DETROIT (WXYZ) — If you're the parent of kids heading back to school at Detroit Public Schools Community District and you haven't bough school supplies yet, you may want to hold off, because the district has got you covered.
Watch Alicia Smith's report below
Dr. Nikolai Vitti, DPSCD's superintendent, told me in a one-on-one interview that the district is investing an additional $4.5 million in school supplies. Every student, and all of the teachers in the district, won't have to worry about buying school supplies this year.
I asked Dr. Vitti what will feel different for students on Day 1.
“From pre-K to 12th grade, each student will get a student supply kit of materials that will last throughout the school year," he told me. "And then we've added classroom supplies to our classroom so that our teachers aren't asking our parents to add additional materials. So, whether it's Kleenex, whether it is extra paper or pencils, we have given schools and individual classrooms plenty of supplies so there's no distractions at the beginning of the school year around supplies. And something will continue as all of our teachers get an additional $200 supply stipend that they can buy whatever they want for the classroom. And then our schools still have additional money if they want to fill gaps with supplies.”
Dr. Vitti says this is all about making sure there are no distractions at the beginning of the school year when it comes to supplies. He told me schools will also have additional money if they want to spend on an unexpected gaps in supplies, and that's on top of the $200 stipend given to each teacher for classroom supplies.
In my extensive interview with Dr. Vitti, we talked about much more than school supplies. One of the topics we touched on is DPD's strategy for tackling chronic absenteeism. DPSCD is working to tackle the issue (defined as a student missing 10 percent or more of school days in a year, or roughly 2-3 days a month) by expanding its 'Free Yellow Bus Service' pilot program, which covers students at four schools (Cody, Henry Food, and Pershing High Schools, along with East English Village Prepartory Academy at Finney High School).
The Ride to Rise program continues, allowing every K-12 student in Detroit a free ride on City D-DOT buses, covering not only public school kids, but also private and charter school students, who show their student I.D. That program appears to making an impact on the issue.
“So - As we concluded the 2025-2026 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate was 60%. And so that has dropped by 10 percentage points since I became superintendent," Dr. Vitti told me.
Dr. Vitti said that after winter break, the district will expand it's 'Perfect Attendance Pays' initiative to include middle school students.
Watch our previous coverage
This will be the third year that high schoolers can earn up to $1,000 for perfect attendance. As part of this initiative, for every five-day cycle of perfect attendance starting in January:
- Middle school students will receive a $50 electronic gift card
- High school students will receieve a $100 gift card
- Students must attend every hour of the school day for it count.
Dr. Vitti believes this program has helped. He also credits the addition of health hubs, which have provided free medical, vision and dental screenings and support for students, as well as family resource centers, which provide DPSCD families with everything from extra food for the weekends to help paying utility bills.
Web Extra: Watch our exclusive interview with Dr. Nikolai Vitti, the Superintendent at Detroit Public Schools Community District
