Detroit Schools Lose $2.2m in State Funding After Missing Attendance Requirements

Detroit Public Schools Community District will forfeit $2.2 million in state funds after failing to meet a 75% attendance threshold on several days last school year. The Michigan Department of Education confirmed the penalty. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said, per Chalkbeat, the law penalizes schools in communities with high poverty rates and widens existing funding gaps.

State records show DPSCD dipped below the attendance threshold on 11 days last school year.

The State School Aid Act allows penalties when less than 75% of enrolled students attend school on any instructional day. The state superintendent can waive the fines in certain situations, like storms or epidemics.

Vitti said the fines penalize districts for attendance troubles tied to housing instability, lack of transportation, and health concerns. Many school building closures have resulted from the city's aging infrastructure, which are outside the district's control or ability to repair.

"It's a policy that punishes the symptoms while making the underlying condition worse," said Vitti.

Bob Wheaton serves as the MDE's director of public and governmental affairs. He said the agency and its auditors must enforce the penalties. All school districts in the state face the fines, regardless of student demographics.

Eighty-four percent of students come from low-income families in the district. High rates of chronic absenteeism have plagued DPSCD for years. Last year marked the first time students were absent at a lower rate compared to pre-pandemic years. More than 60% of students still missed too much school.

"We're investing heavily in attendance agents, health hubs, home visits, parent engagement, mental health services; all the wraparound supports that actually move the needle on attendance," said Vitti.

So far this year, DPSCD has fallen below 75% daily attendance twice. State records showed 142 traditional public school districts and charter schools were identified as facing potential fines for last school year's attendance rates.

"Taking millions from schools doesn't get a single additional child to school," Vitti told Chalkbeat. "It just means we have that much less to help them get there."