Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.The coming school year will be an important one for addressing the transportation challenges that make it difficult for so many Detroit students to get to school.City officials on Friday announced a new ride share service pilot and a new initiative to help students feel safe on routes to school.The Detroit Public Schools Community District is expanding yellow school bus service to students at two more high schools with high rates of chronic absenteeism.Together, these efforts reflect city and school officials’ focus on targeting the systemic issues students in the city face that contribute to lower academic performance and poor attendance in both district and charter schools. Parents, in particular, may be closely watching whether investments are paying off for their children. In recent weeks, DPSCD has faced increased criticism and questions about everything from test scores to how the district is spending its money.Among the parents is Tanecia Wilson, whose child attends the Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies School. She wants the district to share more details about its budget.“We’re just looking for transparency,” she said during the Aug. 11 DPSCD board meeting.The 2026-27 school year begins Aug. 24 in DPSCD and many of the city’s charter schools.Below is more information on transportation efforts and other things to expect this school year.The city will invest more in student transportationStarting this school year, Detroit Department of Transportation employees will help students taking city buses get to school safely.Chanel Hampton, senior director of Youth and Education for Mayor Mary Sheffield’s office, said after a Friday press conference announcing the program that safety concerns from parents and students prompted the initiative.The city began providing free bus service to all Detroit students in April. Sheffield announced the free service will continue with a $1 million state grant.“We will have about 50 to 100 individuals who are city employees every single day who will now be extra vigilant and looking out to ensure the safety of young people during those to and from school commute times,” Hampton said.Current DDOT employees will get additional training to monitor student safety, according to the city. They will be placed at bus stops, transit centers, and will be on buses with high student ridership. In some cases, Hampton said the safety “ambassadors” will walk students from bus stops to their schools.The city will also run a $500,000 ride share pilot for around 150 students from Pershing, Denby, and Osborn high schools, as well as East English Village Preparatory Academy at Finney, from Aug. 24 through mid-October.Hampton said the city chose neighborhood high schools with higher rates of chronic absenteeism. The short pilot window is due to funding constraints, Hampton said.“The hope is that we learn, we see what works, and we can absolutely then bring in more funds to scale this to be a … school year-round effort, but we need to see what works.,” said Hampton.DPSCD’s board membership will changeThe district’s board may see a lot of changes this year, as five of seven seats will be up for grabs in the Nov. 3 election.There are 34 people running. Only two – Steve Bland, Jr. and Bessie Lee Harris – are incumbents. Both Bland and Harris have been on the board for less than a year. They were appointed to fill open seats last year.The board’s leaders, Chair LaTrice McClendon and vice chair Corletta Vaughn, will not seek reelection.After the recent death of member Iris Taylor, the board must also appoint a new member ahead of the election.The board has the power to hire and fire the district’s superintendent and makes decisions that shape district policy, curriculum, and funding.DPSCD will add more initiatives to boost attendanceThough the district has made a lot of progress in reducing chronic absenteeism in recent years, the rate of DPSCD students missing 10% or more of the school year (or about 18 days in a 180-day school year) was 60.9% in 2024-25.The district will roll out a few more strategies to help get kids to school this year.DPSCD will expand a pilot program that transported some general education high school students on yellow buses to Henry Ford High School and East English Village last year. Pershing and Cody high schools will join the program this school year.The perfect attendance incentive, which the district says helped reduce high school absenteeism, will return and expand to include middle schoolers this year. They will be paid $50 each a week for perfect attendance during winter and early spring.More focus on career pathways for high schoolers DPSCD will roll out its high school redesign this fall. Ninth graders at the district’s 11 neighborhood high schools will explore career pathways during a seminar class, which will help them choose the dual enrollment, career and technical education, or advanced placement courses they want to take through graduation..There will be smaller class sizes and more wraparound supports, including additional tutoring opportunities during the school day for ninth graders who are behind in literacy, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said during the August board meeting.“The goal is to reduce the number of credits that they’re behind, so by 11th and 12th grade they can take more career and college courses,” Vitti said.The district is hiring seven more high school counselors this year, making the ratio one counselor for every 250 students. Fewer costs, more communication for parents, DPSCD saysThis year, parents should not be asked to provide classroom supplies and materials, according to the district, because DPSCD increased funding for supplies by $4.5 million, Vitti said at the Friday press conference.After receiving complaints on a range of issues this summer, Vitti promised at a community meeting the district would improve parent engagement and communication.McClendon, the board chair, said during the August board meeting that she asked for principals of district schools to hold regular town halls to answer parent questions. In addition to those meetings, DPSCD is planning two town halls focused on special education in the district. The dates of the meetings have not been posted.Another school will closeThurgood Marshall Elementary-Middle School on Detroit’s west side is slated to close after this school year as part of an accelerated phase-out plan. Four other DPSCD elementary-middle schools closed in June.Barack Obama Leadership Academy will not reopen for the 2026-27 school year. The fate of one of Michigan’s oldest charter schools was announced on its website this summer.Another well-established Detroit charter, Old Redford Academy, closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
