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It was a nippy August morning outside Richards Middle School in Fraser, but the arrival of the fall-like chill didn’t stop the back-to-school fashion show on the first day.
Girls wore their jean shorts, tinsel glittering in their hair, and boys donned their basketball shorts, artfully paired with socks and sandals. Several clutched Alani Nu energy drinks as they hurried to the school gymnasium for a quick introductory assembly.
For half of the students sitting in the gym, the eighth graders, middle school is the last stop on the way to high school. And for the seventh graders, it’s the next stop after elementary school.
For the 30 minutes before the assembly started, the gym was a cacophony of student voices. In the tweenager stage of their lives, the middle-schoolers lived up to some of the stereotypes of their age: Boys and girls mostly sat in separate groups. Moms kissed stoic kids outside of school. Braces abounded. Someone shouted, “I have a boyfriend!” to teachers.
But eighth-grader Elijah, 12, excited for his first algebra class, said middle school is not all awkward or challenging.
“It’s not as hard as some people say,” he said.
These scenes of excitement and jitters played out across metro Detroit as students returned for the first day of school. But the first day also was clouded with concern as an ongoing impasse among lawmakers over the state budget has meant school district leaders are still uncertain about how their schools will be funded.
Michigan lawmakers have been unable to agree to a budget, with the House and Senate both far apart in their proposals for funding schools. As a result, some school district leaders have made staffing cuts, according to a recent survey of school officials.
The impasse is happening during a school year for which there is a growing chorus of people calling for change. High rates of chronic absenteeism and lackluster student performance on state and national exams, have led to renewed criticism of the state’s school system. Even Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, during an address earlier this year, said low literacy rates are “not acceptable.”
Federal policies impact southwest Detroit schools
Meanwhile, fears about how Trump administration actions, from promised cuts to federal education funding to increased immigration enforcement, have further fueled uncertainty.
The crackdown was on the minds of some students filing into Western International High School in southwest Detroit Monday. In May, a junior at the school, Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, was detained by immigration officials. In June, he was deported to his native Colombia.
Natalia Quinomez, a junior, stood in front of the school about thirty minutes before the first bell rang as she looked for a friend. Her mind was also on Maykol.
“He was about to graduate, which makes it really sad,” said Natalia. “Like, he was so close, but he was detained.”
Natalia said people in her community don’t feel safe as federal immigration crackdowns continue in the city. The school, the student said, also could have done more to make her and others feel supported after Maykol’s arrest.
As cars lined up for blocks on Scotten Street on Monday, Maria Ruvalcaba walked her daughter Camila Gallardo to her first day of her freshman year.
Ruvalcaba said (her daughter translated) that she thought the school “more or less” did well in handling Maykol’s arrest. More security at the school would make the family feel more safe, she added.
For many, worrying about immigration enforcement is nothing new, said John Henriques, a senior at Western.
“I don’t really worry that much,” he said. “It’s just normal life.”
At the Southwest Detroit school Monday morning, students were greeted by a staff member on a bullhorn as they filed into the building.
“Good morning, good morning, good morning,” he said. “It’s going to be a great year.”
Aiming for continued improvement in reading and writing
The pink-and-gray lined hallways at the Detroit International Academy for Young Women were full of excitement Monday morning as clusters of girls spilled out of their classrooms to head to their next class.
“Good morning! Have a good first day!” a male and female teacher called out to the students. One girl gave the female teacher a hug before heading down the hall.
Lakesha Spears, a fifth grade social studies and English teacher at the school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, was going around to different classrooms to check on the new teachers at DIA. Spears is in her 25th year teaching and her second year at DIA.
She said her goals for the year are to continue improving reading and writing scores for her students. Some of the strategies she uses include having students read 20 minutes a day.
“They did wonderful last year. They continued to grow in both reading and writing,” Spears said. “Fifth grade in particular did wonderful on M-STEP and i-Ready. We’re looking forward to continuing showing them some positive strategies to continue with reading growth.”
Spears said she is enjoying her time at DIA. As a mother of two sons, teaching boys was more familiar for her, but said teaching at an all-girls school has been rewarding.
“I’ve been teaching a long time, and I’ve been waiting a long time to find a place like this where you’re happy and willing to serve. The girls are really eager to learn here. I feel like I’m a better teacher now.”
Vitti begins his ninth year as superintendent with school visits
DIA was DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s first stop.
As he visited classrooms and walked the halls, Vitti said he is looking forward to starting his ninth school year leading the district. He decided to visit DIA on the first day because of the school’s improvement in English, math, and social studies. Vitti recalled that when he first became superintendent in 2017, the building where DIA is housed was closed. It got rebranded as the academy.
“I think DIA is a good example of what we’re doing differently in the district,” he said. “You have your neighborhood schools, you have exam schools, but also single gender opportunities for boys and girls, and it’s just a menu of options for parents in the city.” Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men is the district’s all-boys school.
One of Vitti’s goals for the school year is continuing to improve student attendance and achievement.
“By improving attendance, we’re going to accelerate student achievement,” he said. “We’re narrowing the gap between the district and the state, but we want to accelerate it.”
As school districts wait for the state budget to be passed, Vitti said the holdup will not directly impact the district, specifically when it comes to free lunches, as those are funded through the federal government.
“I would say we’re not going to have any kind of impact unless the budget is not approved by the beginning of October,” he said. If the impasse continues beyond that, Vitti said, “we’ll have to start dipping into our reserves to fill the gap, to keep everyone employed, and to keep student programming.”
Meanwhile, when it comes to the search for Michigan’s next state superintendent, Vitti believes the three finalists–former Virginia state superintendent Lisa Coons, Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Glenn Maleyko, or Harrison Community Schools Superintendent Judy Walton– will continue the work of current superintendent Michael Rice, who is retiring Oct. 3.
“I’m hopeful that the state superintendent, whoever he or she is, is going to advocate for equitable funding and improve statewide accountability structures throughout the state so the state can start improving academic performance,” Vitti said.
Practice makes perfect, unless you’re dealing with those tricky locks
In Fraser, nerves were on display in the seventh grade hallway as students traveled from the gym to Richards’ main seventh grade artery, a hallway flanked by narrow beige lockers. The new students were particularly bedeviled by the combination locks. One student told another that he’d practiced at home, but the twists and turns required by the elusive lock still tripped him up.
Students rose early to prepare for the 8:05 start at Richards.
Catalina Norberto, 11, woke up — though “woke up” is a stretch, as Norberto said she could barely sleep because she was “overthinking everything” — at 5 a.m. to prepare and call her friend Marley Franchi, 12. The pair said they are particularly nervous about learning how to switch classes.
“I have a class upstairs. I’m scared,” Marley said.
Fraser is a suburban school district of about 4,400 students down from nearly 5,300 in 2015, according to state data. Fewer students means less per-pupil funding, though overall funding levels have risen with recent state budgets. But a school bond approved by Fraser voters in 2023 means that Richards has a new HVAC system, roof, and cafeteria this year. The school bond money makes them fortunate, said Principal Huston Julian. (Not all districts can successfully persuade voters to approve bond money).
“Our community has always supported our schools,” he said.
But the unknowns around the state budget still concern the district, said Kristin Sommer, a district spokeswoman. The district is particularly interested in whether lawmakers will approve universal school meals again, as the proportion of Fraser students eating free breakfast and lunch has risen with the Michigan School Meals program.
In Richards’ seventh grade hallways, students found their first period class, consulting adults eager to help them crack the school’s layout. About 30 students sat in Andy Brodi’s first hour science class as it began. When Brodi first began teaching in 1998, he said even 25 students in a class seemed like a lot. In 2025, around 30 is the norm, and “it’s not a big deal,” he said.
On Monday, Brodi acknowledged to his students that he probably felt the same way as many of them did: With 180 faces, of course he had some first day jitters.
“It’s such an overwhelming thing,” Brodi later said. “They’re seeing seven teachers for the first time, they’re seeing 300 different kids. … It’s more just a comfort level the first day, just to know that we want them here and we can’t wait to teach them.”
Lily Altavena is a reporter for the Detroit Free Press. You can reach her at laltavena@freepress.com.
Hannah Dellinger is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org
Micah Walker is a reporter for BridgeDetroit. You can reach her at mwalker@bridgedetroit.com.