Detroit voters on Aug. 4 approved a Detroit Public Schools Community District tax proposal that ensures the district has needed operating revenue. Credit: Chalkbeat Detroit
Detroit voters came together on Aug. 4 to secure roughly $112 million annually for the next decade for students, educators and buildings in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The millage passed with more than 80% approval, which reflects what we know to be true: Detroiters, from Grand River to Gratiot, want the best for our kids to help them learn, grow and become the future leaders of our city.
And yet, we know that this win is not enough. Community leaders, influencers and parents are rightfully calling on the district to provide EVERY Detroit student with the education they deserve and to give parents an opportunity to weigh in on how the district spends its money.
482forward, an organization I’ve worked with for more than 10 years fighting for education justice in Detroit, is excited that more and more Detroiters are joining this conversation. For decades, certain state politicians have shifted the school funding formula, leaving Detroit without the funding we have needed while shifting our budget towards giving kickbacks to billionaires.
DPSCD’s schools have long fought a narrative about the mismanagement of funds. It has, at times, excluded the voices of parents and students. And, yes, underfunded classrooms produce under-prepared students. All things can be true at once.
Detroit schools are disturbingly underfunded, from school facilities to arts programming and extracurricular activities, which exacerbates the negative narratives our public schools fight. Detroit families who are asked to entrust their students to DPSCD deserve the freedom to have a say in the decisions that shape their children’s futures.
The ask to shape how our funds are spent to ensure a bright future for students isn’t new, but the call is louder than it’s been in quite some time. We’ve come together on Election Day, in school board meetings and in conversations with our neighbors to hold our leaders accountable to everything we know our schools can be and our students deserve.
Imani Foster
Detroit has watched our public schools rise from the ashes in the last 10 years! A district we were told would never survive has been pushed again and again by the community to take steps in the right direction, whether it be more than doubling teacher pay, restoring arts programming and gym classes to all K-5 schools, or expanding access to free summer programming.
Still, we have further to go. Just like in other parts of the state, our students need more support in reading and math. Less than 15% of our 3rd graders are proficient in literacy and math across the district. And while we tout increases in graduation rates, statistics show that the majority of our students graduate unprepared for college and trade schools.
Our kids deserve MORE than what they’re receiving right now. It shouldn’t matter whether you choose to send your child to the best Montessori or magnet school, or the neighborhood school up the street. They should receive an education that prepares them to thrive no matter what path they choose after high school.
Beyond passing a millage, it starts with parents, educators, students and community members creating a united campaign to demand more from our administrators, more from the state of Michigan, and more from our board of education! We all want our public dollars to be used to serve our families and communities, and together, we’ll make sure it happens. And we deserve HVAC, art, libraries, more sports, robust extracurricular activities and everything else our kids deserve at every school.
That’s why I’m inviting everyone reading this to come together with your neighbors and friends to 482Forward’s town hall about the state of our schools on Sept. 11 from 6- 8 p.m.
This town hall marks the start of our “Detroit Students Deserve More” campaign, which will result in a clear list of community budget and policy priorities for DPSCD leadership and the state of Michigan. Then, we’ll spend intentional time through listening sessions developing demands and recommendations for the new DPSCD board and ahead of the 2027 state budget.
We will have presentations from DPSCD on the current financial state of our schools and how the school budget works. We’ll also have an economist present to share the history and context of our district. And of course, 482forward will present on the current work around school facilities, school libraries, literacy and more so that we can start to fight for what the community truly cares about.
But none of this can happen without stakeholders in the room. We also want to hear from YOU and what you want to see from DPSCD.
It’s on every single one of us to fight for our kids — to fight for them like each one is our own. When it comes to Detroit, we decide. And the fight starts here, and now!
Imani Foster is a native Detroiter who started her career in activism when she was 16 years old, fighting for education justice in Detroit. She continues that fight at 482Forward, a member-led education justice organization fighting for quality schools in every Detroit neighborhood, as the organization’s communications director.
Imani Foster is a native Detroiter who started her career in activism when she was 16 years old, fighting for education justice in Detroit. She continues that fight at 482Forward, an education justice...
More by Imani Foster
Op-ed: Help shape the future of Detroit schools after millage approval
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Detroit voters came together on Aug. 4 to secure roughly $112 million annually for the next decade for students, educators and buildings in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The millage passed with more than 80% approval, which reflects what we know to be true: Detroiters, from Grand River to Gratiot, want the best for our kids to help them learn, grow and become the future leaders of our city.
And yet, we know that this win is not enough. Community leaders, influencers and parents are rightfully calling on the district to provide EVERY Detroit student with the education they deserve and to give parents an opportunity to weigh in on how the district spends its money.
482forward, an organization I’ve worked with for more than 10 years fighting for education justice in Detroit, is excited that more and more Detroiters are joining this conversation. For decades, certain state politicians have shifted the school funding formula, leaving Detroit without the funding we have needed while shifting our budget towards giving kickbacks to billionaires.
DPSCD’s schools have long fought a narrative about the mismanagement of funds. It has, at times, excluded the voices of parents and students. And, yes, underfunded classrooms produce under-prepared students. All things can be true at once.
Detroit schools are disturbingly underfunded, from school facilities to arts programming and extracurricular activities, which exacerbates the negative narratives our public schools fight. Detroit families who are asked to entrust their students to DPSCD deserve the freedom to have a say in the decisions that shape their children’s futures.
The ask to shape how our funds are spent to ensure a bright future for students isn’t new, but the call is louder than it’s been in quite some time. We’ve come together on Election Day, in school board meetings and in conversations with our neighbors to hold our leaders accountable to everything we know our schools can be and our students deserve.
Detroit has watched our public schools rise from the ashes in the last 10 years! A district we were told would never survive has been pushed again and again by the community to take steps in the right direction, whether it be more than doubling teacher pay, restoring arts programming and gym classes to all K-5 schools, or expanding access to free summer programming.
Still, we have further to go. Just like in other parts of the state, our students need more support in reading and math. Less than 15% of our 3rd graders are proficient in literacy and math across the district. And while we tout increases in graduation rates, statistics show that the majority of our students graduate unprepared for college and trade schools.
Our kids deserve MORE than what they’re receiving right now. It shouldn’t matter whether you choose to send your child to the best Montessori or magnet school, or the neighborhood school up the street. They should receive an education that prepares them to thrive no matter what path they choose after high school.
Beyond passing a millage, it starts with parents, educators, students and community members creating a united campaign to demand more from our administrators, more from the state of Michigan, and more from our board of education! We all want our public dollars to be used to serve our families and communities, and together, we’ll make sure it happens. And we deserve HVAC, art, libraries, more sports, robust extracurricular activities and everything else our kids deserve at every school.
That’s why I’m inviting everyone reading this to come together with your neighbors and friends to 482Forward’s town hall about the state of our schools on Sept. 11 from 6- 8 p.m.
This town hall marks the start of our “Detroit Students Deserve More” campaign, which will result in a clear list of community budget and policy priorities for DPSCD leadership and the state of Michigan. Then, we’ll spend intentional time through listening sessions developing demands and recommendations for the new DPSCD board and ahead of the 2027 state budget.
We will have presentations from DPSCD on the current financial state of our schools and how the school budget works. We’ll also have an economist present to share the history and context of our district. And of course, 482forward will present on the current work around school facilities, school libraries, literacy and more so that we can start to fight for what the community truly cares about.
But none of this can happen without stakeholders in the room. We also want to hear from YOU and what you want to see from DPSCD.
It’s on every single one of us to fight for our kids — to fight for them like each one is our own. When it comes to Detroit, we decide. And the fight starts here, and now!
Join us September 11th by RSVPing today. <https://actionnetwork.org/events/detroit-kids-deserve-more-townhall?clear_id=true>
Imani Foster is a native Detroiter who started her career in activism when she was 16 years old, fighting for education justice in Detroit. She continues that fight at 482Forward, a member-led education justice organization fighting for quality schools in every Detroit neighborhood, as the organization’s communications director.
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Imani Foster
Imani Foster is a native Detroiter who started her career in activism when she was 16 years old, fighting for education justice in Detroit. She continues that fight at 482Forward, an education justice... More by Imani Foster