Lawyers and consultants outnumbered members of the public Monday at a hearing that could decide the fate of a 17-year-old federal desegregation plan.
Since 1981, thousands of students from predominantly black Benton Harbor have voluntarily been bused to schools in Eau Claire and Coloma, two primarily white communities. But Monday, only three members of the public spoke out about a proposal to phase out the plan by 2001. Only one expressed any opposition to a proposed settlement. None were parents of students participating in the program.
“We need to improve the schools,” said Clarence Hodges, the lone voice of dissent at the hearing. The former Benton Harbor school principal, who now lives in Niles, reaffirmed his support for busing outside the court, saying until Benton Harbor schools were stronger, parents should indefinitely be able to send their kids to Coloma or Eau Claire.
Helen McKenzie, a Benton Harbor High School teacher, was more interested in the effect the settlement would have on her job.
“Once the order ends, there’s probably going to be an influx of students into Benton Harbor,” McKenzie said. “We don’t want to return to a situation where there are too many kids.”
