Forest Hills board interviews two finalists for superintendent; discusses budget, enrollment and student supports

The Forest Hills Board of Education held a special public meeting March 4 to interview two finalists for superintendent and to conduct routine district business. After a roll-call vote approving minutes from Feb. 2 and Feb. 13, the board heard presentations and answers from Ben Kirby, currently superintendent at Lake Orion, and Al Collins, assistant superintendent at Greenville.

Both candidates framed finances and enrollment as top, long‑term priorities. Kirby said the district’s “financial state” and falling enrollment are immediate concerns and tied fund balance pressures directly to staffing and program decisions. He described active weekly budget conversations and a three‑year forecast used during his leadership, and said ESSER funds were spent on district needs rather than banked. Collins told the board the district has lost students since 2012—“about 1,000” by his read of the data—and urged the district to study why families choose other options and to treat being the local “choice” district as an active marketing task.

On staffing and retention, both candidates emphasized building pipelines and internal leadership programs. Kirby highlighted strategies including aspiring‑leaders workshops, ongoing professional learning and a year‑one support model for new hires. Collins recommended expanding “grow your own” approaches, strengthening partnerships with local colleges, and offering robust induction/mentor programs so early‑career teachers receive aligned curricula and coaching.

Students’ social and emotional needs were a recurring theme. Kirby said his district added about 16 social workers using grant funding (not ESSER) and partners with Care Solace to provide warm handoffs to providers. He described crisis leadership during the Oxford shooting, stressing regular communication and creation of safe spaces. Collins described building welcoming school climates, classroom‑level practices that normalize greeting students and district connections to outside mental‑health services.

Both candidates described approaches to strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. Kirby favors an initial, thoughtful year of listening and a transition/90‑day plan leading into strategic work; he described using facilitated sessions and periodic reporting back as accountability steps. Collins recommended high‑quality surveys and “key communicator” groups of parents and students that review data together through the planning process to avoid producing work that becomes extra burden for school staff.

Experience with millage, bonds and sinking funds was another substantive topic. Kirby said he led recent successful replacement millage and sinking‑fund efforts and described frequent community presentations and weekly campaign coordination (he referenced a successful measure on 02/27/2024). Collins described using sinking funds for maintenance and equipment and combining sinking funds with larger bond measures; he recounted a prior failed vote that the district turned around by meeting with dissenting community members, adjusting outreach and re‑running the measure successfully.

The board conducted the interviews under the process laid out by the Michigan Leadership Institute; audience question cards were collected for possible follow up. No members of the public submitted comment cards before the interviews. After both candidates spoke and answered board questions, the meeting moved to logistical items about scoring and next steps and then adjourned.

Votes at a glance
The board approved the minutes from its Feb. 2 regular meeting and its Feb. 13 special/closed meeting. Motion to approve was made by a board member (speaker 5) and seconded by speaker 2; roll call recorded unanimous “Yes” votes from Dr. McFadden, Mrs. Demar, Mrs. Vonk, Ms. Guilla, Dr. Faasen and Mrs. Tregon.

What happens next
The board did not take a hiring vote at this meeting. Members indicated they would review materials, use the provided scoring/rank tools and reconvene for further deliberation per the search schedule. The meeting adjourned after administrative logistics and a short break between candidates.