Ethan Bakuli
Chalkbeat
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Past articles by Ethan:
Detroit district budget cuts may target school deans, assistant principals, as COVID aid dries up
District officials are settling on budget priorities for the 2023-24 school year, which may include cutting staff positions at individual schools and at the central office. → Read More
Michigan’s 4-year graduation ticks up, with big gain in Detroit district
Michigan’s long-term gains in the graduation rate track with substantial improvements nationwide over the last two decades. → Read More
Federal COVID relief aid to schools will dry up soon. Are districts ready?
Detroit and other districts face some tough decisions about which programs and employees they can afford to keep once federal support is gone, and they’re under pressure to map out their spending quickly. → Read More
Detroit literacy and transportation programs get big support in Whitmer budget proposal
Whitmer’s proposed investments in literacy and transportation are welcome news for a city and school system working to recover from generations of declining enrollment and disinvestment. → Read More
An update to Southeastern, a budget amendment, and more at Detroit’s February school board meeting
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti updated board members on the status of Southeastern High School, and student representatives questioned the district’s fiscal future following the end of COVID dollars. → Read More
New board members, a teacher reinstatement, and more at Detroit’s January school board meeting
A state panel overturned the district’s decision to fire a teacher who wanted to work from home, a possible victory for others who have sought remote-work accommodations during the pandemic. → Read More
Detroit high school pivots to online learning following heavy flood damage
Southeastern High School will be temporarily closed while Detroit Public Schools Community District officials work to address broken pipes and flooded classrooms. → Read More
Detroit’s Frederick Douglass Academy looks to adopt a new identity. Will a name change help?
Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men — Detroit’s only public all-boys school — has over the years been labeled a school for at-risk youth. School leaders are hoping a new name and a move to a new building will change that image. → Read More
A Detroit youth activist carries the torch for better student mental health services
High school student Perriel Pace spent the past year serving as a student representative to the Detroit Public School Community District’s school board. Outside that role, she’s channeled her time and energy toward social causes affecting young people across the city. → Read More
Detroit’s December school board meeting: What you may have missed
Staff holiday bonuses and a potential name change at the Detroit Public School Community District’s only all-boys school, were on this month’s agenda. → Read More
Social media threats against Detroit-area schools prompt warning from officials
In a moment of heightened awareness surrounding school safety and misinformation, the threats have increased anxiety and fear among students, staff and families. → Read More
Detroit district defers sale of Cooley High School, seeking new talks with bidder
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the district will seek a higher sale price or benchmarks in the sale agreement. The bidder, Life Remodeled, isn’t happy. → Read More
Detroit school renaming decisions go to board vote, as students get their say
Two Detroit high schools — Ben Carson High School of Science and Medicine and East English Village Preparatory Academy — underwent a weekslong discussion over whether their names should change. → Read More
Detroit school board victors forecast top priorities for district
In post-election interviews, Tuesday’s winners cited chronic absenteeism, enrollment declines, student homelessness, equitable school funding, and academic achievement as their priorities. → Read More
Detroit midterm election decides on future of district school board
There are 18 candidates vying for four open seats in this year’s Detroit Public Schools Community District school board election. → Read More
Tyrone Winfrey, Detroit educator and youth advocate, dies at 63
Winfrey’s advocacy included his role as an outreach admissions counselor at Michigan State and a director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Michigan. → Read More
Detroit’s pandemic recovery hinges on getting school attendance up
Schools have gotten little help addressing a problem that is far bigger than them, experts say, one whose roots lie in society-wide failures of housing, employment, and public health. → Read More
Newcomer LaTrice McClendon has big fundraising lead in Detroit school board race
Among the 18 candidates for four seats on the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s school board, one has raised more than half of all the donations. → Read More
Detroit school district looks to sell Cooley High School to local nonprofit
Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said this week that the district aims to sell the vacant Cooley High School building to Life Remodeled, a local nonprofit known for their past renovation work, including the Durfee Innovation Society. → Read More
Detroit NAEP scores put an exclamation point on the pandemic’s academic toll
Math scores declined sharply nationwide on the first National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, given since the pandemic, and Detroit was no exception. → Read More