TRENTON SCHOOLS Trenton Public Schools – State of the Schools 2023

First and foremost, it is truly an honor and a privilege to be a part of Trenton Public Schools and a leadership team that over the years has consistently come together to support our children, lead our schools, and work with our community!

Additionally, I am grateful to our incredible educators that have continued to implement innovative strategies to help our students learn each and every day!

Most of all, on behalf of Trenton Public Schools, we are thankful for the endless support of our families and friends.

We know that our success is truly dependent on working together and finding a common purpose! We also know that we must do what’s best for all students.

To that end, our mission will remain: “To Inspire Students Today For Their Success Tomorrow!”

This brief overview of our district is to help our stakeholders (parents, grandparents, step-parents, guardians, children/students, etc.) better understand the basic “state” of our school district.

● Bond construction at the elementary schools was completed to start the 2020-21 school year. In each building, there is the grandeur of a new media center, gymnasium with a scoreboard/timing system, comfortable cafeteria, spacious music room, additional classrooms, and office space to support student learning.

● The middle school has also been transformed. The media center was updated to meet modern day expectations and our cafeteria was reconfigured to serve our students more effectively. We have a new track, pickleball and tennis courts.

There are new lockers, a teacher workroom, and a student centered learning lab, and our band/music room was outfitted with new casework and shelving.

● At the high school, our lobby was renovated and provides an exciting entry into the building. Auto lab upgrades were completed to encourage student learning, as well as a state of the art greenhouse that houses our horticulture classes. The media center has undergone a tremendous renovation and now houses a virtual learning center. Specific to the arts, a “little theater”/black box has been created in our old weight room. This performance space is located alongside our newly- renovated and welcoming Trojan Cafe. On the south side of the building, the new eleven-lane pool (natatorium), track, multiuse athletic field, baseball and softball fields, as well as, concession/welcoming center are open for full use. Moreover, there is a new athletic entrance that connects to our gymnasium and auditorium complete with a new concession area. Though the original scope of bond work is almost complete, we are still finding it difficult to close out work related to our high school doors, card scanners, and middle school band room.

● On an extremely positive note, prudent spending along with complimentary timing has less dollars than we did 14 years ago (simply in relation to our student count).

Unfortunately, our recent projections reflect that this decline may continue to unfold over the next several years. By simply moving our current numbers forward, our enrollment could decline by another 300 students in just four years. This would result in another $3 million loss in revenues and a high school of less than 700 students.

For a comprehensive report/update, click here: Trenton Public Schools: State of the Schools (Student Enrollment 22.23 and Beyond).docx allowed us to circle back to completing three major projects that were not projected to be completed: the replacement of our high school boilers, roof replacement, and plumbing infrastructure. Ultimately, our facilities will be top notch for the next several years.

Currently, TPS leadership has continued to utilize opportunities that are available through grants and funding from the state and national government to provide additional support to our students. Additionally, our enrollment has allowed us to maintain our current operations. Most recently, we learned that Trenton Public Schools qualified as an approved district for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools grant. Schools can now apply for the first round of the Renew America’s Schools grant, up to $80 million of the $500 million program, to make energy improvements.

Though these opportunities may not come to fruition or qualify as recurring revenue, we know that strategic planning is vital to our future (we recently were made aware that we did not receive the grant - updated 4.7.2023).

As we look ahead, I feel compelled to reach out to our community and share a concern that has weighed heavily on my mind and heart since I became the Superintendent.

Student enrollment has declined in the State of Michigan, Wayne County, and Trenton Public Schools for many years. For those that do not know, student enrollment is the basis for school funding and has been for almost 30 years. In essence, the more students in your district, the more money that comes from the School Aid Fund.

To help illustrate this point, in 2008, TPS had 2874 students. Today, we are around 2,500. This means that we operate our schools with $3.5 million

We have also continued to aggressively promote our district through media campaigns over the last two years (through various social media platforms), partnerships with our local newspapers, and advertisements/commercials on local television. Promoting a positive perspective of our district is also an important and vital part of our efforts to bring families to the city of Trenton and correspondingly to Trenton Public Schools.

It is obvious that there are potential challenges ahead, however, it is imperative that we work collectively to keep our district strong. This means that a unified approach to problem-solving and putting kids first is imperative to our decision making.

In Trenton, we have always maintained a tradition of excellence and we must continue to provide our students with every opportunity to experience success.

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