DPSCD superintendent reports gains in attendance, lower chronic absenteeism and warns of federal funding uncertainty

Superintendent Nicolai Vitti presented the district’s end-of-year academic and operational data at the Detroit Public Schools Community District board meeting on July 8, highlighting modest but measurable improvements in attendance and graduation rates while urging vigilance about future federal funding risks. Vitti said average daily attendance rose to 84% districtwide, a two-point increase from two years earlier, and chronic absenteeism declined by six percentage points, to 60%.

Vitti framed the gains as the product of systemwide changes and targeted interventions, including hiring more academic interventionists funded through the district’s literacy lawsuit resources. “We’re certainly making a difference in getting students to come more regularly and declining chronic absenteeism as well,” Vitti said. He said kindergarten through second-grade results showed the strongest growth and that the interventionist model appears to be helping younger students make larger gains.

The superintendent also said graduation rates have improved 13 percentage points since 2021 and that more juniors and seniors are enrolling in and passing college‑ready courses (advanced placement, IB, dual enrollment or career-tech). Vitti cautioned that official M‑STEP and SAT results were not yet released but that internal I‑Ready data indicate likely improvements when those scores are published.

Board members pressed for more disaggregated data and concrete plans to reduce chronic absenteeism at middle and high school levels. Board member Bridal asked for a plan linking marketing and family supports to attendance interventions; Vitti agreed to present a detailed plan at the academic committee. Several members asked for school‑level listings of high-performing outliers so the district can replicate successful practices.

Vitti also briefed the board on the district’s fiscal posture. Finance staff reported approximately 14 weeks of available cash at the end of May, and Vitti said auditors have begun work that is expected to finish in November. He warned, however, that certain federal allocations (titles cited by staff) were currently frozen and could be reduced in future congressional budget actions, and he said the district has contingency plans to use state revenue and interest income to protect staffing and student programming in the near term.

The board voted to accept the superintendent’s report following the presentation. Vitti said more detailed committee-level reviews and a third‑party evaluation of the literacy investments will be shared with the board.