DPSCD REGULAR BOARD MEETING

The meeting, which is being viewed on the school board’s website instead of zoom, has yet to start. If you have questions, comments or corrections for this tread, please email documenters@outliermedia.org.

The meeting was scheduled to start at 5:30 PM. A message on the video feed says they are waiting for the meeting to start.

Here is a shot of the website. https://t.co/Fie3RqAy3N

The meeting is being held at Western International High School Auditorium. It has yet to begin.

The roll call is going on now. The meeting is starting. They have a quorum.

Item number 1.03, Meeting norms, was instructions to the audience not to act ill in the meeting. A moment of silence was held for a fallen student. There is a power point of the meeting being shown on the screen but it’s very small and hard to see.

The meeting can be seen on youtube. Here is a full screen shot, which this reporter cannot keep on their screen since it would block tweeting.

A school presentation includes the Star Spangled Banner, Lift Every Voice and Sing and a presentation of A Thousand Years.

Sorry, here is the full screen shot. https://t.co/DX6L0UjUYz

The color guard and singers are all Western students.

The song A Thousand Years features a stand up bass. https://t.co/tagCGLHFMR

Here is the link to follow the meeting on youtube.

Correction. It’s a cello solo, and quite good. Jabez Williams of Cass Tech played the cello.

They are jokingly told by a board member to go home and do their homework.

Minutes from prior meetings are being approved. All passed using a tie bar to vote on the minute approval so all were voted on at once.

Chair comments and gives thanks to the staff for a successful count day.

A echo is coming from the youtube meeting, making it hard to hear what is being said. Standing board comments are being echoed out right now.

Items include former town hall meetings and retreat meetings.

No echo, this reporter had two windows open showing the meeting. The echo was on this reporter.

10 million paid to vendors to tutor services for DPS students. The gov has agreed for legislation for over 90 million dollars for a literacy plan for students in the state of Michigan.

It’s said that elections have consequences and there is no black man representing Detroit in Lansing for the first time in many years. There is still 6 billion out there to be used. They have lost representation in the senate and house.

The board is working on betting attendance rates, increasing school safety and mental health help for students in need.

They are including the interfaith community in their network. They have coat drives coming up for students starting next month. The giveaway is supported by their faith based connections.

A nature club invite is put out. They take DPS students on outings to places like the Indiana Dunes and hikes to introduce DPS students to nature.

Total number of libraries now reopened is over 20. Summer reading programs are brought up. DPL has added a travel resources site on their website that has travel guides from over 200 locations so students can get info on traveling to other cities.

Michigan kidney program is brought up. The number of citizens that are pre diabetic are huge, and they don’t know it. There are support groups out there.

Public comment registration has closed.

Jeremy Vidito, the CFO, gives the finance report. There is a power point. https://t.co/bPuCh3SSVh

General fund cash on hand dropped. Here is a shot of the funding. https://t.co/8kYs9zkThU

Here is the link to the finance committee report.
https://go.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Board.nsf/files/CJYJ7S4B02ED/$file/October%20Board%20Finance%20Report.pdf

The report is filed for auditing purposes. The superintendent’s report is next. Here is a link to the super’s report.
https://go.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Board.nsf/files/CJYJ8R4B89B4/$file/Superintendent's%20Report%20Board%20Presentation%20October%2011%2C%202022.pdf

97 percent of enrolled students showed up to school during the count period. It’ exceeds counts from the last three years, but still not at pre covid levels.

They will not reach levels of employment that they had pre covid. Average daily attendance is 83 percent.

51 percent of students have would be seen as chronic absentees if the school year ended today.

Here is the link to the human resources and talent report.
https://go.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Board.nsf/files/CJWQW96B1F6B/$file/Personnel%20Transaction%20Listing_School%20Level_September%202022.pdf

9 teacher absences. They are overstaffed with custodians but next year they will go to pre covid staffing levels. They cannot afford the overstaffing, and through natural attrition they will thin the ranks.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti ends his report and opens the floor for questions from the board.

He’s asked about covid rates and how many are vaxxed? He says they don’t have a infection rate for the district but they do have a health hub that encourages vaxxes.

Asked about absentee rates and how they will bring up attendance. They have issues with teacher attendance, and they have a program were teachers have 10 off days that they can be paid out to the teacher for days they do not use. If they use 3 or less they will pay them out....

for up to seven days to get teachers into the classrooms. It would cost too much to pay out all of those days.

They are not in a budget mode that can support more cost. Public comment is next after Vitti’s report was taken in by the board.

Rules are read for public comment. 18 public commenters in person and 3 online.

Aliah Moore, and Blair Sawyers are first.

Moore says she likes the literacy plan but they didn’t put more of their 700 million on the literacy plan and truancy.

She then calls out a board member for not returning her email about the naming of schools. She wants a policy made that they have to respond to stakeholders. She calls out Sonia Mays.

She calls out Vitti on a email that shows he wants to pack the classes to 40 to 50 deep, a email that was not made public, it seems.

She says the website info and what she is heard is contradictary.

She wants another student on the board. All commenters get 3 minutes.

Teacher from Southeastern hs, says that if you bring a problem you can bring up a solution. She is concerned about cell phones in the class rooms.

She says there is only one line in their student rules that only says don’t let the phone be seen. She brings up a pouch that is used to hold phones at concerts. She recommends that this is used. They want support for the bag device. She wants the issue of cell phones…

in the classrooms to be solved now. We believe we can increase academic performance with a new cell phone rule. Miss Sawyers is the teacher with the cell phone issue.

Teacher Isia Fisher is a 27 year vet teacher addressing the board. She also wants a cell phone rule. She says they are a disruption in the class room and their cell phone policy needs to be changed.

Students deserve a phone free environment. She is not asking for a penalty, just a phone free environment. Consider Yonder or something else to address this need.

Mr Davis says the board should be doing different things. With all the covid money they should live up to the recommendations that President Biden put in the build back America credits for assistance for internet connectivity.

Board should get Detroit students to go to Detroit schools, not schools in the surrounding communities.

Greater work should be done to increase students in class.

Mr Davis is a retired teacher. He says there are ways to used the existing structor to compensate teachers.

Board can and should do a better job.

Frank Rouser is next. He reps Finney HS alumni. 2009 under proposal S to rebuild Finney, Mumford and update King. Both Finney and Mumford were torn down as King was rebuilt.

He wanted the name Finney on the new school, now called East English Village. He feels that taking the name away could be illegal since they voted on the names.

He says East English Village is always Finney to him. He wants the board to vote on renaming the school Finney. Finney alum clap after he finishes. They are reminded that there is a action on tonights agenda about the name changes. Another Finney alum is up next.

He says the name Finney was stolen and erased by taking the name away. The last place where history should be replaced is Detroit, a black city.

Feels betrayed to ax the old name then ask them to come in and help the changed name. this is a preacher, who ask the board to do the right thing and bring the name Finney back. More applause after he finishes his comments.

Lishell Thomas and others represent different areas and want discourse with the PTA group and the board.

Another Finney alum gets up to rep their old school. Named after Gerald Warner Finney, he was one of two in their first graduating class and Finney’s dad helped the underground railroad.

Finney was a tavern owner. And he owned a stable, where underground railroad travelers would hide on their journey.

Detroit was an important stop on the railroad since it was so close to Canada.

She wants the building named a historic building but it was torn down after over 50 years in service. She wants the Finney name restored. The name is spelled out by some in the crowd.

They are told the issue is up for final approval tonight.

Brian Smith represents the Tuskegee Airmen’s Museum. They want a return to flight training at the Museum at City Airport. They are doing some training of kids. They want to do career fairs for African-American’s to get into the aero space industry.

Next commenter says the board does not understand what they are trying to say. If you go back a few years you can fix problems we dealt with in previous years.

She says there are racist groups that say to people in charge and these people do not want black children to progress in education.

She says that if they look back in their history they have dealt with these problems. She says they have done the wrong thing and they need people on the board to listen to them. “It’s our schools and it’s our damm money!”

Carmen is a teacher in the DPS system. She says that she has heard that the board wants to change the name of Ben Carson High School. She does not want the named changed. She does not like his politics but he did a lot for the school and she does not want the name changed.

She is excited that a DPS student is on the board. She wants to know if there is teacher on the board. She says she knows of a city were teachers were encouraged to join the board. Carmen Taylor is the teacher who brought this up. Her husband is next.

He echo’s the boards comments that voting is important and he wants everyone to get out and vote.

“They work for us, we don’t work for them”. Mr Taylor says of elected officials in general. He was also a former paramedic. “You can’t treat a gunshot wound with a bandaid.”

Chandra Haines is next. She says the scheduling for the testing schedule needs to be fixed. The test run from 8 am to 11:45, when parent teacher conferences coming up after that. She says it’s not too late to reschedule.

She emailed Vitti and he said that count day had a effect on the testing schedule.

Dr. Thomas Perioni. He says no problem when his name was not pronounced correctly but he does not mind because he is looking to get connected with the beer maker Perioni in Italy.

He wants to talk about the name changes. He says the public schools were decimated during the state takeover of the schools during the bankruptcy. He says that the Carson name may insult blacks in Detroit. And he says is not just his politics but what he says about....

members of the lgbtq community. He also does not like the fact that he wanted to roll back Obamacare. He says that the name East English Village as a marketing tool.

And he calls out Vitti about the class sizes and teacher insentives. Vitti responds but you cannot hear what he said.

Next person says he asked Vitti if he had accredadation from African American history and Vitti never replied.

He says lets do what works. And if none of them have accredidation for African American history it gives bad representation to the African American children. He says treat the black kids like the white kids.

He says that tell the children our story. He goes over time and his mike is turned off. The final in person comments are coming up.

Christine is a parent. He is young. And she also says they need to go back to the way it was when she went to school. She says they don’t do unexcused absences. Back in her day they could get them, due to illness, or death.

She says the teachers are already catching hell, and he wants to pack the classes. She says the teachers are overworked and underpaid and it effects the kids.

If your gonna pack the classrooms put more teachers in the classrooms. Take things back to the way they were in the school system.

Davon Abbitt’s daughter attends Crain’s elementary. She wants to know why parents are not in the school cause the schools tell them they have to volunteer. She says parents should have to right to go in the schools to see what is going on.

She is on the PTA at the school. She did not know the PTA had to pay the state. They needs and we need you. Their PTA had so little money that she gave them a 50 dollar donation.

She ask where the books are for kids? She says protocols are hindering parents. She wants to see books in the schools. Miss Abbott is done.

Last commenter supports the name changes to go back to Finney. He says public education is in need of leadership. He is Taveron Joe and he is running for the board. He has others he is running with in a write in campaign.

No teacher needs over 40 kids in a classroom. He wants virtual education for all. A media specialist in schools. Teachers need to be paid better. They lost 10 grand taken from them by the emergency manager. Give it back to them.

He says it was a norm to go to several schools due to so many schools closing our being sold to private schools.

He says the board rubber stamps anything Vitti does and Vitti must go. He has run over his time and the mike is turned off. He is Mr Joe.

Public comment is extended to hear the callers not at the meeting. Miss Nicole Conway is the first commenter who is not at the meeting. She is a proud Detroiter. And she is also running for the board. She is a 20 year vet teacher. She supports the name changes.

She says calling the name East English Village is a scam bought on by the emergency manager. She taught at Finney. She is so glad the fight is happening. You can feel the history in Mumford. Finney deserves that. She also says the Duggan/Vitti school board must go.

Including Dr Vitti. She has a case for wrongful termination and was offered a settlement and wants the board she just wanted removed to allow her to teach again and hurry with the settlement.

Another teacher ask why she did not get the bonus she was supposed to get for her oversized classrooms. She also wants more black representation for the DPS.

In politics. She wants to know how many parents are asking for virtual school and what are they being told by DPS staff when they ask for it?

Vitti is answering some of the public comment questions.

He clears up the 50,000 student enrollment online was old, and will be deleted. He says class sizes have not changed. Teacher incentives include paying teachers for teaching more students in classes.

The incentive is used to reward teachers who have more students in their class but is not being used to put more students in classrooms.

He responds to SAT testing tomorrow. He says the state requires the test, and on their calendar it’s not a off day for students. It’s a half day due to the parent teacher conferences. The day and hour of the test is linked to state requirements.

Testing is not seen by the state as a emergency, so they cannot use a emergency day for the test. He says this is how SAT testing is run across the country. Vitti then goes to the cellphone issue and says it’s up to the teachers discretion on how their students use cellphone.

He says they can buy the cell phone bags with covid funding money. He says that parents do not need to be a volunteer to visit classrooms. He wanted to clear that up.

He says they reach out to family’s and make many home trips. they have paid for internet access and devices so kids can work from home. Vitti says the name change items are up for vote and they probably will vote for the changes.

He tells the Finney alum in the crowd that if they do pass the changes, they will still have to ask for a vote by the public to engage and ask for the change and what the change should be. He says that Northwestern had it’s name changed back so they have done it before.

He says that the district cannot give money to the PTA because it’s a non for profit. He says that title 1 money can be used for the PTA. He says their para professionals make 16 a hour, which he feels is a living wage. 350 in the virtual school right now.

He says students in the virtual schools cannot get things like emotional support. He says there are challenges with the internet access and build back program.

The Tuskegee Museum will get funding from money being used to fix up the airport. They provide opportunities for students and there are students taking classes at the airport.

Some students are already flying planes at the airport’s flight school, Vitti says.

The board defends itself from some commenters. They know history, and they are sitting there being dictated to. She says they are not novices at this.

She says they are solution based. She says no one wins with arguing or insults. She says go vote. The board is telling the board to make civics lessons in voter awareness available in schools.

Vitti says they have a get out the vote campaign and they went to a school and registered 60 students at Mumford and 5 people at Carson. They do not tell the students to vote for, they only register students to vote.

Vitti addresses working on the board and working for the school city. State law says that no DPS employee can sit on the board. If they run and get elected they have to quit teaching. It’s state law.

Public comment and rebuttal is done. Termination report is up next. Here is the report. 10 fired for job abandonment. https://go.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Board.nsf/files/CK3RF56D9023/$file/PUBLIC%20Admin_Termination%20Report_October%202022.pdf

It is questioned if the abandoned jobs is not a good look. A security official and para professionals are on the list. Job abandonment is not a good look. Vitti says people are not just coming to work. After 5 days they have to move forward and fire the employee.

Vitti says there is no one issue with the abandonments, but family obligations is one reason.

It is chimed in that if these people are not going to work the problem is with us. A member of the audience claps after this admission.

Employment recommendations are up next. Two people are up for jobs with Detroit Public Schools.

Vitti says it’s not cool to talk about the individual employees up for jobs, but some cannot be hired if they have certain felonies.

He recommends and the board approves the hire.

Incidents with children are an issue due to what the problems were. He has to approve people with felonies and mistomeaners.

One recommendation to hire, and the other is to terminate an employee. This passes. Consent agenda items are up next and the school renaming is first.

All consent items are read at the same time. Someone says the Finney name was stripped illegally and people in the audience clap. It’s said that they shouldn’t have to go through all of this to get the name change.

The name change process should be expedited. groups are contacted. Alumni, PTA, and current students and parents have to give approval for the name changes.

Meeting time is now two and a half hours.

The community was engaged on the Carson name change. No community outreach was done for the Finney or Crocket name changes. Crocket was in the recommendation.

Discussion of making policy on name changes. The names were illegally changed while this city was under emergency control. Claps from the audience.

The process needs to be streamlined, according to a board member.

Vitti says the Ben Carson student body was split on the changes, and it was hard to reach alumni for their comments. Outside of Detroit republicans sent him letters against the name change. The name change did not get to the full board due then covid hit.

Vitti wants to fully engage alumni for the name changes. He feels that by December they will have enough info on the name changes as gleaned from alumni, pta, and students.

School advisory councils are made up of current students, parents, alumni and business partners of the school.

Those councils are asked about name changes. Alumni engagement is important. He says that if the alumni sample is small it would be tough to get info from them, since there are so few to ask about the name changes.

It’s said that Finney and Carson are two different situations. They want to know if the alumni can take control of the surveys? It’s said they have been engaged.

It is asked to expedite the process for Finney. Carson is a different type of case. Represented Hunter Harvill ask about engaging the students in the name changes.

It’s said that the school name changes should not have more than one school in the action.

Motion on the floor to expedite the Finney name change since they have already gone thought this process already. They have gone through most of the processes in getting the name changed back to Finney.

Motion for a vote on all the consent agenda items. Only the name change has been discussed. Friendly amendment is on the floor to start the process in 10 days to change the names. The crowd is admonished after reacting to two board members looking at each other.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Board.nsf/files/CK3RF56D9023/$file/PUBLIC%20Admin_Termination%20Report_October%202022.pdf

https://t.co/CkVQGIm2Kv

Vitti says that it can take time to engage all the student body on the name changes, and they want the students to do more than just fill out a survey, they want them civically engaged in the name changes. Vitti says he wants the name change but will not change the policy....

The board can waive the requirements but it sets a bad president for others who want name changes. He says the recommendation for the changes should come after Thanksgiving. He says that alumni will complain that they did not get a chance to chime in on the changes.

A month is fair for the process and they do not want this to drag into next year. Friendly amendment to expedite these changes in 10 days is on the floor.

Recommend that the two school votes are separate action items. The item is voted on to be moved from the consent agenda. Up is a motion to approve the rest of the consent agenda, even though those items were never discussed by the board at the meeting.

Motion carries to approve consent agenda items 12.02 to 12.06 pass with no discussion.

Vote is up to separate the votes for school name changes. It passes.

Vitti is asked if the guidelines mean that this goes back to the board in 30 days? No answer could be heard. The audience claps.

30 days before a vote for the name changes. Motion passes to separate the name change votes. they vote on the schools following policy for the name changes. One nay on the vote to use policy for the Carson name change. A same vote is up for the Finney name change.

Motion is made to rename East English Village high school back to Finney, and the crowd claps.

A member wants the changes but does not want the policy to change the names changed.

Stealing of this history has had an emotional impact on students, alumni, community members.

Lots of questions on what to vote on to expedite the process of the Finney name change.

If one person can take a pen and change history, they can vote tonight to change East English Village back to Finney high school, it’s stated.

Shouts can be heard from the audience. The fight is on to either vote tonight, or follow the policy in an expedited way.

Vote is up to expedited the process for the East English Village name change to Finney passes. Finny alumni are thanked for coming to the meeting and their input.

Type of leave policy is passed. Drone policy on DPS property is voted on. Here is the list of second read policies. ps://go.boarddocs.com/mi/detroit/Board.nsf/files/CK4HZ54AA6A5/$file/RBM%20Policy%20Packet%20(2nd%20R.)%2010-11-2022.pdf

Vitti wants drones on site if they are being used for educational policies. The idea is that some drone owners do not know you cannot fly drones on DPS property.

Vitti says this will go up a flagpole before anyone is arrested. Warning language can be added. It is mentioned that there are some places in Detroit were it is illegal to fly drones due to flight paths at City Airport.

Second read policies pass. Announcements are next.

A 800 book donation is brought up. Meeting dates have changed. Check the website for changes. https://www.detroitk12.org/

Vitti gives one last statement on vaxxs. He says the number of those getting shots, 417 students got vaxxed for covid has gone up. That’s a positive.

Motion to adjourn at 8:49 PM.

Meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m. This concludes the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board meeting. For more meeting coverage, check out http://documenters.org.