Author: Micah Walker, BridgeDetroit

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.As the Detroit school district marks the end of its first month of the 2026-27 school year, more than half of its schools now have full air conditioning throughout the building, according to Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. Vitti gave an update on Detroit Public Schools Community District’s ongoing project to modernize its HVAC systems at Tuesday’s board meeting. The investment is part of the district’s $700 million facility master plan, which was implemented in 2022. The plan includes rebuilding, reopening, or demolishing…

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 district spends more than $300,000 a year on high school athletics, but one school board member wants more investment in younger athletes and girls’ sports. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti gave an update on the athletics program for Detroit Public Schools Community District during a board committee meeting Wednesday. Out of the $4.82 million spent annually on sports, $340,441 is allocated to high school athletics and $112,000 goes to K-8 sports. When the budget is broken down, $1.4 million is…

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 approved a new two-year contract for teachers Tuesday that increases their salaries, includes new language on AI use, and gives more money for teachers to participate in professional development. More than 5,000 people belong to the Detroit Federation of Teachers, including teachers, paraprofessionals, academic interventionists, and psychologists, among other school staff. The new contract covers the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years.The board also approved a contract for the Detroit Association of Educational Office Employees. The two-year contract…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.A longtime Detroit public school principal who has faced misconduct allegations in the past won’t be returning to his leadership position in the fall. Jeffery Robinson, principal at Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy, will no longer lead the K-8 Afrocentric school due to “several disciplinary incidents and performance concerns,” Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti confirmed to BridgeDetroit. Robinson is currently serving a 30-day suspension without pay that was approved by the school board earlier this month. When his…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.Students at Gompers Elementary-Middle School made their return to school Monday for the first time since an eighth grader stabbed another girl in front of a classroom full of students on Oct. 8. But despite the early morning darkness and chill in the air, Detroit school board members, city and state officials, police officers, and community leaders came out in full force to support the students during a difficult time. The stabbing happened after the mother of one of the students…