MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — On December 2nd, dozens of high school students in Muskegon Heights walked out of their classrooms and attended a district board meeting as a form of protest. Both students and teachers are frustrated with the ongoing management issues in the district, which they say are hindering their ability to receive a proper education.
Katie Kapteyn, a former teacher in the district, showed up to a state board of education meeting Tuesday afternoon in Lansing to once again voice her concerns.
"COVID was bad enough for my students, this is worse," she said. "We are losing all our staff… They are putting support staff in the rooms."
She says the district has been trying to rely on virtual learning in some capacity, but that the district simply doesn’t have enough computers.
The issues in the district can be traced back a decade, when the state appointed an emergency manager due to the district's mounting debt.
In response, the district became a charter school in order to save money, with a charter management company running the district from 2012-2014.
However, the company pulled out due to "financial issues and low enrollment", and then the district ran the charter on its own until 2021.
In 2021, the district regained control of its finances from the state and chose to hire another charter management company, New Paradigm for Education.
Staff in the district now say that the company is failing to properly run the district, leading to inadequate resources and a dwindling staff.
Kapteyn asked the board on Tuesday to consider taking up a resolution that could help the district regain footing.
"We don't need other people seeing this as an opportunity to exploit it, to exploit our kids," she said. "It's just sickening to see no one being willing to speak up for them. And that they feel that 'how much more can we do?'"
The board did end up adopting a resolution Tuesday, with all board members, aside from Tom McMillin, voting in support.
Despite no longer working in the district, Kapteyn continues to speak out for the students and teachers who became family.
She tells FOX 17, about 10 days ago, she was put into a position by the district where she felt she had no choice but to resign.
“It is neglectful, to say the least,” she said. “Our district is unique, and it needs unique opportunities and solutions.”
The Muskegon Heights School Board has a meeting scheduled for Tuesday night where these concerns will be discussed.
