Corporate Education Reform - Michigan Style | MLive.com

Emergency manager recommends Highland Park become a charter school district, as state educators fear plan will spread to others | MLive.com:

Emergency manager recommends Highland Park become a charter school district, as state educators fear plan will spread to others

Published: Monday, June 18, 2012, 5:31 PM     Updated: Monday, June 18, 2012, 5:52 PM

 By Dave Murray | dmurray@mlive.com 

AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Kimberly P. MitchellReview Board Members Rob Bovitz, left, Fredrick Headen, center, and Carol Wolenberg listens to residents during the open meeting with the review team for Highland Park School District in February. The process led to an emergency manager set in place.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Highland Park School District’s emergency manager is recommending the financially struggling system be turned over to a charter school operator to help pay down the system’s debt while still providing an education.

The move comes after state Board of Education members raised concerns about a similar agreement in Muskegon Heights becoming the norm for struggling schools -- and were told that the Muskegon Heights move was “unique.”

Highland Park emergency manager Joyce Parker announced Monday she was planning a public forum on Wednesday to discuss theplan to convert schools to charters to eliminate a $11.3 million deficit.

Under the plan, the district would continue to levy property taxes. Normally locally collected money is rolled into per-student state aid. But charter schools – which can’t levy property taxes -- would be able to collect the full amount from the state, allowing property