Governor Reviewing School Board’s Proposal

bhhighschool-10
bhhighschool-10

A proposal from the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education to turn the district around without closing the high school has been received by the office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The local school board approved its turnaround plan Tuesday. It calls for a four-year continuation of the former cooperative agreement the district had with the state. The cooperative agreement ended early when the state School Reform Office went away at the end of June. That’s due to action taken by the Legislature last year. However, the school district’s attorneys say ending the cooperative agreement early was tantamount to ending a contract early, and therefore unconstitutional.

In addition to continuing the agreement, the board of education seeks a liaison from the Michigan Department of Education, and pledges the district will meet a series of improvement benchmarks over the next four years. It also pledges to seek an $8.5 million bond from voters to pay down debt.

After the board unanimously approved its proposal this week, it sent the document on to the governor, the Michigan Department of Treasury, and the Michigan Department of Education. On Wednesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown sent us a statement reading, “We received a proposal from the Benton Harbor Area School Board today. We will review the proposal with the best interest of Benton Harbor students as the priority.”