“Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy. The Detroit school board is on track to approve a budget for the next school year that increases pay for all employees, expands initiatives aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism, hires more counselors, and increases funding for teacher supplies so families aren’t expected to contribute. Detroit Public Schools Community District board members got a preview of what is proposed in the $1.1 billion budget for the 2026-27 school year. The board will vote on it next month. The budget anticipates a 1% enrollment increase. Currently there are 49,134 students. The budget was built conservatively with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget proposal, plus proposals from the Michigan House and the Michigan Senate, in mind. “Everything is funded as it was last year,” Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said. “There’s not going to be any major changes.” Vitti warned of uncertainty beyond the next school year, citing the district’s rising costs and inequitable funding from the state. The $94 million the district received from the settlement of a literacy lawsuit ends after the next fiscal year, leaving questions about how DPSCD can maintain the initiatives that money funded. Also a concern is the district must soon revert to a traditional funding model that relies on operating millage revenue to cover its operating costs. If collection rates falter, that would affect how much money the district receives. Here are some of the key highlights of the budget proposal. Dollar amounts weren’t included in the budget materials. While the district is in the middle of negotiations with all of its employee unions, Vitti said the budget will fund salary increases and onetime bonuses for staff. The district will expand a pilot program that provided yellow school bus transportation beginning this school year for some students at Henry Ford High School and East English Village Preparatory Academy at Finney. Pershing High School and Cody High School will join the program, which seeks to improve attendance, for the 2026-27 school year. The district would hire seven additional high school counselors, which would mean the district would have a ratio of one counselor for every 250 students. That is the ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association. Michigan schools had one counselor for every 565 students during the 2024-25 school year. Middle school students would be included in an attendance incentive program that this year paid high school students $100 a week for each week they had perfect attendance. The middle school students would earn $50 for each perfect attendance week during the program. The program ran from January to March this school year. The district would increase funding for teacher supplies and materials and establish a minimum supply needed for all schools. The intent is to fully fund supplies and materials. Vitti said the board has made it clear “that families should not be required to give extra supplies to individual teachers or classrooms.” Board President LaTrice McClendon asked Vitti what it would take to follow the city of Detroit’s lead and establish a minimum wage of $21.45 an hour in the district. Vitti replied that the district had done an analysis and would share the amount with the board, but he noted that it “exceeded what we thought we could afford in the next two years.” The enrollment projection prompted discussion among board members. McClendon said she’d like to see the district shoot for an enrollment increase of 3% to 4%. Vitti said the 1% goal is consistent with how enrollment is trending statewide. “We need to think bigger, because we have kids who want to come back, and I don’t think folks realize all that we offer,” McClendon said. “I mean, we’re doing a lot of amazing things. We have work to do. I’m not saying we don’t, but we are making strides.” Board member Bessie Harris urged the district to promote neighborhood schools. “We see the Cass and the Renaissance and the Kings and the Southeastern and the Palmer Park, but we don’t see the Thirkells, we don’t see the Spains. We need to brag about our neighborhood schools, not just the application and test-in schools, but get down to the nitty gritty, because in every school is something they can highlight.” Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her lhiggins@chalkbeat.org .
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