The Grand Rapids Press 03/02/12 Monica Scott
“Developer sold three schools to charter group: City assured 2 buildings will be bought back for apartment projects”
GRAND RAPIDS – A developer accused of deceiving city officials after selling one of three vacant Grand Rapids schools he said he bought for apartments to a charter school group, has actually sold all the buildings to the group, according to county records.
On Feb. 10, Bruce Michael sold Lexington, Eastern and Oakdale schools to National Heritage Academies -- the same day he closed on the building sales with Grand Rapids Public Schools, according to paperwork in the Kent County Register of Deeds Office. The warranty deed was filed Feb. 13.
The city assessor's office showed the three buildings were sold for $1.6 million -- the same price Michael paid the school district for them.
City Manager Greg Sundstrom admitted city staff feels “snookered” because Michael was not truthful about the use of Oakdale and his arrangement for the other sites. He also said there was no “trickery” on the city's part in this deal. Sundstrom said he remains confident that the neighborhoods in question still will see some park land donated at those sites.
NHA said its River City Scholars Charter Academy will initially serve 500 students in grades K-5, and eventually serve more than 700, adding one grade per year through eighth grade.
Many are still dissecting the Oakdale sale, and wondering how long that deal was in the works. Mayor George Heartwell said Thursday any “thinking person” knows those plans didn’t come together quickly. He had tough talk for Michael last week, saying the city was “duped.”
Heartwell said he contacted Bay Mills Community College, which is in the process of reviewing the River City Scholars application for a charter school authorization, because he wanted to know how long plans for a school were in the works.
Follow Up
The Grand Rapids Press 03/06/12 Monica Scott
“School Board Ends Pact with Developer: Buildings were sold to charter school group”
The Grand Rapids school board tonight unanimously approved a resolution to revoke the $535,000 purchase agreement for Stocking Elementary with a controversial developer who sold three other district schools to a charter school group, National Heritage Academies.
"If it were to become a school again, the neighborhood would be ecstatic," said Nola Steketee, executive director of the West Grand Neighborhood Organization.
Common Sense Review
Grand Rapids City officials are one part control freaks and one part lack in integrity.
The city of Grand Rapids has a budget deficit of $12 million dollar (and counting) but it is mad about a $1.6 million purchase of school buildings, which have been sitting rotting away if not looted, because they won’t get more Section 8 Housing but instead get a quality charter school.
So this is not about trust. It is about getting more state/fed tax dollars on the back of the children. What I see with more Section 8 housing is moving the poorer citizens into “projects” type buildings which will encourage current rental to go vacant and become blight. Or it will encourage a migration of people who are seeking Section 8 housing into Grand Rapids which will burden city service and receive less income tax dollars because Social Security, Welfare and people receiving Unemployment don’t pay local income tax. So there will be cry “We have to raise taxes” from the GR official once again.
Now let’s not forget the wonderful Grand Rapids Public School system, where according to 2010 Michigan Graduation and Drop out report, shows that GRPS has a 48% graduation rate and 22% drop out. I would think that due to a lack of education for the children, that Grand Rapids would celebrate another school to see if they held turn this problem around.
It seems to me, that Grand Rapids official and GRPS Board of Education is not interested in the betterment of our children but the “all mighty” tax dollar.
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