School District Expands Controversial Plan To Pay Kids Just For Showing Up

Detroit Public Schools is continuing to expand a program that pays students $100 per week to show up for class.

High school students can continue earning up to $1,000 in Visa gift cards per school year for perfect attendance, while middle school students in grades six through eighth can now earn $50 for each week as well. The program was introduced to combat excessive absenteeism. 

According to The Metro Detroit News, 61% of district students missed at least 10% of the school year during the 2024-2025 school year. 

The program launched in 2024 and returned for the 2025-2026 school year. “Detroit Public Schools Community District is excited to announce the return of its highly successful Perfect Attendance Pays initiative for the 2026 Winter Term,” the district announced in a press release on December 4, 2025.

“Research consistently shows that regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of academic success. DPSCD students who miss 18 or fewer days per year are 3 to 5 times more likely to perform at or above grade level and be college-ready. The Perfect Attendance Pays initiative aims to keep students engaged during the winter months, a period when attendance often dips and learning momentum is crucial,” it said.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District voted in June to adopt a $1.1 billion budget for the 2026-2027 school year. The plan allocated funds for increased security, pay raises for all employees, more bus routes, and payments to students for attending school. 

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti blamed state legislators for not “understanding” how education funding was used.

“Admittedly, I think at some level there’s an ignorance and a lack of understanding of how dollars work and how schools run,” Vitti said during the board meeting. “I think the other element is, you know, there’s folks that feel like K-12 is overfunded and they don’t want to support K-12 funding.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, more than 50% of Detroit-based students regularly miss class. The $100 payments are based solely on attendance and have no GPA requirements or other academic measures.