MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — Muskegon Heights school leaders held a special joint meeting on Tuesday to address issues with a new company running the district this year.
The Muskegon Heights Public School Academy’s elected board cannot legally run its schools because of the amount of debt accrued by the district years ago. A charter system must be hired.
Over the summer, the elected board selected New Paradigm for Education, a Detroit-based charter school management firm.
The elected board also oversees a second board whose appointed members handle the day-to-day operations of the district.
Both boards and the owner of New Paradigm held the meeting in an attempt to answer questions and provide transparency.
In recent weeks, parents, students, and other community members have voiced concerns about a lack of teachers and supplies among other issues.
Dozens of people attended.
New Paradigm and district officials acknowledged the challenges, but asked for patience.
According to the charter system, it was hired in August, which gave their staff very little time to prepare for the start of the year.
Officials added Muskegon Heights is not immune to larger issues in education, like a nationwide teacher and substitute teacher shortage. They said the district’s status as a charter school and ongoing issues make it difficult to attract teachers.
According to New Paradigm, 47% of the district’s teachers are certified. In 2021, between 65-70% of teachers were certified.
However, officials noted they are making progress.
New Paradigm says the district’s curriculum recently arrived and they are beginning to distribute it to students.
They asked parents to give them a chance and time as they adjust.
“We made some mistakes,” said Ralph Bland. “We did. But but the thing about it is that we're continuing continuing to go at it aggressively. We're not going to be distracted because we're here to educate students. And what we're not, we're not satisfied with what we're doing now.”
