“We’ve been waiting a long time.”
That is what Detroit resident Ann Connally said after learning of multi-million investments coming to the Detroit Community Schools District (DPSCD).
Connally, a president of the Alumni Association with Pershing High School and retired guidance secretary, told the Michigan Chronicle recently that as the president for the past 30 years she has seen decades’ worth of promises and plans come to fruition, and some not always delivering. But this time she sees the initiative.
DPSCD’s investments, to the tune of $700 million, encompass fixing the district’s older buildings in major need of help.
A recent DPSCD announcement of a proposed Facility Master Plan would fix the future of school building use in Detroit, according to a press release. The plan is the next phase of the commitment to continue the process of rebuilding the District after Emergency Management through improved school buildings.
“One of the first things I observed during the superintendent interview process in 2017 was the overall low condition of school buildings. Over the last four years, I am proud of the fact that the district experienced facility investments for the first time in over a decade through unspent expenditures, but this was simply putting a band-aid on a life-threatening wound. Access to federal relief funding provides us now with an opportunity to make a substantial short- and long-term investment in our school buildings that paves the way to a broader investment plan to right-size the district and provide each employee and student with a school building they deserve,” said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent, DPSCD.
Connally said that the renovations are “a long time coming.”
“I’ve watched the school [buildings] deteriorate over the years,” Connally said, adding that DPSCD has put “Band-Aids on” what needs to be long-term fixes.
“Things that needed to be repaired or replaced, so this is a … Godsend,” she said, adding that she hopes the school district would invest in more opportunities for afterschool programs that are more “accessible and attractive” to the community and students.
From replacing swimming pools and football fields to incorporating other activities, Connally said that she would like to see more students have a “place to go,” especially after many after-school activities were canceled because of the pandemic.
The Facility Master Plan provides a 20-year facilities vision and investment plan for the district. The district requires $2 billion to upgrade all school buildings to a “good” rating based on a Facilities Condition Index (FCI), which determines the extent of facility investment to restore a building to its best operational level. The district recommends investing $700 million by 2027 as it works to acquire access to equitable state funding to address its long-term facility needs. The plan seeks to protect neighborhood schools and feeder patterns, placing students in the best school building possible with the review of FCI, current enrollment, local demographic studies and school building utilization.
Detroit School of Arts senior Brooke Snow told the Michigan Chronicle that she is looking forward to the funding.
Snow, who is a student representative on the school board, said that she wants to see her school personally be on the receiving end of upgrades.
“I think it’ll be very, like beneficial,” Snow said, adding that incoming students will especially benefit. “I definitely would say the focus should be on reactivating and renovating on rekindling what’s already here.”
Snow added that she is also looking forward to having her voice heard as a student representative and sharing what changes she would like to see take place in the initiative.
“I think the priorities should be the students, their education, their health and their safety because without the school, without the students, there is no district. There is no school, there are no teachers,” Snow said.
Sonya Mays, president and CEO of Develop Detroit Inc. and a member of the Detroit school board, told the Michigan Chronicle that DPSCD is investing its money in a range of resources, including mental health resources to help students overcome pandemic-related challenges.
“We’ve invested our money … which is how we keep students and staff safe,” Mays said adding that some pandemic-related challenges include creating better physical environments for students.
Mays also addressed some good problems that the district is handling, including a “large and growing” population in the district.
“It’s a comprehensive plan that touches virtually every area of the city in which we have a school,” Mays said.
The plan will support maximizing usage of district school buildings and improving the overall condition of schools through some new school buildings and renovations. All the recommendations will be explained and vetted by internal and external stakeholders through seven public meetings, some of which will be in person. The feedback from those meetings will hone the district’s plan and lead to a final recommendation to the School Board for the $700M investment in facilities by June 2022.
Over the next two months, the community is invited to participate in the seven public meetings to better understand the district’s initial recommendations and provide feedback on the plan. Below is the remaining tentative date set for an upcoming DPSCD meeting:
- Citywide Facility Engagement Thursday, April 7, 6-8 p.m. (in person), location TBA.
For more information visit https://www.detroitk12.org/.
