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D7 State of Schools

State of our Schools for 2023 and Beyond

Welcome to Discovering the D7 Difference! In this video, we will be sharing with you our plans for the future of our schools for the year 2023 and beyond. We are grateful that you have taken the time to visit our website and learn more about the state of our schools.

As you scroll down this page, you will find quick bullet points that highlight our plans for financial management, student achievement, diversity, equity, and inclusion, student safety, and our commitment to hiring the absolute best talent for our students.

At D7, we believe that the future of our young people is important, and we are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and excellent learning environment for all of our students. We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed and achieve their dreams, and we are dedicated to making that a reality.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our plans for the future of our schools. Together, we can discover the D7 difference and create a better future for our students.

Dearborn Heights District 7 is committed to continuous improvement.  Therefore, we have identified five key areas to highlight in a “State of the District.” In each area we have concentrated efforts to move the district forward committing both time and financial resources.
The challenges associated with attracting top talent to schools are well documented. Working in partnership with Eastern Michigan University, however, the district has established a direct pipeline with graduates from the university’s College of Education. We are also developing a teacher cadet program that will provide free college to our student through the D7 Promise.
Our focus on student achievement centers on the gaps that exist among our special education students, minority students and students from low-income households. The district is investing in training for our building principals in order to position them to as the best instructional leaders they can be. We are also focusing our efforts on improving our graduation rate, which is currently approximately 80 percent. Our goal is to bring this to 85 percent by the (2024) school year.
The district is partnering with consultants from Wayne RESA to thoroughly assess our school climate. Through this work we will determine how to create the safest learning environment for our most marginalized populations. 
The district has invested significantly in this area over the past year. We are currently updating our safety plan to include revised Emergency Operations Plans, training for staff and students and vulnerability assessments on all facilities. As well, we are working to incorporate state-level programming like OK2SAY, a confidential student tip line intended to provide an avenue for students to report concerning behaviors among their peers.  Our approach to school safety is multi-tiered and provides a focus for conducting robust threat assessments when they are warranted.
D7 is in a strong financial position with a fund balance resting at nearly 40 percent. Most school districts in Michigan are comfortable at 10 to 15 percent fund balance. Often called a “rainy-day” fund, it assures that the district can weather a future challenging time in school funding. As we look to the future and the state of our facilities, we will need to be mindful of our commitment to fiscal conservatism. Only when we can go to voters with a zero tax rate increase will we initiate a new funding source for infrastructure improvements.