DETROIT (WWJ) -- Delivering the first ever Detroit Public Schools State of the Schools address Wednesday night, DPS Community District Superintendent Nicolai Vitti said the district has begun to turn things around and is "moving in the right direction."
Vitti, who addressed the crowd at Detroit Renaissance High School for just over an hour, discussed the district's remaining challenges and strategies to address them, as well as the substantial improvements that have been made since he became superintendent in 2017.
"Enrollment is up, attendance is up, chronic absenteeism down, literacy and math up. Those are all signs we’re moving in the right direction," Vitti said.
Additionally, Vitti says out-of-school suspensions are down.
A newly implemented K-8 literacy and mathematics curriculum, along with new assessments with actionable data, can be attributed to the growth in reading and math numbers, Vitti said.
Vitti says the district has a budget surplus of around $140 million and a rainy day fund of over $30 million, something not seen since before the state takeover 30 years ago.
"Even in 2010 you can see $300 million in debt. And this was not based on previous elected power, this is the year of emergency management. So you start with an elected board, appointed superintendent and we are in the green and we now have a fund balance of almost $140 million."
Vitti said a new curriculum, where students take college courses to work towards an associate's degree, will be implemented at high schools this fall.