Detroit Mayor Sheffield adds new city roles aimed at supporting students, schools

Student absenteeism, lack of transportation and out-of-school time are key areas to be addressed

Detroit — Carrying through on a campaign promise to do more to work with Detroit’s schools, Mayor Mary Sheffield announced on Thursday the creation of two executive-level appointments intended to combat major challenges facing the city’s K-12 students and schools, both public and private, including absenteeism.

Chanel Hampton was named the city’s Senior Director of Youth and Education, a newly created role, along with JerJuan Howard, who named director of the Detroit’s new Office of Youth Affairs.

Hampton will work closely with the Detroit Public Schools Community District, along with charter schools, out-of-school-time partners and community organizations to explore ways to address some of the most persistent needs of students, officials said at a Thursday press conference at the Heilmann Recreation Center.

“We are here to support you, to uplift you and to invest in you,” Sheffield said, referring to students and the systems that work with them. “We know that your success is our success, and that is why we are here today.”

DPSCD is the state’s largest school district with roughly 48,000 students. During the mayoral campaign, Sheffield pledged to do more to work with the city’s schools, even though they have their own autonomy and aren’t controlled by the city.

Hampton said her office will delve into three key areas: out-of-school time, absenteeism, and transportation, in addition to building a coalition with DPSCD. A series of community listening sessions will soon be launched, she said.

“There are many great things happening across the city, and the way that I think of it is in three buckets,” Hampton said. “One, what is already happening that needs to be lifted up? What needs to be scaled? And where are the gaps that we as a city can fill in or coordinate?”

The new roles were hailed by Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, and Ralph Bland, CEO of New Paradigm for Education. Both joined Sheffield and others at the press conference.

Vitti said the new offices can potentially help Detroit Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, work better with city government, which are two separate entities.

“How can DPSCD be more of a partner through the city’s leadership around integrating services to our families, to our students, focused on things like after-school programming, summer programming, improving transportation, ultimately to improve chronic absentees and student attendance?” Vitti said.

Hampton was the founder and CEO of a Detroit nonprofit called Strategic Community Partners that oversaw more than $100 million investments into schools and community initiatives, city officials said.

Howard is a Detroit-based youth leader. His office will organize existing youth councils and other groups “into a more cohesive” voice, he said, that can help influence policy, he said. He will report to Hampton. Both offices will work under the mayor’s office.

Sheffield said both positions will be paid for the budget already set for the mayor’s office and will not take away funds from any existing programs. Hampton’s annual salary will be $175,000 and Howard’s $120,000, city officials said.

Sheffield said that her administration and the City Council are working on legislation dealing with how to reduce absenteeism.

laguilar@detroitnews.com