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The Detroit school district is weighing spending $79.4 million of surplus funds to chip away at long-needed infrastructure improvements.
The plan, presented to the Detroit Public Schools Community District board’s finance and academic committees, includes demolishing 11 vacant buildings, boarding up another 11 vacant properties, building an athletic complex, repaving 36 parking lots, and improving fencing at 28 schools. The money, which comes in part from increased revenue in recent fiscal years, would also be used to replace the roof at one school and build two new health hubs, among other expenditures.
“I think it’s a major, major investment in our kids, and we can afford it — the time is right,” said Board Member Iris Taylor during last week’s Finance Committee meeting. The finance academic committees approved the proposal this month. The full board must vote to amend this year’s budget for the plans to take action.
The proposals are additional improvements not included in the district’s existing $700 million facility master plan, which was funded with onetime federal COVID relief dollars. That plan only touched a fraction of the $2.1 billion in infrastructure needs the district identified in a 2018 facilities analysis.
“We have made significant progress but there is a lot to still do,” Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat in an email last week.
Since 2019, the district has spent more than $123 million in surplus funds on urgent facility repairs focused on health, safety and operational needs, said Vitti.
The district had an unrestricted general fund balance of $212.8 million at the end of the last fiscal year, according to DPSCD. The district also has a $48.3 million rainy day fund, which are reserve dollars that can be used for unexpected costs.
In order to close the gap on facility needs, the superintendent said more equitable state funding is essential. The district can’t use federal funds for such costs, and the state funding model does not earmark dollars for school infrastructure, he added.
Plan would demolish or board up 22 sites
According to the district, 22 vacant properties are costing more than $71,000 a year in city blight fees, landscaping, and emergency board-ups. The school system gets dozens of complaints each year about the safety risks the buildings pose.
The new proposal would get rid of half of those buildings and board up the rest.
Here are the vacant school buildings that would be demolished if the plan is approved:
- Brady Elementary School at 2920 Joy Rd.
- Harris Professional Building at 3700 Pulford St.
- Jemison School of Choice at 16400 Tireman Ave.
- Larned Elementary School at 23700 Clarita St.
- Lawton Building at 9345 Lawton St.
- Loday at 17450 Lenore
- Murphy Elementary-Middle School at 23901 Fenkell St.
- The former Pulaski Elementary-Middle School building at 19725 Strasburg St.
- Stewart Academy at 1312 Wildemere St.
- Trix Elementary School at 13700 Bringard Dr.
- Yost Academy at 16161 Winston St.
Here are the buildings that would be boarded up:
- The former Bunche Elementary School building at 2601 Ellery St.
- Courtis Elementary School at 8100 W. Davison
- Erma Henderson Lower School at 9600 Mettetal St.
- Hancock Academy at 2200 Ewald Cir.
- Legacy at 4900 E. Hilldale
- McColl Elementary School at 20550 Cathedral St.
- Poe Developmental School at 1200 W. Canfield St.
- Robeson Early Childhood Center at 14900 Parkside St.
- Rutherford Winans Academy at 16411 Curtis St.
- Stark School of Technology at 12611 Avondale St.
- Von Steuben Elementary School at 12300 Linnhurst St.
The plan would allocate $15 million to fill a funding gap to build an outdoor high school athletic complex at the site of the former Cooley High School at 15055 Hubbell Ave. The additional funds would be used to improve the football field, said Vitti.
The board already approved using $15 million in state funds to demolish the Cooley building, create an outdoor greenspace, and update the parking lots. Previously discussed plans for an indoor sports complex would require additional funding, Vitti said. The DPSCD Foundation said last year it will raise another $10 million for the project.
Another $9.8 million would go to replace the athletic field at Detroit Lions Academy.
A $3.5 million budget amendment would pay to add health hubs — which provide wraparound services such as physical, mental, and dental health care to students and families — to the new Cody and Pershing high schools.
Around $2.5 million would be allocated to replace the Charles Wright Academy roof.
Only 5% of schools in the district meet paving standards, meaning they allow safe access and have proper drainage, according to administrators. Vitti’s proposed plan would bring 33% of schools up to standard.
The proposal would improve fencing so that 50% of schools meet standards, meaning all play areas, parking lots, and athletic fields would have vinyl-coated chain link fencing.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
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