State Proposes Advisory Committee To Make Recommendations For Benton Harbor Schools

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State officials are proposing the creation of a Community Engagement and Advisory Committee to be tasked with assessing problems at Benton Harbor Area Schools and then coming up with recommendations to fix them. At a Friday meeting of the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education, State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks laid out a plan designed to maintain “a viable K-12 education system for Benton Harbor families.” She said the committee would consist of the school board, district staff, Deputy State Treasurer Joyce Parker, residents, and businesses. Parker told us the goal is to get community input and be transparent as an assessment of the district’s problems is done.

“We’re going to reach out and really dig deep to understand what the causes are, and once we understand the causes, we can identify solutions,” Parker said.

Eubanks said the plan would be for the advisory committee to release its recommendations within six months.

“We think six months is the right amount of time to both have a sense of urgency that we believe this district needs, but it balances that with a need for stakeholder input, transparency, and the ability to have a good operating plan that is detailed to be implementable for future financial stability.”

It was suggested at Friday’s meeting that a teacher, a student, and a representative of local churches be added to the committee, something that Parker said can be done. Benton Harbor Schools Trustee Patricia Rush said at Friday’s meeting she thinks this is a good plan overall, and “much better” than Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s previous proposal to close the high school and relieve around $11 million of the district’s debt. As for that $11 million, Eubanks said it’s not part of the discussion, although Parker said it could come into play later. What the state needs now from the local board of education is a resolution of support to move forward with the advisory committee model. Such a resolution could be approved next month. Board President Stephen Mitchell asked the public to submit its thoughts to the school board over the next few weeks.

The Michigan Department of Treasury on Friday released this presentation regarding its plan.