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Excerpt from Dr. Simone Griffin's presentation to community

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Congratulations to the new BHAS Superintendent, Dr. Simone Griffin - voted in by both the community and the BHAS Board of Education.

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7/8/25 - FREE Driver's Education for BHAS 1st Day of School for 1st cohort in about 20 years

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7/8/25 - FREE Driver's Education for BHAS 1st Day of School for 1st cohort in about 20 years

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https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZW2g7cwiS/

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5-28-25 Full House of supporters gave public comment to support Peace Walk to MLK Monument. Commissioners spoke of returning City Park access to the people.

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5-28-25 Full House of supporters gave public comment to support Peace Walk to MLK Monument. Commissioners spoke of returning City Park access to the people.

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5-27-25 Unanimous Board vote to change the BHHS course guide to include Free Drivers Education Course with partial credit towards graduation.

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5-27-25 Unanimous Board vote to change the BHHS course guide to include Free Drivers Education Course with partial credit towards graduation.

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528/25 - Reversed City Manager's Decision to Deny Peace Walk to Dr. Martin Luther King Monument...still working to get permanent approval for use of the park

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528/25 - Reversed City Manager's Decision to Deny Peace Walk to Dr. Martin Luther King Monument...still working to get permanent approval for use of the park

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BENTON HARBOR - Driver education will soon be offered to students at Benton Harbor Area Schools.

On Tuesday, Benton Harbor school board trustees approved a contract with Official Driving School, based in Royal Oak, to provide driver education to up to 200 students through June 30, 2026.

Contact: lwrege@TheHP.com, 932-0361, Twitter: @HPWrege

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Driver education to return to Benton Harbor schools

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BENTON HARBOR - Driver education will soon be offered to students at Benton Harbor Area Schools.

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Click the Pic to Join the Yes FRESH START Project Today!

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Click the Pic to Join the Yes FRESH START Project Today!

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We are organizing ourselves to empower systems to ensure that our communities thrive.

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I want to be a Community POWERED Voter (Optional)

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After 70 years and very cold classrooms...We win New Boilers for the high school and elementary!!!

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After 70 years and very cold classrooms...We win New Boilers for the high school and elementary!!!

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We are working daily to fulfill the dream of securing these 4 zones!

Without the 300 Strong Action, the school board was set to move on its decision to leave us with only 2 schools in year 2021. We have 5 schools to date.

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$4 million State Budget win with MEJC to address solutions to improve academics for black students.

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$4 million State Budget win with MEJC to address solutions to improve academics for black students.

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4 million dollars were allocated thus far!!

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It's Official! Whitmer Signs the Education Funding Budget which includes the $4 million MiBlack Student: Pipelene2Prosperity Initiative 

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It's Official! Whitmer Signs the Education Funding Budget which includes the $4 million MiBlack Student: Pipelene2Prosperity Initiative 

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https://www.facebook.com/share/p/kQmQaXXJMgQrVGUe/

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We The People MI Action Fund on Instagram: "Incredible win for our Yes Fresh Start team in Benton Harbor!

After holding a press conference and packing a budget meeting last week, the legislature approved $4 million for addressing racial disparities in our public school system.

Please show them some love, y’all! This win belongs to the students, parents, organizers, and everyday people in mostly Black and Brown communities like Benton Harbor, Flint, and so many others.

And we ain’t done. We must increase that $4 million to $15 Million so that we can include Michigan's 17 Majority Black Cities. We must lead lawmakers to pass $300 million in per pupil funding for mental health and Debt Freedom for Flint Community Schools. 

This is how we win, y’all. This is how we’re gonna make Michigan a place where every child is free to learn in a comfortable and safe environment with all the resources they need to pursue their dreams.

Check out yesfreshstart.org to get involved and learn more!"

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29 likes, 1 comments - wethepeople_mi on July 1, 2024: "Incredible win for our Yes Fresh Start team in Benton Harbor!

After holding a press conference and packing a budget meeting last week, the legislature approved $4 million for addressing racial disparities in our public school system.

Please show them some love, y’all! This win belongs to the students, parents, organizers, and everyday people in mostly Black and Brown communities like Benton Harbor, Flint, and so many others.

And we ain’t done. We must increase that $4 million to $15 Million so that we can include Michigan's 17 Majority Black Cities. We must lead lawmakers to pass $300 million in per pupil funding for mental health and Debt Freedom for Flint Community Schools. 

This is how we win, y’all. This is how we’re gonna make Michigan a place where every child is free to learn in a comfortable and safe environment with all the resources they need to pursue their dreams.

Check out yesfreshstart.org to get involved and learn more!". 

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by We The People MI Action Fund (@wethepeople_mi)

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LOVE IN ACTION!

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$15 MILLION ASK FOR SCHOOL FUNDING - Senate Testimony

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$15 MILLION ASK FOR SCHOOL FUNDING - Senate Testimony

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3/5/2024

ELNORA GAVIN MIN MARKER 35 AND ANGELA WILSON TURNBULL

MIN MARKER 52

https://imd0mxanj2.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ssr/watch/65e764278a2fc600084e538a

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LANSING, Mich., Nov. 6, 2023 - The Michigan House voted to pass two budget bills today. One of them contains school funding, and Benton Harbor Area Schools will receive $10 million to relieve its outstanding debt. After the vote, state Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph) issued the following statement:

"It was years of intentional underinvestment in districts like Benton Harbor, followed by a disastrous tenure of an appointed emergency manager, that put our schools in this position. It's only right that the state fix its mistake. I proudly voted in favor of this funding to relieve the community of an immense financial burden, giving us a fresh start and begin the process of getting back on the right track."

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Andrews on Benton Harbor School Debt Forgiveness - housedems.com

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LANSING, Mich., Nov. 6, 2023 - The Michigan House voted to pass two budget bills today. One of them contains school funding, and Benton Harbor Area Schools will receive $10 million to relieve its outstanding debt. After the vote, state Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St.

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2 students spoke at the MiBlack Student Action

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2 students spoke at the MiBlack Student Action

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BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- A bill sits on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk, waiting to be signed, that will forgive $12 million of debt for Benton Harbor Area Schools.

It will forgive a total of $114 million in school debt across the Mitten State.

Benton Harbor Area Schools will get $10 million of outstanding debt relief. This is debt from long-term loans, which would have cost the district $12 million, simply because of interest.

"None of this would be possible for Benton Harbor... so many school districts in Michigan, saddled with unfair debt, if not for organizers," said Berrien County Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford.

ABC57 reached out to the district spokesperson to ask how they got into debt in the first place. We're told the debt came from several emergency loans, but the specific context wasn't clear.

Democratic State Rep. Joey Andrews was one of the leaders spearheading the debt forgiveness effort.

"The first Democrat since the Civil Rights Act to get elected in Berrien County," Pitchford said. "And what did he do in his first year in office? He got $12 million forgiven for the Benton Harbor school district."

"Schools are monuments in our community," Andrews said. "They stand as a testament to what we want to see in our society: education, a better life for our children, a leg up."

But Andrews credits one organizer for really pushing the efforts forward-Trustee Elnora Gavin.

"No matter how much of a proud tiger I thought I was, if we cannot seal the debt trap, we will continue to lose our neighborhood schools," she said. "From there, I did the research and created a petition that urged our state government to forgive our debt so that our staff and students can learn and teach in peace."

Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Butts said with the debt forgiven, they can now offer more opportunities to students and staff.

"Number one, bring back some academic programs that were taken away because of the lack of finances. Number two, making sure we have qualified, certified staff, more qualified, certified staff, and number three, making sure our facilities are brought back up to par," he said.

And as the bill sits on Gov. Whitmer's desk to be signed, he said plans for improvements are already underway.
Click here for the original story provided by ABC57.

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Benton Harbor Leaders Celebrate School Debt Forgiveness

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BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- A bill sits on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk, waiting to be signed, that wil...

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BENTON HARBOR - Michigan's public schools need an additional $4.5 billion to support students and staff to fully fund the schools, according to the Michigan Education Justice Coalition.

"Hundreds of people have signed love letters, stating the problems they see in our community, our schools, and if this funding is provided, what they would like the funding to be used for," said Angela Wilson Turnbull from the coalition.

Contact: lwrege@TheHP.com, 932-0361, Twitter: @HPWrege

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Benton Harbor organizers call for state to fully fund schools

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BENTON HARBOR - Michigan's public schools need an additional $4.5 billion to support students and staff to fully fund the schools, according to the Michigan Education Justice Coalition.

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BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- A grassroots effort is pushing for more school funding in Benton Harbor.

About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside Benton Harbor High School tonight, June 25, to demand financial commitments from state and local officials and to address challenges facing staff, students, and the district.

With the decline in enrollment and the end of multiple grants, advocates want to see more state dollars to ensure equal access to safe communities, mental health support, and culturally responsive curricula for today's students.

"So, our overall commitment around funding is to create a school to prosperity pipeline for our children, and to transform these communities so that our children can thrive," states Southwest Michigan organizer with We the People Michigan Angela Wilson Turnbull.

The Benton Harbor School Board passed the budget for the 2024-2025 school year, and according to a staff report, this will be the first school year in at least a decade where the general fund will have a smaller balance at the end of the year than at the beginning of the year.

Contributions to this story also made by: Kate Uebler

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Benton Harbor School Board demonstrators push for more funding

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ABC57 News in South Bend, Ind. covers all of Michiana including St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte and Marshall counties in Indiana and Berrien, Cass, Van Buren and St. Joseph counties in Mich.

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BENTON HARBOR - More than 60 non-certified teachers at Benton Harbor Area Schools are keeping their jobs due to the school board's inaction.

Over the past few months, Superintendent Kelvin Butts' plan to restructure the school district has been tabled by school board trustees several times, with little to no discussion.

Contact: lwrege@TheHP.com, 932-0361, Twitter: @HPWrege

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Non-certified teachers in Benton Harbor keep their jobs

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BENTON HARBOR - More than 60 non-certified teachers at Benton Harbor Area Schools are keeping their jobs due to the school board's inaction.

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The Love MiStudent Box is Cemented in the Peace Garden🧡🖤🧡🖤

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The Love MiStudent Box is Cemented in the Peace Garden🧡🖤🧡🖤

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Debt Relief Press Conference - $114 million for Schools Serving Majority Black Cities and $12.5 million in debt erasure for Benton Harbor Area School community.  

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Debt Relief Press Conference - $114 million for Schools Serving Majority Black Cities and $12.5 million in debt erasure for Benton Harbor Area School community.  