Board, union warn fast‑track online diplomas are draining Dearborn students; members urge state action

Kathy Martin, a representative of the Dearborn Federation of Teachers, told the Dearborn City School District board that hundreds of secondary students are leaving to enroll in state‑sanctioned, fast‑track online programs that award high‑school diplomas in months. “We have students who are leaving at very, very young ages, going to an online school,” Martin said, adding those students often do not get equivalent preparation for college coursework.

District staff reported the most recent count showed about 220 students from grades 9–12 had enrolled in the outside program during the past school year. Fatmi Faraj, the district executive director who oversees school improvement work, said the number came from a recent review of transfers and enrollments: “when we last looked at the numbers…we had about 220 students going to the school that Miss Martin is referring to.”

Trustees and union leaders described examples they say show the program’s limits. Board members and union speakers said some students who transfer back from those online programs struggle academically in community college and need remedial coursework, increasing costs and lowering long‑term success. “Students who get those degrees have to go back and take so many remedial courses,” a trustee said during the discussion.

The board debated remedies that are partly outside its direct control. Options discussed included intensified community outreach to families, expanded accelerated programs within Dearborn, requiring additional proficiency testing for transfer students, and urging state lawmakers to set stronger oversight or standards for fast‑track providers. Multiple trustees urged the board to engage the district’s lobbyist and to send a formal letter to state legislators; one trustee volunteered to sign such a letter.

Board members also noted that the district can act locally. Trustees asked administrators to increase parent engagement about the district’s programs and to explore retention strategies that better match students’ needs while discouraging quick‑finish alternatives that may harm students later. The discussion closed with a request for staff to return with data and an outline of possible local and legislative actions.

Next steps: trustees asked the administration to gather more precise enrollment and outcome data, coordinate with the district lobbyist on legislative outreach, and report back at a future meeting.