Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti Blasts GOP Lawmakers for Holding Back Funding

Next week, Michigan’s largest school district will return to in-person classes for the first time since November. Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has been one of the staunchest advocates for providing in-person options for students and families throughout this pandemic.

“It’s extremely frustrating for me to see policies that would never be enacted in the communities these representatives represent.” — Nikolai Vitti, Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent

But when the rate of positive COVID-19 tests exceeded 5% last fall, the district went all-virtual. Now, infection rates are down significantly in Detroit and administrators say health risks are low enough to open school buildings again.

Meanwhile, Vitti is criticizing Republicans at the state Capitol for holding up millions of federal COVID-19 relief dollars that are meant to help schools reopen safely.

Listen: Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti talks about the return to in-person learning and his frustrations with GOP lawmakers in Lansing. 

Guest

Dr. Nikolai Vitti is the superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. He says this is the latest example of Republican lawmakers making decisions that have an outsized negative impact on places like Detroit.

“It’s extremely frustrating for me to see policies that would never be enacted in the communities these representatives represent,” says Vitti.

Related: COVID-19 Relief Delay at State Capitol Hurting Michigan Schools, Vaccine Efforts | MichMash

He also calls attention to Detroit families struggles with online learning along with their fears of catching the virus. “What families are saying right now is that for most of them online learning isn’t working. But they’re still fearful of COVID,” he says.

Web story written by Allise Hurd