DETROIT – DPSCD has been holding public town hall meetings across the city to get community feedback on its facilities master plan.
For schools slated to be demolished, the district has started doing smaller parent meetings at each school.
On Monday (April 18), Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti held one with about 25 parents at Davison Elementary School as Davison is on the list to be bulldozed.
The district says it would take $11 million in upgrades to bring the school up to par. Instead, DPSCD suggests moving those students to DIA, which has more amenities and seats.
“The parents who attended today don’t want to move,” said Vitti. “They’d rather stay in this building even if it means no clear commitment for upgrades in the building because they’re comfortable here.”
The facility’s master plan is just that at this point, a plan, not a final document.
“This is a landmark to this particular area,” said parent Latrina Mitchell. “We don’t want to close the school. We’re concerned if we close the school, what else will happen.”
After the feedback from Monday’s meeting, Vitti said it was time to survey both the parents and faculty and see if the plurality of opinion mirrors what parents had to say.
The budget for the DPSCD funding plan is to spend $281 million on new buildings, $269 million on renovations, and $35 million to prep for pre-k.