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April 27, 2026

April 27, 2026

Detroit Financial Review Commission

School District Regular Meeting

Monday, April 27, 2026 

Meeting Notes

  1. Call to Order
    1. Chairman, Kevin A. Smith called the meeting to order at 1:31 p.m.
  2. Roll Call
    1. Members Present - 6
      1. Hakim Berry
      2. David Blaskiewicz
      3. Ron Rose
      4. Kevin Smith
      5. Tanya Stoudemire (non-voting)
      6. John Walsh
    2. Members Absent - 5
      1. Dr. J. Barnwell
      2. Jen Flood
      3. Latrice McClendon
      4. James Tate (non-voting)
      5. Dr. Vitti
    3. Let the record show that a quorum was present
  3. Approval of Proposed Minutes of the March 30, 2027, Meeting
    1. Motion made by Commissioner Blaskiewicz and supported by Commissioner Stoudemire to approve the draft minutes of the commission’s March 30, 2026, School District meeting. The commission approved the minutes as presented.
  4. Executive Director’s Report
    1. Patrick Dostine, Executive Director, informed the meeting that in reviewing the monthly financial reports for DPS and DPSCD, for the month ending February 28, 2026, the School District continues to pay its debt obligations, remains in compliance, and there is no reason to consider rescinding the waivers at this time.
    2. He further informed the meeting that the school board will have its first public review of the FY27 budget at the May committee meeting, then at the June school board meeting, the budget will be on the agenda for adoption, after which it will be forwarded to the Financial Review Commission for review.
    3. At the March school board meeting, Superintendent Vitti spoke about a city/school district partnership “Ride to Rise” that was introduced by Mayor Sheffield during her budget presentation to council in March. This “Ride to Rise” initiative is designed to allow k thru 12 children in Detroit to ride DDOT buses free of charge. The primary goal of the initiative is to help reduce chronic absenteeism by expanding transportation and removing access barriers to education. The district has consistently funded student transportation through DDOT for high school students. Over the last three fiscal years, transportation expenditures averaged $610K. The district anticipates the partnership will save the district money, and these savings would be available in FY27 for student programming.
  5. Old Business
    1. None
  6. New Business
    1. None
  7. DPS/DPSCD Financial Reports for February 28, 2026 – FYI Only
    1. Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Vidito from the School District gave a brief overview of the above-mentioned financial reports and addressed questions from the commissioners.
  8. Public Comment
    1. Michelle George
    2. Alleyah Moore
    3. William Davis
  9. Next Meeting Date
    1. School District Regular Meeting: Monday, May 18, 2026, following the City Meeting, beginning no earlier than 1:05 pm, remotely using Microsoft Teams.
  10. Adjournment
    1. Motion made to adjourn. Motion moved and supported; the Commission approved the motion to adjourn.
    2. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:49 p.m.