HOW BUTLER WILL WORK FOR DETROIT'S CHILDREN
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND COLLEGE/CAREER READINESS
K-12 educators should implement culturally relevant evidence-based grade-level curricula. Students should see themselves in their textbooks and educators. College and career development should start early in K-8 grades. High school students should be offered career exploration pathways that provide skill-based curriculum, mentorship and job-shadowing opportunities. Every young person should have a clearly defined college/career plan. A DPSCD diploma should be an accelerant to the future.
OUT OF SCHOOL TIME
Struggling students deserve individualized learning support during school time; and we must expand out of school time programming that supports enrichment and recreation in before, after, and summer learning programs in every part of the city including the Eastside of Detroit and Southwest Detroit.
WHOLE SCHOOLS, WHOLE COMMUNITIES
Detroit students deserve holistic wrap-around support that provides for the social emotional well-being of students in addition to academics. Detroit schools must build holistic partnerships with our medical and mental health system to address the basic needs of children. To address health disparities, the school district should expand the community school model to put 2-3 health hubs in each neighborhood school and partner with City agencies to expand the community health corps program. Children cannot learn when they are facing untreated depression, asthma or do not have basic needs such as eyeglasses addressed. We must build an ecosystem for youth thriving in order to have a whole community.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Every school day counts. In addition to expanding bus transportation and deploying attendance agents or community health workers, our District must partner with community organizations to help get our scholars to schools, and schools must be welcoming to students from all backgrounds including those from immigrant families or those who identify as LGBTQIA. Addressing wrap around support and fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging is a two-pronged solution for increasing our daily attendance rates.
SAFE SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION
Every child deserves a safe walk or ride to school. The District should work with the state and federal government to obtain funding for electric school bus fleets. Safe bus routes to school should increase to serve more K-8 students and the district and city should complete a transportation study to ensure that there are adequate public transportation routes to get students to school safely and on time. Our neighborhoods continue to improve through rehabilitation programs and demolition funded by the federal government and local tax payers, now the District and the City must work collaboratively on community-driven solutions that address blighted and abandoned schools.
EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATOR TALENT AND WORKFORCE PIPELINES
Educators matter. The District must continue to recruit and retain the region’s best educator talent. Educator voice must be elevated in decision making processes in order to facilitate a healthy and inclusive workplace where staff members find belonging. We must continue to invest in alternate-certification programs such On the Rise Academy that rebuild Detroit’s teaching force.
EQUITABLE FUNDING
We must continue to be good stewards of the financial resources. The school board must continue to advocate for a weighted funding formula that prioritizes students with special needs, English language learners and those families facing poverty. Our school buildings are aging and crumbling. We must build a coalition with other school board members from Michigan districts and large urban districts to advocate for federal legislation such as the Rebuild America's Schools Act. We cannot continue to put a band-aid on creating a 21st century learning facility.
INCLUSIVE DECISION-MAKING
The voices of our students, parents, educators, administrators and collective bargaining units matter. As a Board of Education, we must engage all stakeholders to inform budget and policy decisions for which board members are responsible.
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