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Detroit school district leaders expressed the need to protect federal assistance for schools serving students from low-income homes during a private meeting with Education Secretary Linda McMahon at Renaissance High School on Monday, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat.
The brief sit-down with McMahon, which included Vitti and two Detroit Public Schools Community District board members, was part of the education secretary’s nationwide “Returning Education to the States Tour,” which is focused on defending her plans to dismantle the Department of Education. Critics say the stop is the most recent example of the education secretary publicly touting the services the federal government provides to vulnerable students while at the same time working to cut the programs that offer support.
McMahon also visited Pembroke Academy, Washington Parks Academy, and Hillsdale Academy charter schools, and gave a speech at Hillsdale College, where she criticized university diversity efforts. Only the Pembroke Academy visit was open to members of the media, the Detroit News reported.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat from Royal Oak, told Chalkbeat McMahon’s stops at Michigan schools should have been open to the public so community members could ask questions about federal education policy.
“You don’t have to hold a secret meeting if you’re doing something good,” she said of McMahon’s sit-down with leaders from DPSCD.
McMorrow added that the education secretary chose a school in a district that serves a predominantly Black student body and stands to lose crucial federal assistance for a photo opportunity.
“They are using kids as pawns for a photo opportunity and then turning around and slashing funding,” said McMorrow.
Since McMahon was confirmed as education secretary in March, the department has slashed staff that enforced student civil rights, rescinded guidance on English learners’ rights, proposed cuts to competitive grants aimed at improving literacy, and wiped out dollars for education research.
Detroit Federation of Teachers President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins said in a prepared statement that she was “deeply disappointed” by McMahon’s visit given her support of the Trump administration’s proposals to cut billions from the federal K-12 education budget.
“These visits are nothing more than staged photo opportunities designed to sell policies that will hurt our students and our schools ... at a time when Detroit children need smaller class sizes, better resources, and stronger supports,” she said.
Jennifer Mrozowski, senior director of strategic communications and external relations for the research and advocacy group Education Trust-Midwest, said in a prepared statement the Education Department’s focus on “returning education to the states” raises “serious concerns.”
“Shifting core responsibilities—such as civil rights enforcement, Title I funding, and student loan protections—entirely to the states risks widening opportunity gaps and undermining consistent standards, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities,” she said in the statement.
At Renaissance High School, McMahon’s stop included “a walkthrough of classrooms and then a conversation in a separate room where Secretary McMahon asked ways that the federal government can better assist schools and districts,” Vitti said in an email.
The superintendent and the board members also discussed the need for more flexibility of funding to allow the district to increase teacher salaries and make improvements to school buildings, Vitti said.
State Rep. Matt Hall, the Republican speaker of the House, was also in attendance for McMahon’s visit to Renaissance.
Photos of the visit released by the Education Department show DPSCD board members Ida Carol Simmons-Short and Steve Bland Jr. there as well.
Bland told Chalkbeat in an email the work McMahon and Hall saw students doing in Renaissance classrooms highlighted the opportunities state and federal funding can provide children.
The board member said he used the visit to tell the education secretary and Hall that both the federal government and the state have a responsibility to ensure equity for Black students.
Simmons-Short did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the visit.
Board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo told Chalkbeat that though she supports the idea of communicating and compromising across the aisle, she chose to skip the visit to Renaissance.
“Due to the lack of a concrete agenda to include concerns from our district, I felt it best to respect our Detroit Caucus Members, many of which were protesting the fact that they have struggled to lock in a budget that doesn’t adversely impact our students,” Gay-Dagnogo said in a text message.
The board member said representatives had contacted her to express the challenges they’ve had with Hall in negotiating a state education budget.
The Michigan legislature missed the July 1 deadline to adopt a state budget, leaving local districts to adopt their own budgets without knowing if they will have to make later cuts. Republicans and Democrats each blame each other for the delay, saying negotiations have stalled.
In May, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved a proposed education budget that would increase per-pupil, as well as at-risk funding, and would continue programs like free school meals.
The Republican-controlled House proposed a plan that would give one lump sum to districts to use as they see fit instead of allocating dollars to specific programs. Democrats argue the House proposal would risk programs that benefit the state’s most vulnerable children.
According to Vitti, during McMahon’s visit, Hall told a board member the state budget would be completed “in time to ensure school districts had their funding.”
Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of budget negotiations.
Typically, state education funds are distributed starting in October each year. State lawmakers must adopt a budget by Oct. 1 to prevent a government shutdown.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
