LANSING — Earlier this week, the Governor’s office, Treasury and the Department of Education (MDE) met with members of the Benton Harbor School Board. Treasury and MDE are now in the process of analyzing their proposal. State Reps. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit), Kyra Bolden (D-Southfield), Sheryl Kennedy (D-Davison), Jewell Jones (D-Inkster), and Isaac Robinson (D-Detroit) are expressing their strong public support for the plan presented by duly elected Benton Harbor School Board.
“I stand in support of the duly elected school board of Benton Harbor. We should be committed to partnering with and lifting up local school districts, not dismantling them,” said Robinson. “We must move away from this course and use our tools and resources to work with local school boards to restore our public schools across Michigan. Let’s support the plan developed by local elected officials and stand up for democracy.”
Benton Harbor Schools is the latest in a long line of school districts, low-income communities that have been starved for resources and then forced to close.
"As a lifelong resident of the city of Inkster, I am surprised that we haven't done much to mitigate situations like this occurring in other communities of color across our great state,” said Jones. “We should learn from infamous decisions that have previously fractured our community, and derailed the progress of our young people moving through our already broken educational system."
“I support the Benton Harbor Board of Education’s plan to work with the State of Michigan to adequately address the issues they’re facing,” said Kennedy. “We need to infuse the appropriate financial help so that the district can finally, appropriately educate its children, and raise up student outcomes.”