DPSCD REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Detroit Public Schools Community District
Education
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
5:30 p.m. — 8:00 p.m. EDT
Remote
View the meeting online: https://www.detroitk12.org/boardmeeting
Agendas and more can be found at DPSCD BoardDocs: https://www.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Board.nsf/Public
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Eric Walton
Summer school is June 24-July 26. Registration opens May 1 and closes May 24. The superintendent addressed concerns about student vaping and access to edibles. Some public commenters complained about Thirkell Elementary, while others expressed support for its principal.
Live reporting by
Nathaniel Eichenhorn
Summer school is June 24-July 26. Registration opens May 1 and closes May 24. The superintendent addressed concerns about student vaping and access to edibles. During public comment, there were a few complaints about Thirkell Elementary, countered by support for its principal.
Nachum Eichenhorn
@NachumDetroit
Good Morning #Detroit !
I will be live tweeting the DPs Community District meeting today at 5:30 for #DetroitDocumenters @DetDocumenters media partners: @BridgeDet313 @chalkbeatDET @freep @media_outlier @metrotimes @MichiganRadio @PlanetDetroit @wdet @wxyzdetroit
I will be live tweeting the DPs Community District meeting today at 5:30 for #DetroitDocumenters @DetDocumenters media partners: @BridgeDet313 @chalkbeatDET @freep @media_outlier @metrotimes @MichiganRadio @PlanetDetroit @wdet @wxyzdetroit
03:59 PM Apr 9, 2024 CDT
The Cody High School Color Guard is doing their flag thing! And the " Renaissance Varsity Chorus" from Renaissance high School are performing the Star-Spangled Banner and Lift Every Voice and Sing.
It appears the last meeting had a pretty lengthy closed session and people became concerned. The chair is assuring the crowd that it was merely a complicated discussion.
The chair is now announcing extraordinary achievements achieved by students in the district.
The students report that students at Detroit Lions High School have been encountering locked bathrooms, and the principal explained a new policy whereby students must get adult help to access the bathrooms.
This was done, according to the principal, to discourage truancy from class and vaping in the bathrooms.
The borders discussing the problem of students bringing marijuana edibles into schools, and being unable to distinguish between marijuana edibles and regular candy.
The agenda and minutes have been approved by voice vote. They are item 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 4.04, and 4.05
Last year the district borrowed about $100 million and this year that has decreased to somewhere closer to $50 million
Now the Superintendent's Report, beginning by recognizing various athletic achievements across the city
Mary Grove Huskies, HS State Champs in On-Sets! (That's a math game)
Moving in to the Superintendent’s Report proper, which can be found at this link:
go.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Boa…
Average daily attendance is holding at 83%, which is about a 1% increase from last year.
The superintendent is discussing The district's pivot over the last 8 years to a more performance-based environment, and how that has necessarily led to certain friction between staff and those they serve
He is emphasizing the importance of staff keeping their cool, even when they are being accused of things they have not done or when discussions get very heated.
The superintendent is addressing the difficulty of climate control in schools that were built before modern HVAC technology was developed
There have been several schools let out for the day due to heat and it is extremely difficult to update or retrofit the schools in a satisfactory way.
This is particularly difficult during summer school sessions when the temperature can regularly reach very high. Particularly, the superintendent is addressing Noble school, which may need to move students for the summer session to a different building.
Quickly, the superintendent did address the situation at Thirkell Elementry, which can be researched simply by googling the name of the school
While they're still introducing public comment, here's a link regarding the Thirkell situation.
chalkbeat.org/detroit/2024/0…
4th Grade teacher from Thirkell up first. She says Thirkell has highest teacher turnover rate in the district.
Students have had Three or four teachers a year, days the teacher
Another claim: Principal refused the donation of a school library 4 years ago
She says eople are afraid, and that people are here to claim that all 32 teachers, who signed their names to a complaint, are lying
She claims The upcoming commenters who will defend the school have allowed students to vape in class and have physically assaulted students.
The teacher is also claiming that the principal has handed out jobs as favors to unqualified people.
The teacher is also claiming that the principal has handed out jobs as favors to unqualified people.
The next commenter is a third grade teacher who claims the principal has not been adequately enforcing regulations regarding student misbehavior and that students have been allowed to disrupt education to an unusual degree
A regular substitute teacher is now commenting on what she sees is unacceptable behavior on the part of the principle of Schultz.
This includes, says this commenter, raising her voice and mocking the substitute in question.
This includes, says this commenter, raising her voice and mocking the substitute in question.
The board says has in fact responded by email and will resend it
The present commenter is the current academic interventionist at Thirkell.
He says the principal is a capable and dedicated educator who has done good for the district.
He refutes to claim that students have not had recess in 5 years. He says that he took some students to recess recently.
He finishes by making an argument for cooperation despite differences.
Now the Math Master Teacher is defending the principal at Thirkell.
Without refuting any of the specific claims made by the other teachers, she simply says that the principal is dedicated and that the school cares about children
Two more teachers have come to speak in defense of Thirkell. S he says "teaching is hard" and that everybody makes mistakes
This teacher is reemphasizing safety measures taken at the school. This has been a focus of the pro-Gaines commenters, to point out that Thirkell is vigilant about safety
This next commenter is the second today to bring up Tai insufficient support for students with special needs that leads to serious disruptions amongst the general education population.
A professor at Wayne County community college, who grew up in Thirkell 's district and helps with after -school programming
He is emphasizing that leadership is hard, Principal Gaines has always been respectful to him, and that " you should believe half of what you see and none of what you hear"
A community member, who is commenting now is telling a story of Principal Gaines helping a former student who was in crisis.
He goes on to detail some positive things the principal has done, and he also emphasizes how hard it is to be a leader.
A teacher at Thirkell is now detailing several incidents in which she feels singled out by Principal Gaines
Specifically, the teacher it's claiming that the principal targeted her specifically and attempted to tarnish her reputation , and implies that this was due to the teach ers ethno-religious background
The next commenter, a member of the public, is asking about the fate of the former Cooley High School
She also asked regarding the proper installation of washers and dryers in Detroit schools and when that will be happening
This next commenter is claiming people are being recorded at thurgood Marshall High School and that those recordings are then being delivered to staff without any permission or consent.
She also says that there are no changing tables available at thurgood Marshall High School and that children are therefore changed on the floor, and that this is unacceptable, and asked what is to be done about it
This commenter, a community member, is expressing her disappointment in the conduct of the board.
She says at the current rate of 11% grade level literacy is unacceptable and that the board has not done enough to address it
She said she has been a community activist for 55 years and can speak with confidence that the board is going in the wrong direction
Several teachers at Noble are now speaking in turn. They would prefer that their summer school program take place at Noble and not at another location.
One of the teachers claims that if summer school is held at another location, students do not come.
This commenter, an AI ant Thirkell, has 2 issues to bring up. Firstly, that the inability to find subs for school is preventing other professionals from doing their jobs
And secondly, that students are so disruptive and unruly that the business of the school can not be proceed.
A representative from 482Forward is asking that the board use the funds available to it for more comprehensive, foundational solutions, and not "Band-Aid solutions" and claims that in 2022 the third grade literacy level in Detroit was in the single digits
A teacher from Thirkell is commenting now. She says that the letter sent to the board shows that a majority of the staff are afraid and ineffective due to a pervasive hostile work environment
She points out that those who have brought these issues to the board are citing specific incidences and policies, and that those defending the principal are merely citing her general character and various positive things the school has done without addressing any of the claims
The next commenter brought up a case of sexual harassment she brought against DPS police officers. She was interrupted and dismissed from the podium and told she would be contacted later.
Aboard member said that the commenter had brought these claims and that they had been proven unfounded
The next commenter, over zoom is claiming that a program designed to help students that may fall through the cracks instead creating a perverse incentive for students to miss class in order to qualify for the program
The next commenter is proving very hard to hear over the phone.
The audio resolved a bit. The commenter is supporting Principal Gaines. Says "she's a fighter, an educator" and says she is committed to the students and that "she tries her best"
The next commenter is a mother who brought her daughter to the High School Expo, and how it had a wonderful, positive impact on her child.
Superintendent Vitti is responding to several of the issues brought up by the commenters
And that recess DOES happen at Thirkell, with exceptions. He mentions one classroom without elaborating
Now we're moving on to item 11.01 Administrative Terminations. They are all for job abandonment
Anotherboard is addressing the issue of the lack of fencing around schools, allowing stray dogs to wander in. There is a plan being developed to build fencing around the city
The administrative terminations have been approved by a voice vote.
Now 14.01. Dr Taylor asks regarding how the term weapon is defined. A Police representative responds that those are determined by statute
These items are all first reads, which means that these will not be voted on today but merely brought up and questions taken regarding them or their wording
Vitti just said Emerson will get a fence around them next year to deal with the dog problem
Well folks, this closes my coverage of the DPSCD School Board meeting for April 9, 2024. Learn more about our coverage of local meetings at
documenters.org
If you believe anything in the coverage today is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line
Attachments
Agency Information
Detroit Public Schools Community District
Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is Michigan’s largest public education system. It is governed by a locally-elected, seven-member board. The District’s mission is to provide every student with a beneficial and rightful educational experience, preparing students to be career and college ready, and qualified to compete in the global market. The District has 106 schools and educates 50,000 children.
Documents
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