing advanced placement classes is that when students take advanced placement classes at the high school level, not only are they immediately exposed to college level content and courses, but they have the opportunity to receive college credit depending on the college institution they would go to, but typically a three or a higher on a one to five scale would lead them to get college credit. But even if they don't get college credit, they're still exposed to the academic rigor that comes along with taking college classes. But as you can see on the screen here, we dramatically increased access and performance in Advanced Placement throughout the district. If you look at the screen here on the far left to the far right, you can see in the 1819, year, about 1000 or 1707 students took AP classes across the district, and 364 passed this most recent year, the year that ended the 2324 year, we had 2181 students taking advanced placement classes. And 656 actually passed. So you can see a near doubling of the past the number of students passing AP classes across the district. And as I said, oftentimes when people think about advanced placement in dpscd, they only think about maybe about CAS tech or Renaissance. But this is happening throughout the district, including our neighborhood schools and expanding access in our exam schools. So that gives you just a quick snapshot of what's happening throughout the district. But tonight, we have students in the audience that are that have been recognized by the College Board. The College Board is the nonprofit organization that organizes and leads the Advanced Placement work throughout the country, and they've tried to do help districts recognize schools and students that are exceptional when taking and passing advanced placement classes. So for example, a school can be designated as a college culture school if at least 40% of students in the graduating class took an exam on AP exam at one point in high school, and then they they give medals under that college culture status. So past years of the 2324 year, Cass tech and Mary Grove, a new high school received the bronze in this area, Central High School, as you all know, a neighborhood school received silver. CMA, silver. Crockett, Midtown. Crockett received a silver designation, Northwestern another neighborhood high school received gold and platinum. Went to Renaissance and then so
under college credit, which is another designation, one of our schools, Renaissance received a gold which meant that at least 25% of students in the most recent graduating class scored a three or higher on an exam, an AP exam, in high school. And then this also means that they're not only taking the class, but passing the class, and so Renaissance was recognized last year college credit gold standard for not only taking classes but passing college optimization under that category, cash tech received a bronze This is awarded to a school where at least 2% of the graduating class takes five or more AP exams in high school, where at least one of those exams are taken in ninth and 10th grade year. The importance of that is promoting AP as early as ninth grade. Caz did that just last year, so they were recognized as a bronze and now we move into the individual awards. Students received from last year. So obviously, college, what college, what the College Board is trying to do is recognize increased access in schools and districts for students that typically have not had access to advanced placement. This year, we have a record number of students that have made this this list of of reckoning records recognition in different programs. So one type of recognition is the National African American recognition program, national first generation recognition program, National Hispanic recognition program, national indigenous recognition program, National Rural small town recognition program. And so to be recognized, you have to have a GPA of a b plus or higher. You have to be in the top 10% among PSAT 10th grade, or receive at least a three or higher and at least two distinct and different AP exams by the end of 10th grade. And then you have to identify as one of those students in the categories of African American, first generation, Hispanic, indigenous or small rural districts. So this past year, you can see from this list, we've had 54 students from CAS tech meet this recognition under African American, 19, first generation from Cas, tech nine, Hispanic from Cass tech, Crockett Middle School, two, African American. One. First generation at Detroit International Academy for young girls. A one first generation Detroit School of the Arts, two, African American designation at King two, African American, Northwestern one, African American Renaissance, 48 African American Renaissance, first generation, seven. Mary Grove, six for African American. Mary Grove, one first generation. At Southeastern, one African American and at Western, for first generation and for Hispanic. I believe that's a total of 137 students that have been recognized this past year, and we are aggressively trying to increase these numbers. So tonight, I'm going to let Miss Wilson. She's already here, just call out the schools that have students that are being recognized, and we're going to have the schools and the students come up to be recognized at the dais so we can take a picture and recognize this high achievement that our students have enabled to achieve. We're
going to go in alphabetical order. We're going to start with Cass Technical High School. We're going to now call up all the students who received the designation who are in attendance for Cass Technical High School. All right, Cass,
our next school will be Crockett Midtown High School of Science and medicine. We'll have all of the students who represent Crockett Midtown High School of Science and medicine come up to the stage. Next we'll have Detroit International Academy for young women. And the student who is here representing dia you guys are got a crowd in front, and we have about 40 students. And then I'm going to hand you your plaque by school for your photo, and if you need me to hold your coat, I can do that for you too. The next school is Detroit School of the Arts. The next school is Martin Luther King Jr Senior High School. The next school is Northwestern High School, Renaissance High School. We're going to have you crowd in and the photographer is down front. I'm going to have my photographer stand so my photographer can help organize what's happening on the stage.
We're going to call up
Renaissance high school, the school at Marygrove, southeastern. High School and Western International High School.
You guys are just that great. You well. Thank
you. Thank you for much,
really.
So congratulations
on we got a couple of more students in schools that are gonna come up for
discussion.
And if you can look straight ahead to the photographer, he has his hands raised. He is going to help coordinate the photo from the audience. We got a couple of more students that need to come up on stage. You all are coming up at one time, everybody, yeah, group picture, all of the schools. Group picture,
students all schools should be about 40 students who were able To make it here tonight, out of The 137
I control you get it. Gonna tear you one big photo. So we got four students behind you from southeastern, at Hezekiah, many of Western and
I I'm Gonna run around and get kissed. Oh, here's me
see. We got
a couple of more Western and southeastern. They can the photographer is going to coordinate. So the photographer, do you want some of the students to come down? Because my board chair, otherwise is going to coordinate.
You? Because we want everybody to be seen. This is a big deal, and we're really proud of you. We want so we can have some of You all just stand below where these students are.
Please. Now you hiding back here again.
Okay, it's just 377, I
you standing
behind somebody they can't see you. Come on, baby.
You It. So the photographer is asking that everyone squeeze in and kind of turn, if you're on the right side, turn towards the center, and if you're on the left side, you're going to turn towards the center as well. So if we could listen to the photographer, there's some students that need to come on the other side from the far end, because we're not balanced.
He's got it.
Let's give another round of applause to our students and the principals at each one of those schools for their leadership and parents. Thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to educate, shape and mold your young person. Thank you so thank you everyone.
We have more recognition. You did it like a student, so obviously, we just had a chance to recognize our students connected to that recognition. I want to thank our teachers that taught those classes. I want to thank our principals, our APS, our counselors that made the schedule work in order to open up those classes, our central office staff that is working very hard to add additional training, materials and resources, and lastly, the families that support the students that were on the stage. It is inevitable that most students on the stage probably ask not to take advanced placement because it is a harder class to take, especially multiple advanced placement classes, and often it's a family member that has a conversation with the student or the counselor to say, no, don't take them out of advanced placement. They need to take advanced placement. So I just want to also recognize all the families that were here tonight or not here tonight, to just encourage high expectations as we continue with recognitions on the same theme of college going classes or career going classes, our high schools have been working hard to offer not only more advanced placement, but International Baccalaureate dual enrollment, which is taking college classes on the college campus or having a college professor on the high school campus teaching the class. We've also dramatically expanded career classes at Randolph bright off, go lightly, and so our high schools try, at the minimum, to have every junior and senior take at least one college going class, defined again by AP, advanced placement, international black Lord do enrollment or college Going class that eventually will lead to industry certification. And tonight, I'm going to recognize our high schools based on last year's work that were outstanding, and not only at not only increasing access to these classes, but students passing the classes at the same time. So I'm going to start with our top five high schools from a percentage point of view of juniors and seniors at the minimum that were enrolled in a college going or career course. Number one on that list is Davis, aerospace and President. Davis, what happened?
I happened? Somebody?
Everything, okay, I. Yeah,
wait. Miss Davis, stay up here. Principal Davis, please.
Okay. Number two on the list is federal, Douglas Academy for Young men. Principal white. 100% of juniors and seniors were in a college or career class last year, Denby High School, 93% of juniors and seniors in college or career classes. We had a principal change. Principal Manningham led that work last year. Principal banks should be here, Northwestern High School Principal, Rogers 93% of juniors or seniors in college or career classes. And then lastly, Crockett, Midtown High School Principal, lively with 88% of students in college or career classes. So not only do we look at a percentage in those classes. Well, we look at how well they did in those classes. So this is the percent of those same juniors and seniors that passed the classes that were career or college ready. Number one, Davis aerospace High School, 100% of students. Pedro Douglas for young man Academy again, principal White, 100% Denby High School, 88% of students. Passes right number four, Henry Ford High School, with principal Richardson taking over for principal mock DOD, 78% and then lastly, cash tech, Technical High School, just Cass tech, 76% with again principal Phillips, who doesn't need to be recognized. So I'm going to recognize 10 more schools, and then we'll get up in the front. This is improvement. So this is from we're looking at 2223 to 2324 this is looking at improvement in these areas. So when we look at overall improvement of increasing access to college and career ready course. Number one was Denby high school again. Principal Bankston number two, Davis aerospace. Principal Davis, number three, Pershing High School. Principal Tipton number four, East English village Preparatory Academy at Finney. Principal Montgomery last year, principal Bulger. And then lastly, Henry Ford High School, principal Richardson previously principal mock Dodd. This is improvement in passing of college and career ready classes. Number one was Denby High School, principal banks. Number two, Davis, aerospace Davis, principal Davis Pershing High School, number three, principal Tipton, number four, East English Village at Finney, principal Montgomery, formerly principal Bulger. And then lastly, certainly not least, Henry Ford High School, principal Richardson formerly principal makdad. So this is all of our principals that are recognized tonight.
Yes, board members, please, let's join these Amazing leaders on stage. Phenomenal.
Congratulations.
Very much.
Wow, right if. If I may, I want to celebrate our entire district, these principals, the students, the parents and everyone for this accomplishment, but I want to make sure that I note this and I am have been Facebooking live. I received a number of people sharing some Tiktok that had erroneous information about the success of our schools. And so we have to continue lifting up the good that's right and highlighting that in public so that people know that what they see on Tiktok is not a reflection of what is happening and occurring at our district. And so it was great to see a number of those schools that were even mentioned in those tiktoks and to see the actual growth here, and hopefully our young board members can help us with our presence in social media and lifting up the good and the successes that we have occurring, and pushing back on those narratives that are not accurate depictions of how our district is performing. So thank you, and thank everybody else again to help make this a reality.
Amen. Thank you for lifting that up nominal.
Thank you. And so as I move into our our monthly metrics, I want to point out again, the importance of the recognition that just happened and then the work behind it. High school should be a springboard to college and or the world of work, and the recognition that we just spoke to means that that's exactly what our high schools are now doing it. You don't have to go to an exam school to have access to advanced placement or do enrollment. Now in our district, you don't have to leave school to have access to a career where now you can go to Randolph, which has been expanded bright off go lightly, and so just extremely proud of the district central office staff, our principals, our counselors, our teachers, for continuing to think out of the box and maximize every penny that we have in order to continue to offer access to our talented students. As far as our metrics go, most, if not all, are moving in the right direction. You see here enrollment at the top, we're at 49,227 as a reminder, the fall FTE count was closed at about 48,800 students. So again, we've had about 400 more students enter the district after count. So we will educate those children without the immediate funding to do so. Re enrollment rate is steady at about 70% I don't anticipate that dramatically changing over the years. Right now, our average daily attendance district wide is 85% which is trending about four to three percentage points higher than the end of last year. Right now, if things continue the way they are, 51% of students would be chronically absent, meaning they would miss 18 or more days. Last year, we ended at 65% we're trending in about three to four percentage points lower in chronic absenteeism right now than we were last year. And right now, 95% of our teachers have what's considered excellent to moderate attendance. Our students just took the interim survey to tell us whether they feel loved, challenged and prepared. Our principals asked for us to do an interim so that they can problem solve before the end of the year. If students don't feel love, challenged and prepared, they all our students also are in the middle of taking their mid year assessments, so we'll have mid year data when it comes to literacy, math, science and social studies, and those grade level tested our end of course exams, and I'll be able to report on that in January, at the latest, February, we'll go through the academic committee before that. Right now, 53% of our students are in college or career classes on the junior and the senior level. That number is slightly below where we were last year at 63 because we have looked at some of the college courses that students were taking and we felt like they weren't rigorous enough. So we are going to try to expand those numbers going in the second semester. Right now we have 27 teacher vacancies, eight of which are special education vacancies, significantly lower than other districts throughout the country. We have 32 support staff vacancies, five assistant principal vacancies, three, counselor vacancies, six academic interventionist vacancies, not including a literacy lawsuit. We've now hired over 200 more academic intervention is through the literacy Lawsuit Funding focused on kindergarten, first second and we'll be expanding the third grade and more support for our English language learners. We have no clerical vacancies throughout the district, only four security guard vacancies, three pre K pair. Vacancies, 13 ese para vacancies, 25 cafeteria vacancies and 25 contracted custodian vacancies. Continuing on our metrics, we do see a lower percentage of students eating breakfast and lunch. We believe that the drop in breakfast participation is linked to changes to the Go breakfast model, where instead of grabbing it and going to the classroom, we're seeing less of that through our k8 because of concerns with whether it be rodents or disrupting the learning environment. So we're trying to work with individual schools that abandon that process and try to bring it back and create the right systems and processes to do that, because I think it will not I think it is affecting our percentage of students eating breakfast. We saw we're seeing a small dip in percentage of students eating lunch. We also believe that could be linked to changes with staffing at individual schools. We've seen a large number of cafeteria workers that are veterans retiring, and we have many new cafeteria workers that need to be trained and understand the way of work. So we think some production is slower than it may have been in the past. All of our operation metrics are lower than they were at this time last year, from processing invoices to paycheck errors to the average time for RFPs. So to conclude the presentation, I'm going to talk about where we are with this challenge with the state regarding the repaying of our debt. And so I'm going to try the best I can to explain an extremely complicated issue in the most simplistic way as possible. It's easy for me to talk through this because I live it every day, and I'm thinking through it. I know the language. So for the typical even community member or even staff member. It's difficult to think through this because it's foreign to most people. You're not really thinking about millages and debt and and so in state law. So we've put together this presentation to try to break down this challenge that we're facing as a district right now, as we get near the point of paying off part of the 18 mill debt that was inherited by dpscd. So let me start with just as a reminder how schools are funded. So regardless of the school district in Michigan, every school district in Michigan is required to levy an 18 mill tax that is largely a non homestead tax, which businesses in that city pay in order to contribute to K 12 education. Every district in Michigan has to tax at 18 mills in order to receive state aid. No different here in Detroit. And so when you tax at 18 Mills, and you generate that revenue. And if that revenue is less than the minimum amount, which in Michigan now is $9,600 then the state kicks in the difference to make sure that there is a floor that is consistent throughout the district that was passed with Prop A that was a positive movement toward equalizing funding, to be clear, which they're not equal, but we're closer to equal than we were before because of Prop A and so this happens throughout the district now, throughout the city, throughout the state. If you when you tax at 18 meals, and you generate more than the minimum, then you keep that those dollars, and that's why we have an equity in Michigan, because wealthier districts, mainly surrounding Detroit, generate more than 9600 and they keep that revenue and it is completely fungible and flexible. Can use it for anything you want, without restrictions. I'm not going to focus the presentation tonight on that, but I do want to call that out as a continuing challenge with state funding. So here in dpscd, the funding works differently, and that was based on dealing with the legacy debt of DPS. As some of you know, the debt was so enormous in DPS it could not function normally as a district because it was overburdened by the debt. It was it had run some through a local, empowered school board and appointed superintendent, but most through emergency management. And so when dpscd was created, dpscd was created just to run the district, as has been the case for the last eight years, DPS remains only to collect revenue and pay off legacy debt, and so taxpayers, or I should say property I should say business owners, continue to pay the 18 mill. Uh, tax. But when that money is collected, it is paying off legacy debt, mainly the 18 operating Mills debt. As that money is collected and pays to operating debt, we receive tobacco settlement money equivalent to per pupil funding, or at least EPS CD does so we can operate our district without being burdened by legacy debt, and that has been the case for the last eight years. So this moves into the challenge. And so as you know, November 5, voters overwhelmingly approved
proposal s which restored the 18 Mills at 18 Mills, that levy had reduced because property values in the city has increased, and so based on the lead the Headley act in state statute, if your revenue is increasing, that allows you to drop the millage to generate the same amount of revenue. You have to go back to voters to ask them to restore the 18 mills. We did that, and that means that we're generating about ten million more a year because businesses in the city are paying their due share to contribute to K 12. But remember that 18 Mills is paying off DPS debt, not running the district part of our argument, or part of our reasoning to ask you to vote and support props s was that we could pay off our debt faster, and we could reduce the burden on Detroit home owners by passing prop s And so DPS right now again, only functioning to pay off debt. We are due to pay off the 18 Mills debt almost two years earlier than anticipated when this board was first elected and empowered and when I became the first appointed superintendent. So we are on pace to pay off the 18 Mills operating debt by early 2025 March of next year, that debt was about $617 million that includes the pension debt, operating bonds and emergency loan. Now that's not all the debt, and you can see on the slide, we still have about $5 million in that operating debt to pay off again that should be paid off by March 2025, the remaining debt is the slurp debt, which is a school loan revolving fund and the capital bonds in the early 2000s Under the at that point and then powered elected board and emergency manager passed two bonds that were construction or capital bonds that equaled 1.3 million, rather billion, it should say billion, 1.3 billion, and we're still paying that off with interest. So if Prop s passed, and it did, we our goal, and I'm going to move to the next slide, was to use the 18 Mills revenue to quickly pay off, or more quickly pay off the remaining debt. And so if that were to be the case, we would have paid off our remaining debt as soon as 2031 where originally, when the board took office and I became superintendent, we weren't due to pay that off until 2050 and so that is a benefit to taxpayers in the city home owners, at least by Paying that debt off sooner. So here lies the problem, because we were close to paying off the operating debt. As we were, are we are about to pay off the operating debt? We received the opinion from the Treasury Department that once the 18 Mills debt was paid off, dpscd had to revert to an 18 Mills operating revenue to run dpscd, and that we could not use the 18 Mills revenue to pay off the remaining 13 Mills debt in The slurp and so this was recently communicated to the district. We do not agree with that opinion, whether it's our legal counsel or outside legal opinion clearly says that under state law, that should not be the case if we continue to move forward with the Treasury's department's opinion, then as soon as January, the school board would have to authorize the district administratively to move forward in a special election locally in the city of May 2025 to go back to Detroit voters to approve an 18 mill a. Um, revenue that would go fund dpscd as a normal operating School District. To run this special election, it would cost us about a million or more dollars because there is nothing on the ballot. And so the only thing that would be on a May 2025, ballot is this 18 operating millage. In addition to this, we would lose $100 million a year if voters did not approve in May for the 2526 school year. This would also mean that we would pay off, continue to pay off the 13 Mills, but it would take us much longer, probably 2040 to pay off the remaining capital debt, which is 1.7 billion and the slurp, this would also mean that Detroit homeowners would pay an additional 326 million in interest, and also continue to borrow with the slurp, and again, not pay that off until 2040 The other challenge with this is it puts dpscd in a difficult position to go out for a second bond, for example, or to be financed for cap for additional capital improvements beyond the $7 million we put in the facility master plan. So generally, we disagree with the Treasury's opinion. Why do we disagree? We disagree because when the state law was created to create dpscd, the state law, we believe and other lawyers agree that dpscd should not be running or not not tax locally until all the DPS debt is resolved, and once that debt is paid, then DPS would dissolve as a district, and we would move forward as a normal finance school district like others throughout the state. I'm not going to read the actual sections here. I'm just going to leave the screen up. But our interpretation of state law is that one again to repeat DP, that state law stated that dpscd should not have to tax locally and function as a regularly, locally funded district until all DPS debt is paid. That is not the case, because we still have the slurp and the 13 mil capital debt to repay. There's also precedence here. And so in Inkster, for example, which was a dissolved School District, they had 18 Mills operating debt, which they paid, and then after that was paid, 18 mill collection continued to pay off other debt that the district had, including capital debt. So there's precedence where you could use the 18 Mills revenue to pay off other debt that the district had. And so there's also precedence in this in the state regarding how this has been handled. So again, we continue to disagree with Treasury based on the interpretation of law. And I'm going to move into the path forward and then ask the board if they have any questions as we move forward. So one option is that the Treasury adheres to state law as written and allows DPS to continue to collect the 18 Mills, pay off the remaining operating debt and then shift the 18 mill revenue to pay off the 13 mills and the slurp that proposition is unlikely. Since I've directly engaged the governor, I've engaged legislators, individual school board members as well, the Treasury position has slightly where they are working with us in a broad way, to try to lengthen the time in which the 18 Mills can be used, and we don't need to move to a special election. The question is, where is there authority to actually do that, and is that something that we can rely on beyond December, where we would get into a situation where we would have to go to voters for an 18 mills to support dpscd In 2526 occupation 1b would Treasury agrees to repay the emergency loan through the operating millage 18 mills and allow us to repay even the slurp loan, which gives us time until 2026 and then after that, more time to go back to voters, to then use the 18 Mills not to pay off debt, but to run dpscd. It would just give us more time. Time to communicate this to the community and to low lessen the burden on Detroit homeowners. Option two, which is the path most likely, is to seek a legal solution to the State Court of Claims. This is likely the most
practical solution to the problem, because, as you can see, option three would mean legislative action that would recognize and clarify the existing state language. The challenge with legislative action is we are in lame duck a bill did pass the Senate this morning, the Senate committee, education committee, and then that will go to the full Senate, and then the house will have a similar bill, and it could be passed by the House and the Senate, and then the governor would have to sign it by December 31 that is a possibility, but that may be a challenge in the short timeline that we have. So in the meantime, we can seek legal clarity on how we interpret state law and then possibly withdraw the filing if something is passed in the legislature which would recognize and clarify the state language based on our interpretation, which would give us more time to go back to an 18 mills to run dpscd. So I apologize if it was still murky. I did my best to break down where we were, where we are. There's a lot of moving parts when you shift to 18 Mills, 13 Mills, 18 Mills debt, 13 Mills debt, slurp. A lot of other acronyms, but I'm going to try one more time in general. In general, DPS only remained when dpscd was created to pay off legacy debt. There are two basically, forms of debt that DPS still has to pay it off, 18 Mills operating debt, 13 Mills capital debt, the 18 Mills debt is operating is almost paid off. We view state law in saying that after that 18 Mills debt is paid off, we'd be able to continue to accumulate the revenue from the 18 mills and accelerate the debt payment of the 13 Mills, going from 2040 anticipating to pay off all the debt, to 2031 which is an updated number based on recent Property values and tax collections. That would mean that DPS Ed would be debt free by 2031 and dramatically reduce the amount of money that the average Detroit homeowner would have to pay, basically in paying off interest from emergency management and DPS debt. The Treasury did not agree with this, and felt that once the 18 Mills debt is paid, we'd have to run the district as we normally would, collecting 18 Mills, and run dpscd and then continue to tax Detroit home owners that pay off the capital debt. So right now, there's legislative movement. We're optimistic, but I don't think we can assume that will happen and rely on the courts to clarify, to hold the governor, hold the Treasury and hold the legislature, whether it now and even past lame duck moving into a Republican led house, to pass and clarify legislation based on court ruling to protect Detroit homeowners and dpscd.
So thank you, Dr Vitti, that was a lot, and I know that we've had conversations as a board superintendent team on all of this, because as a board, we have gone to the community and we had asked them to vote yes on prop S, or we told we told them what a yes vote on Prop s would do. And so we felt like that this conversation is absolutely appropriate, and the community needs to hear kind of what happened and where we are as a school district. So there are some, if I'm not mistaken, there's some one pagers, right? One pagers that community can take and try to digest a bit more about what was said. But I do want to open it up to the board to see if there's any additional conversations, questions or comments as it relates to this, conversations around the 18 meals under 13 meals. And
just to clarify, the House Education Committee passed bill today. Yes, not Senate. The Senate was working on a K kindergarten mandatory. So the
House passed. So again, we House Education Committee, so rep wise, thank you,
exactly, yeah. I just want Thank you, Madam Chair. Want to lift up. And Thank you, Doctor Vitti, for that very in depth explanation of history since 2016 really, actually before when we look at the struggle of how DPS got to where it is with the state takeover constantly taking bond money that was passed, but while serving in the legislature, I voted in 2016 and push back on a number of the issues, and so certainly stand ready and willing to always fight for what is right with respect to DPS, because I know what the intent of the legislation was as Detroit caucus members voted for it, even, you know, it wasn't everything that it should have been. It has always been conveyed or explained as a bailout. It was not a bailout because we did not get the audit that we requested. And had we got the audit, we still wouldn't. We probably wouldn't be having some of these conversations that we're having now. But just understanding how people learn this is very complicated. I would, as I express to our chair woman, that I would like for us to maybe perhaps have follow up zooms that could even work with marketing messaging or someone to even distill this message down just a little bit more. I know the DR Vitti went more into the history and and understanding Headly and people not understanding that, and then signing dive when the legislature closed. But I just think it's, it's it would be more helpful if we just distill it just a little bit more and be able to talk about what it means going forward, and because we are moving in cadence with the legislature while they're voting what our next steps might be, and I know we're going to talk about some of that, so it probably won't be relevant to kind of lift up until after that, after that. But if we get get with our comms team to do something and maybe put something together for maybe next week, to get a zoom, because we're in real time, and we know that, and we appreciate rep Weiss and what was done in the house, but we know getting that to the floor and then To the Senate is probably not realistic. So
thank you. Thank you. Member gay dagno Go, I know member Mays, you had a question or comment. That
was exactly my question. I think member gay dagno Go answered it. What is the likelihood of it hitting the governor's desk by the end of the year?
I mean, anything could happen. So if the political will was there to make this a high priority, they could we voted until four and five o'clock in the morning, and they just ran all the bills that needed to be ran. But as many of you have watched the media, many of voters have been absent from work. The numbers not always adding up to make sure that we are able to move it. I believe most people are at work today, which is why I've gotten so many phone calls about other legislation. But if they wanted to move it, they could move it and suspend all rules to make sure it moves really quickly. But the likelihood of that unless we have a commitment from the speaker and or the governor that that is what is going to happen, I would say not likely. If we have a commitment being Dr Vitti that that is, is what is going to happen, it can happen. It can all happen between tonight, tomorrow into Thursday. What's today, Tuesday, Thursday. It can get a lot done between now and Thursday.
Thank you. And then just a final thought. Dr vidy, I wanted to take Thank you, Mr. Vidito, and the rest of your team has been chasing this down. I won't spend any time, any more time talking about the complexity of what's here, but I do just want to lift up that this is one of these kind of arcane financial, financial back of house, things that can have serious consequences and ramifications for the district going forward. So thanks for the attention you're spending on this. And please let us know the district has come a long way, in my opinion, in terms of even being able to have these conversations at the legislative level so quickly. And so if there's anything else we can do to help support please let us know.
Thank you. Do we have any Vice President starworth? Wes?
I just wanted to offer one very specific resource. So while at Citizen Detroit, you know, we developed a lot of workbooks to explain complex policy. And so there is a workbook still available from the March primary a couple of years ago with the DIA millage. The last two pages of that workbook already does all the work of breaking down how millages work. What is taxable value on a property, and so feel free to use that as a resource
and. We do have an infograph out here, I think, and it's the beginning of that process, but certainly can be refined and improved. As a reminder if, if and when I think we file in court, if there's a legislative solution, then it's a matter of withdrawing the filing and so we can remain optimistic. I think there are legislators that are trying to tackle this, I would agree that in a lame duck situation with a lot of absenteeism, I don't know how much can get done between now and December 31 so that, I think that that's why filing is the best way to protect the district and Detroit taxpayers.
Thank you. Dr Vitti and I know several interest groups have reached out to ask how they can support so I will just say stay tuned, because there are conversations happening frequently and things are moving. So I just want to make sure that people understand that there may be an ask from the community. So we appreciate all of those who have reached out to ask, how can they assist? If there is nothing else, the Chair will entertain a motion to accept Dr VDS report. Is there? Is there support? Support? It's been properly moved by Dr Taylor, properly supported by member gay tech, no go to accept Dr VDS report all those in favor of the motion on the floor. Signify by saying, aye, discussion.
Madam Chair. Sorry. Just briefly, I wanted to speak within Robert's Rules. I wanted to circle back real quick to our students and the AP exams and college courses. And just wanted to, I mean, especially after all of that conversation, wanted to also just make note like so AP exams are administered nationally by the College Board, and students passing college courses are mastering the content offered by those colleges. So I really wanted to underscore that performing so well in those areas is, of course, a reflection of the students and their hard work, but it's also a reflection of the performance of the district and what we've worked so hard over the years to be able to provide. It means that the curriculum is high quality and it's working. It means critically, that the teachers and educators delivering that curriculum are doing it at the highest levels and doing it at the highest levels across our high schools. So it really shows what's possible if we continue that hard work and these kinds of accomplishments is what all of this work is really about. So I just, again, really wanted to underscore our students and to highlight and think and recognize the educators that make it possible.
Thank you. Thank you for that. Absolutely we appreciate that. Is there any more discussion? If not, there is a motion on the floor that has been properly moved and supported to accept the Superintendent's report. All those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. We'll now move into item number 10, 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, that public comment registration closed at 539 539, for those in person, and chair will call the names of individuals to address the board in order to receive please remain seated until your name is called. For those who are joining us, virtually, the public comment will be facilitated through zoom webinar and the link and phone number for which can be accessed at Detroit, K twelve.org, backslash board meetings. Individuals wishing to address the Board may do so by choosing one of the two options. Through your computer, you can select raise your hand, and that's an option on your screen. Or through your telephone, you can press star nine, and that raises your hand on the telephone, the Chair will select the individuals in order to receive and you will remain muted until it is your time to speak. All comments will be limited to three minutes, and the superintendent will reply to questions or concerns raised today that do not violate ethical, legal standards, confidentiality, privacy of others or require additional information to respond. If you would like a direct response to your question and or concern, please forward an email to the secretary of the board, Vanya Moore at Vanya dot Moore at Detroit K twelve.org So we'll now move into public comment those in in person. I do also just want to take this time to appreciate our interpreters who are here at every meeting, and I know there are several of them who come out to make sure that that service is being provided. So please, let's just give our interpreters a round of applause our ASD. Thank. ASL, American Sign Language, correct? Yes, yes. And I know our students are many schools. Our students are learning that as well. So when we talk about pipelines, we may look out there one day and see young people doing that exact same thing. So we have two microphones, if we can get Tamara niblet and Cynthia Sanders to one microphone and Mother Moore and Danielle Stevens to the other microphone, please so Tamara niblet and Cynthia Sanders and then mother Moore and Danielle Stevens to the other microphone. Please. Do
Okay. Ms niblet is Tamara Niblett here, okay. Oh, is Cynthia Sanders here? Okay, mother Moore, go ahead.
You very much. I was feeling real good while the children were being showing us how wonderful everything was, but I'm totally depressed now because I see a board that doesn't even know their history. Doctor, vivid your report slapped me upside the face, as my mother would say when I acted a fool. You don't know the history. All of you sitting up there do not know the history of how we fought. Except Sherry, all those years to get our school system back, fell into a trap where they said you can have it back, where we're going to charge you for all the money we misspent, and for all these years we're still trying to get it back. And now you all sit up there because you don't know the history. You don't know what they did to us and our children, and here we gotta pay this debt to 2040 that's so ignorant, the fact that we are accepting it and just talking about it like it's nothing. We did not go to Lansing all those days, day in and day out, to get our school system back. Sherry, do you remember us coming up there all the time? Yes, ma'am. And do you remember how you all had to help us get our school system back, and then when we got it back, the board that's there, and the board that was before us did not get into the details of how we got it back. You fell into the trap of them charging us for all the money that they put up on us. This is not us doing our money, our children up in our school system. This is not us. They did it to us, and we should still be trying. Which we our group is to get the money back. We are never stopped. So I'm very angry today, and I The other thing I want to talk about is the books. Somebody is missing the ball. This these books. I just bought a few. To give you an example, Doctor vidy, I see you looking at me, who in the world picked the books for the children to get, for us to go to the warehouse on Asbury Park, get the books, and then I take them home for my children, third graders and etcetera, and I look into the group of books that was given to me this. This is a shame, what you're doing to our children. You don't even know it the sex the other parts that we for our third graders. Who is in charge of this system? I'm going to just give you some examples. I went through all them boxes of books and had to take out the ones that I knew were wrong for our children, sexual activity and all that. For third and fourth graders, wait till you see them. I'm not even going to open them up for this community. See him, I'm going to put him up there. And you all look at this to what they're doing to our children. Who's in charge? You ain't in charge. You don't even know.
Thank you, Mother Moore, we have Danielle Stevens and Tanisha Coon is Tanisha coon here. Okay, if Tanisha Kuhn, we have Mr. Let Steven lett, is Mr. Let still here? Okay? Daniel Stevens, yes, okay, go ahead. Miss Steve.
Thank you for having me. My name is Danielle Stevens. I'm a former parent outreach coordinator and volunteer for Detroit Public School District for three years, as Dr Martin Luther King once said, an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I come in peace today. Today, I respectfully represent my three children, but I'm speaking of my son, legacy, Cortez. He is a second grade student at Mesa Elementary. He was kicked. I stumped, jumped, hit in the head with a chair, all in a three week span, suffering a mild concussion. The principal over at Mason Elementary is Mr. Johnson, A P Allen and Dean Gentry. They were all responsible for my son. After I reported what was done to my son. I was retaliated against immediately. I was placed under different strict orders. My son was refused homework. On medical leave. They stopped my son from receiving his due services, support services at the school, I was told by the principal that I cannot speak to any of his staff. My son is not a 504 he is not an IEP. He is a person. He's a human being who deserves to be educated and a part of the community like his mother.
I have been told to leave the building, and I'm not on building restriction by the principal. Principal Johnson is unfit. He is unfit to shepherd over the 525 children who are in that building. My son's files were compromised. Once I reported the situation and it went to investigation by his supervisor, my son's files were added that he did things that were not true, but I have proof. Principal Johnson failed to protect and serve and he misrepresented the district. I love the district. I love my city. A person who falsified information to a child to set them up for the pipeline of prison is not fit to lead a community I'm standing on business today, a person who will lie or tell a story on a child who is seven years old is a danger to a community. I thank Ms Buckman for helping me through this. She recently took on this case. But I would like to ask the board to please consider my son, not just on count day, not with his mother as a staff, but the fact that his mother was in plain clothes and I was treated inappropriately. My son's rights were violated under the 504 plan. My son and myself were handled less than an animal. I feel today that I am personally responsible for every 525 children that's over there and who mothers can't represent themselves and can't represent them. Children, please, please fire this man and get him out of our community. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Miss Stevens. We have Mr. Let at one mic, and if we could have Reverend Robert Blake. Is Reverend Robert Blake still here. Reverend Robert Blake, okay.
Good evening, esteemed board members. My name is Stephen. Let I am here tonight to humbly request that this board please authorize the immediate and complete release of all materials relevant to the Steven let fraud waste and conflict of interest investigation. Article 17, Section f1, paragraph two, the last sentence states, the District will provide the member and the union with a copy of all documents, videos, audio or other relevant materials to the allegations against the member at least five calendar days prior to the interview, I've had three separate investigation hearings over the last eight months, and I've only received one report from those investigations. I am requesting the following items on August, 22 2024 the DFT president, Lakia Wilson and I received an email from Tina curry which had PDF files attached to it. One of those files was an evidence file. This email should have had, should have contained all of the case file evidence materials used to support all of these false allegations. However, there were a lot of items missing. Number one, I'd like the Office of the Inspector General's report and the audio files, because those are recorded meetings. I want the personnel Security Advisory Committee, final investigation report. I want the purchase orders that were stated as evidence, the comprehensive criminal report that was stated as evidence, the social media posts from my personal account that were stated, The DPS checks that were issued, the invoices that go along with those checks, the work rules and staff correction plan that was given, the witness statements that were taken, the. The communication letter or email from M, D, E that new criminal charges have been added to my record, the communication letter or email from the Michigan State Police about new criminal convictions that have been added to my record that the district stated that they received this matter cannot be resolved until all of the facts have been uncovered and everyone conducts themselves in an ethical manner. I am only requesting what is owed to me by the collective bargaining agreement that you all signed. I am trying to vindicate myself and return to those innocent third graders who need their teacher. They're the only one suffering this is wrong. Please, help me board. Please, please, please.
Thank you, Mister lay we have Reverend Robert Blake at one mic, and if we could have Angela Thompson to the other mic is Angela Thompson, still here. Okay, James McBroom is James McBroom here? Okay, if he can make your way to the mic, you can stay on that side with Reverend Blake. If we could have Jerry Sanders to the other mic is Jerry Sanders here. Okay, go ahead. Reverend Blake,
Good Good evening. Dr Vitti, to the chairman, good evening, to the board, to Bishop Vaughn, good evening. I am Pastor Robert Blake, pastor of greater COVID AME Church here in the city of Detroit, along with Miss Diane Armstrong, and we work and I'm partnership with the SCPD Amen, faith based Council of office and family and community Amen, engagement and also with Cayden Special Education School. And if any of you don't know about kind it is at 4441, Collingwood Amen. It is for severely and cognitively severely impaired children, but they are special children, because they are our children, and we are privileged Amen. We are privileged to help them. We are privileged to support them. We are privileged to work with an incredible team. Pastor, Ruan, excuse me, Pastor, teacher, principal, ruin Weems, Amen and her staff love those children and support those children, and have allowed us to walk into that building and to be such a support to all of them. I'm just here to say that this is working for our community, and we pray that more faith based community partners would accept the challenge to help our schools, to be in our schools, to help our children, to support our children. We were allowed this year to support for the whole year their program when it came to their family fun day, and I mean, these children might be impaired, but children no fun, children no happiness, children no smiles, amen. And we were allowed to be able to do that. They had trains. They had a fire truck coming. They were shooting the fire hoses. We had a massage truck for the families, for the parents, a massage truck, okay, this is for chitin at 4441, Collingwood, yes, it might be special ed, but our children are special, and they need the partnership of the community. They need parents. They need families to walk in the school, to be on the PTAs, to make sure that their children see them and support them and are just I was listening tonight when we were celebrating the children, and I somewhat kind of kind of bothered by the response of us in this room. I pastor a church, and my my church is live. Greater is live and and I want people to respond. If now I'm not preaching, don't respond. If I'm saying something, respond. If the choir is singing, respond. And I watched us respond with the children, and we are kind of like quiet. It's like, oh, that's just nice. When they got the awards, that's just nice. We sit here and we want you to do the work, but we need to do some work, as well as parents and as community, really celebrate education for our children that are trying to do the best they can do. So again, we're happy to partnership with the DSCP. We're very happy to be here. We're happy for Cayden and what we're going to do this year for them as well. And we thank God for the principal sister, Reems. Thank
you. Thank you, Reverend Blake. We have James McBroom. I'm good. Good
evening. Good evening. Good evening, good evening. Yeah, so my comment is about the proposed changes to the public comment process. Basically, I don't think we should be making it harder to comment publicly at meetings, whether that's in person or virtual. I understand that there's concerns about virtual participation. I. I think that there can be sort of creative solutions to this, to identify people that want to participate virtually. It's kind of a needed option. We're a really big city. Sometimes the meetings are all the way across town. I came to this one because it's at King it's easier for me to get to over you know, on the east side I'm less likely to attend. Also, I don't think we should be imposing additional requirements on in person, commenting, particularly, asking people about the content of their speech. You know, this is like a First Amendment government forum. Seems like you're just kind of introducing potential problems with prior restraint when you are asking people about what they want to talk about. Clearly, there are sensitive issues that come up at these meetings, and people should feel free to express themselves without having to sort of pre register and say what they want to say. I'll just note that other government agencies in the area have also considered these questions. The Smart bus system recently actually restored virtual public comment, which had been eliminated, I think, about a year ago, and they also had a similar requirement proposed to essentially that public commenters would have to say what they want to talk about. And they did not adopt those changes because of these concerns. Thanks.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. McBroom, we have Jerry sanders and Emma Holland Bolton, if Miss Emma Holland Bolton, can make her way to the other mic, please. Mister Sanders, go ahead.
Good evening. My name is Jerry Sanders and I represent the Findlay colony, Keystone east, dollar drive block club. The reason we're here this evening is to the larger complaint about a school located on East auto drive and Finland. Its name is Van zyre. For the last couple of years, there's been they checked the school down and then they boarded it up. But they're people coming from across a mile into that school, their young people, they're having rave parties, whatever they're doing in that school. It the they boarded it up. We, as a block club has spoken to the real estate department with the DPS, and they said, Well, you know, we voted it up. Well, you didn't do a good job. They keep going in. We, I, we contacted the police department. We went through the Detroit school police department. They said, Well, we're not even in that area anymore. Banzai does not so what we're here tonight to do is find out from you guys, what are you going to do to board the school up to a point where nobody's getting it. Two and a half weeks ago, maybe they had a fire, and nine o'clock at night, someone broke into the school and there was a fire. And it's it's our community is working diligently to keep it nice and for us to have no answer to how do you keep it boarded up? And then the last question is, what you going to do with it? I've had my members suggest to me that if you guys decide to tear it down, sell it back to the city, extend farewell the the center, you know something, but do something because the people that live, or my members that live in front of that location, they fear, because they could it. They're doing it at 234, in the morning. A lot of my members are elderly, but some of them go to work. They get up, they scared to go out their door, because these kids come and the last point, and I'm through, is that if something happens inside that school and this, they're going to sue someone who will it be, it'll be the city, and who pays for that we do. So you know, we need you guys to
thank you, Mr. Sanders, and I know Mr. Sanders, you may be new to the meeting. So we respond to public comment at the end of public comment. So if you could just sit tight for a moment, please. Thank you. We have Emma Holland Bolton and Quinton Lott. Is Quinton Lott still here? Quentin Lott, what about Richard Joseph? Okay, so mister Joseph, you can you can wait behind Miss Emma Holland Bolton, Theresa Smith is Theresa Smith here. Okay, go ahead. Miss Emma.
Hi everyone. My name is Emma Howland Bolton, and I am a proud fourth grade teacher at Circle Elementary School. And one of my favorite concepts to explore with my fourth graders is what makes a healthy democracy, and this is pertinent to my request tonight that the board, instead of limiting public comment, actually increase access to it. So the current online public comment, I don't know if anyone has tried to access it, but it's a disaster. If you log on, you are logging onto a black screen where you cannot hear anything, and you have to raise your hand and trust that that has been registered somewhere. And then, in order to follow what's happening in the meeting, you have to then open the school board meeting on YouTube to follow along. The school board meeting on YouTube is a panned out view of this stage, so you cannot see anyone's name, you can't see who's speaking. You can't see who's making public comment. So even beyond this being a challenge to public comment and participation for folks who can't make it to these meetings in person due to accessibility issues, it's also an issue in terms of, you know, the record of these meetings. So people who try to watch the meetings later, it's impossible to tell what's happening, who's speaking, who's present, any of those things. So I did a quick survey of other school board meetings in the state. And if you look at other school board meetings in the state which are also public record, you can see that they, you know, zoom in on the person speaking, so you can tell which school board member is, you know, speaking or being addressed. They zoom in on the people who are giving public comments, and so you can actually interact with it. And also, they have platforms that don't require you to have two separate windows open, so that you can tell if your hand is raised, you can see the meeting that you're a part of, and you don't have to go through this like huge rigmarole just to participate in a democratic process. I know that our federal government is galloping into fascism, but that does not mean that this body has to follow suit. So rather than limiting public comment, I hope that you guys will work to expand it so we can join the rest of the school boards in Michigan with having an actually accessible, virtual and in person public comment. I also had a question about the $94 million lawsuit money that was supposed to go to reduce class sizes for K to two teachers. Right now, we have record class sizes for k2 teachers at my school alone. We've got 3030 kids, 29 kids, those are already over the old cap of 25 students, and don't get close to meeting the cap of one to 20, which was the new ratio the lawsuit money was supposed to allow. So I'm curious if there are any schools that have been able to hire more k2 teachers to get us to that one to 20 ratio. We love our AIS, and I'm glad that we're hiring more AIS, but are we also hiring teachers? Because that was a really brilliant use of the lawsuit money. But I don't know of a single school that's actually implemented it where they actually have achieved one to 20 ratios. Thank you. Thank
you. Ms, ml, Holland Bolton, so we have Richard Joseph, okay, go ahead. Mr. Jones, Hi,
I'm Lisa forsley. I'm the music teacher at harms Elementary. I'm just here to stand in support of Dr Joseph's message. Okay, thank you.
Thank you so much, Madam, Chairperson. Dr Vitti and thank you esteemed board. My name is Dr Richard Joseph. I am the Michigan teacher of the year 2016 and I am the teacher leader in the newcomer program at harms Elementary School in southwest Detroit. I am here today to thank you as a board for passing the sanctuary district policy back in 2019 as we stand in support with our students, parents and community members in southwest Detroit who may be at a heightened risk for deportation or investigation by ICE, we deeply appreciate the support that our Detroit Public Schools community district provides by preventing ice access to district property and access to individuals close to district property without a criminal warrant. So we're here today to ask if we are going to have the same level of commitment and the same of. A dedication to our community in the upcoming year with the new administration, we deeply urge this board to continue to embrace the sanctuary district policy, much like Chicago public schools and other school districts around the country have done and have reaffirmed in the face of the impending Federal Administration. Thank you. Thank you.
Doctor Joseph. Is Theresa Smith here, Miss Smith, and if we can have Detrick Bowens. Is Detroit Bowen still here? Okay? I see you in the back. Come on, Detroit. Bowens, you Sheila gov, G, U, L, V. Gov is Sheila golf is here she can make her way to the mic. And finally, Nicole key, and that will conclude those in person for public comment. So we have two microphones. Feel free to use one of the two. And we will start with MRSA Smith,
Hi, good evening. Teresa Smith, I work at Charles R drew Transition Center. Today happens to be my 12 years with the district. My anniversary for me, it's not a happy one. Got it put on. I think my string administrators leave for some false allegation. My union rep unfortunately not hear me, because the Miss Lee who passed away. My the President is her sister Michelle Lee, so no one can be here to, I guess, to help me out through this. I'm sorry. I'm kind of nervous. Okay,
I'm sorry. It's okay.
The allegations have been involved. I don't know, do I wait till the end of the comment? End of this? Because I don't know what the process is, the union found out they backed me up and said, what was done to you was not right. I have medical issues.
I work at Drew with special needs adults. I'm in a pair to teach program. My goal is to be a teacher. I've been my passion my whole life. I was in a classroom one day and I was ill. It was after I did my bus duty with the students and I and I put my head down. Teacher take a picture of me, and I'm like in the principal comes in, said, this what you doing now, I say, and I wasn't asleep. I'm sitting up in the chair, and he put it into my face. I told him I did not feel well I felt I said I felt violated that they took a picture of me and they sent me to the Transition Center. I talked to the Union lady yesterday because I didn't know I had a new one that drew she said that the principal made a comment. Instead, don't go into class. Told the teachers, if you see someone with their head down, don't assume that they sleep. Won't you just tap them on the shoulder, because maybe something's wrong with them, maybe they ill. And so she was like, wow, that happened to you. I didn't get that chance. Now they saying the determination is firing me. And I'm like, I think for me, that is unfair. I don't have not put my hand on the student. I do not drink, smoke, do drugs. I'm on time to work every day, and for them to go that far, that's their solution. And knowing that they need staff on future teachers, which I'm trying to be, I just think it's unfair, and I'm praying that the board take in consideration and do not fire me. Thank you. Thank you,
Miss Smith, I'm sorry, thank you for your vulnerability. We appreciate you. Thank you so much. We have Detrick Bowens,
yeah, hi, good evening. My name is Detroit. Bowens, I am a 30 year retiree of the district as a teacher. I'm proud of it, thank God for it, and I'm proud to be a legal guardian. Along with my husband, Anthony Bowens, we have two his great, great niece and nephew who go to battle Elementary Middle School. I just wanted to say that we've had our great, great niece to go through the system from the from her very earliest of when we can put her in school. She's gone through preschool. She's gone through kindergarten, boot camp. Uh, over the summer, and she is now in kindergarten, and she's doing very, very well. I mean, excellent. And I know it's because of the teachers. I know it's because of the district as a whole, but I just wanted to be specific about the fact that there are departments in the district who come out and come and come in contact with the community at our schools like bow, who make it a point to renew relationships with staff and and parents and guardians and and all of us who take part in helping the kids to be able to succeed in their learning. And I just wanted to say, I'm thankful to be a part of that, along with my husband, Anthony, who is a volunteer at bow and is there every morning to watch the kids and make sure they're in order and everything to get into the building and start off their day on the right foot. And so we appreciate the opportunity to still participate. I appreciate the opportunity to still participate with him in that. And so I just want to continue to let you all know that we believe in Detroit Public Schools community district, we stand by you. I was a student and a graduate as well, so as my husband and we just continue to push forward to make sure that our great, great niece and nephew continue to be successful in their learning as well. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for stepping up part of the support system. We have Sheila. Go is it? Gun, I'm sorry, gun, G U N, N, Oh, okay. It's not tied properly. Okay, so Sheila gun and then Nicole key, go ahead, Miss Gunn, Hi,
I'm here for Van zall situation. I just want to iterate what Mr. Sanders said about the school. It's right on the side of Mason elementary, middle school, and it is seriously a problem. It's squatters in there. They have, he had the principal have to run them out of the parking lot because they share a parking lot at that school, behind van south, and they have broken all those Plexiglas borders out, cracking them and go through there they need to board the whole bottom parameter of that school. The fire department destroyed the rest of the windows trying to get into contain the fire. It was eight trucks out there. They had gurneys lined up. We're afraid somebody's going to come out of there dead because they selling drugs. They having sex parties, and the neighbors taking pictures and sending it to the police department, but they say it's not in their jurisdiction to handle. We just requesting that it gets boarded up until you decide on what to do. It's supposed to be up for demolition, but we need some help over there for one of our kids get drunk in that school.
Thank you. Thank you. Miss Gunn, thank you so I know we have Nicole key and nurse George so go ahead. Miss key, go ahead.
Alright, good evening. Superintendent Viti, Madam Chair, esteemed board. My name is Nicole key. I am a DPS CD teacher. I forward some of you members, some documents overnight, and I would just like to request that they be reviewed and considered during your private conversation, your discussion, your closed session. And I would appreciate that consideration for a request, and I yield my time. Thank you, Miss key, we did receive your documents. Thank you, Nurse George, yes. Thank you,
Mr. Chair, because I was here when you had announced, I appreciate that to this to our chair, Mayberry, in this honorable board. First of all, I do want to congrat I know the students are gone, but I want to congratulate that excellence with the students. Because I think when we look at Project 2025, and the plan that they have for public education, things are going to change. But I thank God that the see the students excel and that they'll continue to do that. I do want to thank for Mr. Vito. He was able the Financial Review Commission had mentioned how $200 million that the DPS gets $200 million for federal fund that may be affected but but state safeguards will be also put in place. I did not support proposal s because I'm glad Dr vidy explained. Lane. I took a lot of pictures. One reason I didn't support support proposal as because of the issue. I knew something was going to come behind that. But we will. You know when you look at to see emergency manager, management incur six, $17 million is unacceptable. But I do want to speak to the parent. I hope you all reach out to the parent. I just want to know, how do these principals get hired? I say that because I'm always hearing in a community about these principles are bullying. So I just wanted to know, what are the standards in hiring principals. Why are they bullying? And then, like the young lady just spoke, there seems to be some kind of lower standard with the bar. I also want to say, as we deal with Project 2025, because I went, kind of went through the 900 document, we have to also let our young people know that there is an attack on education globally, to not want our students and students who are disadvantaged, no matter what race they are, to not be educated. And I'm passionate about it, because I thank God I have parents that was able to educate me at Murray right high school to be able to come and become an advanced practice registered nurse. So what I'm asking, whatever they decide with Project 2025 I'm asking for the school board to make sure you put things in place for more health careers. I'm so glad to see about Davis aerospace and Pershing, because I've worked very well with Lieutenant Colonel Melvin, but that you will put things in place where our students can become educated. Because a lot of times people who do not want students become educated, they forgot they were educated. So now they want to attack, especially children of color, not to be educated. So just put I'm just praying that I'm always willing to help that we need more nurses. I work in the hospital, and I cannot tell you we need more health care staff, whether physicians, nurses, respiratory technicians. I see them in ICU. We need more careers in the health care fair, so that's my comment. Thank you for letting me
say, No problem. Thank you, Nurse George and I know that was all that we had in person, but there are two public commenters who were online who are actually in person. So we can call Joyce Jennings. I
Good evening board, please excuse my casual address today, I actually walked the Van Dyke corridor this morning, and spent the majority of the day with my daughter, Imani, who has recently returned from Michigan after completing her Master's degree at Arizona State, and she will officially receive her commencement degree on December the 16th. We walked the Van Dyke corridor, because that is the neighborhood where four generations of her father's family grew up, born, raised, active in city government, the police department, as well as the school board. And some of the things that we noticed, one, there are no schools along the Van Dyke corridor from eight mile all the way down to kerchieville and Van Dyke. Marcus Garvey is the only school that is still located on the Van Dyke corridor. However, there are still children and employees of the district who live along Van Dyke. One of the things that we noticed is for people who catch the bus. There are no bus shelters. There is a bus shelter in front of perfecting church, and there is a bus shelter on Van Dyke and Mac so as we talk about attendance and students being on time and just wanting to make sure that they're safe, since the school board is a public entity and the city of Detroit is a public entity, I would like to ask if we could work with the city of Detroit to make sure that we are adding bus shelters so if it's snowing or if it's raining or if it's too Hot, that we have shelters that can help support the safe transport. We have technology that also can be added to bus shelters to make sure that all pedestrians riding the bus are safe on Mac and Van Dyke. And I've actually been monitoring for the last 90 days when it rains on Mac and Van Dyke across from Mount Zion, you have young people who are waiting under the awning of the gas station for where the cars drive up to pump gas, and I'm. Thankful for the drivers, because they're considerate, making sure that students who are work waiting can actually have shelter if it's raining. But if we could have bus stops, especially in the areas of the city of Detroit, where a lot of the schools have been closed. As you know, Kettering High School is being torn down. The history of Detroit, the school district started December 4, I think, 1842 and if we are tearing down schools, if we could also consider starting a historical museum. So a lot of those you public school district
discussion. Thank you. Thank you. Miss Jennings and the last public comments or who's in person now is Miss Aaliyah Moore. You
uh, good evening board. Thank you for accommodating me. Um, I just have a few questions before I go into my comment. I just want to thank you all too for starting to highlight these students. It feels so good to come in late and see all these babies, see they parents, and I just encourage you all to do more of that, as well as continuing to highlight the administrative staff, because they do the work. I thank the public commenters for highlighting the public comment. You all have the second read for that today. So my opinion, leave it alone. Take your three minutes. Use it constructively. This is not personal. You all, if you can get that part out the way, we can go further. But when you think it's personal, you try to silence and suppress and we don't want to do that, especially now in this climate. So just leave it be as far as Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy, I rolled by there last week, saw that there was only one sign that says we moved, and it's at door two, when, in actuality, you all could have ordered a total of three signs to have, or even put it at the big gate that you now have, which I appreciate, because the gate shows that there's movement and that children are no longer in there. So I appreciate that gate. If we could order a big sign to let people know that we have moved, put a phone number on there, some contact information, because Paul Robeson has currently lost over 100 students because of this move. So we want to be proactive. We don't want the staff starting to chip away, as well as the rationale of, what do you even need a new school for? Or let's combine some schools and stick them in when we, quote, unquote, get back on growth. So as far as proposal s, I wasn't a fan of it, and I didn't pump it because I felt it was a rush job. I felt enough details were not in place. Anytime I asked three different times, will small businesses be affected? Nobody knew. So moving forward, you then want to go and ask taxpayers for another you know, in May, which is like, okay, it kind of sounds like double talk. So when you all are relating this message to the community, you need to be very specific. You don't have to be long and drawn out, but you do have to be specific and use specific language, because in in my mind, and in others that probably don't even know, but it's like, okay, you want this to pass so that we can tax the businesses you all have not gone after these tax captures that have taken millions, but yet, then you want to ask the citizens again, because you all kind of got it wrong. So I mean just being proactive, work on that language. If you really want this to pass, I will again say No, just my opinion, because we're not paying this off, you know, really quickly, and we're not even assured that the money that we're saving is going to get to the classroom and get where it's needed felt.
Thank you. Miss Moore, Miss Drake, I'm going to turn the portion of virtual public comment. Over to you. I know there are only two public commenters on the virtual option.
L Chapman, please go ahead with your public comment.
Can I be heard? Yes. Okay, thank you. Good evening. Board superintendent and community members. My name is Lauren Chapman. I would like to express my sincere disappointment that neither the Pershing nor Cody site plan include pools. I believe that the plan should be amended to at least allow for the possibility of creating a pool. Addition, even if it is not feasible to build and open a pool with the buildings initially, pools are vitally important. Swimming is a life skill and has ramifications that extend well beyond the pool. African American children are nearly six times more likely to ground in a swimming pool than their Caucasian peers. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children under the age of 14, 45% of Hispanic and Latino children and 64% of African American children have little to no swimming ability. This lack of ability has generational impact. If a parent does not know how to swim, there's only a 19% chance that a child in their household will learn to swim. Building pools can have tangential effects that feed into the district existing goals, the lower levels of absenteeism among student athletes is supported by data. Absenteeism is a major problem that has already been touched upon earlier this meeting swimmers, when compared to other athletes, have higher scores in math and reading. There's a national life guard shortage. The brunt of the effects of this are felt in communities, life, hard life. Learning is a profession that can be and has been in this district, taught within the school day, creating yet another career ready path. Neither Learn to Swim pool nor competitive pool need to be 10,000 square feet. There are schools that have won state championships with facilities lot smaller than 6000 there are existing underutilized mechanisms in the district to offset some of the maintenance and operating costs. These plans need editing already, if only because they both appear to lack libraries, which I'm sure couldn't have been intended after the literacy lawsuit settlement, the existing plans are not representative of equity across the district, and does not prepare the district to receive equitable funding, should it become a reality. Historical institutional racism has created a lack of access to pools and minority communities nationwide. I'm employing this institution to reverse and not to continue that trend for the betterment of students lives. And I would also like to apologize for my virtual attendance and not my in person attendance. I'm currently on military orders, thus underscoring the importance of having virtual options. Thank you for your time and your consideration.
Say, Brian Joe, please go ahead with your public comment. I
I say, Brian, Joe, please go ahead with your public comment.
Hello, can you hear me? Yes, okay, hello. My name is Tabor and Joe. I'm speaking as a Detroit resident and a proud defender of public education and a member of bam. I am here to reiterate that the public comment is very important for the operation of a democratic school board. I urge the board to table this item or defeat until the newly elected school board members take office next month at the meeting or defeat the policy change. Let's stop having private conversations regarding public education in Detroit and allow the public to have a say in what education in Detroit should look like for for generations to come. Elections matter. If you win or lose, two current board members are leading the board. After this month, we have allowed the new voice we have. We should allow the new voices to be heard on this important issue of important, of acute sorry, of community engagement and public comment. Public comment is the one way we hold the board accountable. Let's not censor the voices of the community, but embrace it as we have, as we have a battle ahead with the new presidential administration and even the state legislature, House and the Senate that is anti public education and wishes to eliminate and privatize education nationwide. My voice matters, and all Detroit Detroiters voice matters as well. I urge the defeat of of censorship during public comment. I've watched on YouTube where two board members walked away for majority of the public comments, public comment section that is on imaginable people elected you. That's why we need to hear from the new board members, because we want to know, we want to see the people that really care, and we want to hear their voices. Thank you. I urge the defeat of this new policy change and table it into the new board members come but I urge it to be defeated. Thank you,
Madam Chair. That concludes virtual public comment. Thank
you. Dr Vitti, I know we heard a lot of passionate stakeholders today, and there's a couple of questions that came up today that we would need to give some attention to, if you could please
sure the issue about the Mason principal and student, there was some follow up and engagement with the parent about the incident, based on comments tonight,
based on the comments tonight regarding the the incident at Mason, I'm going to take another review and see that we follow protocol and procedures, and I'll send a update to the board regarding that matter. As far as the request for investigative materials by the employee, I would recommend reaching out to our legal counsel, who can advise his attorney about what documents can be received through FOIA and possibly the ALJ considering the tenure commission case. Van zeal was a vacant school building, property that dpscd continues to own. We have boarded up the property a number of times, and as was stated, it was destroyed despite the boarding up process, the school was identified for demolition under the facility master plan. I had engaged the board last January about the difference between what we projected to be the cost of demolition and the updated cost based on inflation, I will be making some recommendations to the board at the January retreat, hoping we can get a January retreat, especially with new board members, to review the current status of vacant buildings, the cost to do demos like Van ZIL, and then to look at boarding up buildings that we still have a long time use for. There has been some teachers at the k2 level that have been hired throughout the district to reduce class size at the k2 level and to release lead teachers, fully or partially. There are about 40 additional teachers that have been hired for that purpose. It's not a matter of using the funding for that. It's really been a matter of recruiting more teachers beyond what we allocate because of the shortages of teachers throughout the country and Michigan, specifically in Metro Detroit. Agree with all the comments regarding the pools, I think that this board and myself have definitely invested in restoring pools throughout the district. Our goal is to offer a pool in every feeder pattern throughout the district, whether that be at the neighborhood high school or k8 the Pershing and Cody high schools were not designed with new pools, but there are pools in those in the geographic area that students at the new COVID or Pershing will be able to access, or K students in that area, the books that mother Moore mentioned today were provided by the face department. I think it was a combination of possibly volunteers and parents that drop off books, we repackage them and give them to families, similar to the backpack that was provided. I have not looked at those books particularly, I think the faith the goal of the faith department is to provide free books and book access to students. If the books were inappropriate, we would. We will review that, and from now on, we'll make sure that any books that are provided to the face office is reviewed by our curriculum instruction and literacy team to make sure that they're great, appropriate based on their content, not saying that they were not that they were inappropriate, but it does require a review, and that's how the books got out there. There are additional signs that have been ordered and purchased for Paul Robeson Malcolm X, and they're expected to be used at the building to promote the school. Don't know if there's any other issues that I neglected to review? No.
So those were all the questions. I think the rest were, oh, the one from Dr Joseph around the sanctuary district policy that we have,
yeah, that I would give that to the board as a policy matter, and the. Based on, I think what I had heard right now, for some board members, is at the January retreat, or whether it be February, with the new board taking office, one of the topics that we'll have to definitely review are the threats that could be coming from Project 2025, under the Trump administration, and what could be some possible changes to the budget and other issues at the state level, with the Republican led house, I reviewed some of those issues with principals at one of our last principal meetings, but prepared to do that with the board to have a broader conversation about that And the legislative agenda for 2425 and then that would definitely possibly include a conversation about the sanctuary district status. Thank
you. I guess the one thing that we just want to make sure people understand is that we will continue to protect our students. And so whatever that takes, as we go and look at that policy is, is unpacking the policy as we move forward. But there is no desire. And I know there was a big, huge risk at the time, and it will it necessitated a policy like that. So we find ourselves again in the space to necessitate language that supports the safety of our students and our families. So Dr Joseph,
just madam chair to add to what you're saying, and also the previous policy and connected resolution were both adopted under a similar administration. So while I'm stepping off, I feel confident that the folks who are coming on and then everyone else on this board will remain passionate about ensuring our students can be in schools and that their families can be connected to their children's education,
correct. Thank you so much. So we are now moving into closed session. There are a couple of items that need to be discussed in closed session. I
so item number 11, the Chair will entertain a motion to go into closed session pursuant to MCL, one, 5.268, A and H to consider. I a personal action at employees request, and I a written legal opinion motion. Is there support? It's been properly moved by Vice President Stallworth West, properly supported by member gate agno go to go into closed session, Madam Secretary, can you please do a roll call for closed session?
Bishop, Dr colletta Vaughn Yes. Sherry gay Daniel go. Dr Iris Taylor, Sonya Mays, Misha Stallworth, West, Angelique Peterson. Mayberry, yes. Madam Chair, you have a quorum for closed session? Thank you. Applause.
Um, can we go live on the mic? Please, testing. Okay? Thank you so much. We are coming out of closed session, and we need a motion to do that, to come out of closed session. Motion is there support? It's been properly moved by member gates agno go properly supported by member Mays to come out of closed session. All those in favor of the motion on the floor for coming out of closed session signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried, okay, we'll now move into item number 12. So we have administrative terminations. We have terminations for cause, we have suspensions for cause, and then we have recommendations for continued employment pursuant to MCL 380 0.1230, so if we can first go through administrative terminations for job abandonments, it's been properly moved by member gates agno go properly supported by member Mays To accept the superintendent's recommendation for administrative terminations. This is item 12.01 any discussion motion on the floor. All those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you,
Madam Chair, I'd like to withdraw my recommendation for termination for employee. PS,
so for item 12.02 where the superintendent is withdrawing the recommendation for termination, for t, s, the rest of the list remains intact. Motion to support the amended recommendation is, is there support? Yes, okay, the motion is on the floor to accept the amended recommendation to remove employee TS from the termination for cause list. It's been properly moved by member Mays, properly supported by Dr Taylor. All those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. We will now go to suspensions for calls 12.03 is there support? Approve. Is there support? It's been properly moved by member. Mays properly supported by member. Gay diagonal go to accept the superintendent's recommendation for suspensions for cause all those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. The final item under Agenda Item number 12 is recommendation for continued employment pursuant to MCL 380, point 1230, the Chair will entertain a motion to accept the superintendent's recommendation for continued employment for the employee. Is there support? It's been properly moved and supported by member Mays properly on the floor, by member Mays properly supported by member gag no go to accept the superintendent's recommendation for continued employment. All those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. We will now move into item 13. So 13.01 we're excited. To say that we have, these are the remaining union contracts. So we have 13.01 approval of the two year tentative agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, local 1214, and the L, E, I N operators. We have 13.02 approval of the two year tentative agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and 13.03 approval of the appointment of members to DPS, CD police oversight committee so
it's been properly moved and supported to tie bar items, 13.01 through 13.03 the motion was put on the floor by Dr Taylor and supported by member Mays. Any discussion for the motion on the floor, if not all those in favor of tie baring, 13.01 through 13.03 signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried the motion the chair will now entertain a motion for the tie bar of items 13.01 through 13.03 second is this. So the motion has been put on the floor by Vice President stall worth West and properly supported by Dr Taylor for the tie bar of items 13.01 through 13.03 any discussion, not all those in favor of the motion on the floor signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. Thank you. Item number 14. These are consent agenda items, administrative items that have come through committee. So we have 14.01 through 14.07 so the chair will entertain a motion to accept the consent agenda items. So moved Is there support? It's been properly moved by member gay diagonal, properly supported by member Mays to accept the consent agenda items which are inclusive of 14.01 through 14.06 any discussion. I'm sorry. 14.07 all those in favor of the motion on the floor. Signify by saying, aye, any opposed motion carried. We are now at item number 15, which includes all the policies for this month's agenda. So I will say that there will not be a vote on 15.01 which is the adoption of the amendment to policy 016, 7.3 and that is the public participation at board meetings committee, because the motion that was placed on the floor last month was that this would come back before us once we have had community meetings, and that has not yet happened. Community Community Education, I'm sorry, community education, and that has not happened there. The work has begun in that space, and so there's still some review in that space before it needs to come before the board for adoption or action. So we will not be voting on 15.01 although it is a second read the 15.02 through 15.05 are all first reads. So amendment to policy 31, 20.08 that's employment of personnel for CO curriculum, extracurricular activities. 15.03 amendment to policy 533, 0.02 that's opioid antagonist. 15.04 amendment to policy 7540 that's technology. And then 15.05 amendment to policy 8510 health and wellness. These are first read, so I will just encourage the board that if they have questions or concerns, that they can contact their policy members, as we know that there is Miss Misha Stallworth West, serving as policy Chair and member, Sonia May, serving as Finance Chair. Losing them in these spaces is extremely there will be absolute boys and gaps. So thank you so much again for not only serving on the board, but serving as chairs of those committees as well. Well. Now moving to item number 16, sure go
ahead, just a quick note on the first three policies for the board members and the new board members who I'm sure are watching the summaries on board docs really effectively note what is happening in those policy amendments primarily grammatical things or things that are required by law, language clarification. So just knowing that there will be a little bit of a transition gap as folks come on and get acclimated to the policy committee in the new year, wanted to note for everyone that board docs does have really effective summaries there.
Thank you for that as well. We will now move into our final item before adjournment. Which are announcements? Item number 16? Do we have any announcements? So I'll do some quick ones. Dpscd, all city marching band. Jamboree will take place Saturday, December 14, at Cass tech. We have DP. CDs all city children themed dance concert taking place at DSA on Thursday, December 12. Both tickets for both of these events, you can get on the website. High school application window ends today for our application schools. Those schools are CMA Davis, aerospace, Detroit International, Academy for women, DSA and Crockett, Midtown. And lastly, I will just say happy holidays to everyone. We hope that you enjoy your holiday, the much needed time off to rejuvenate and, you know, take care of yourself and your family. So we look for you to be revived on the other side of 2025, so again. Thank you everyone. Happy holidays to you and to Sonia and Misha. Thank you again for all your service. The chair will not entertain a much more adjournment. So moved, no objection. So moved, thank you so much. Everyone.
