Southeastern High School students are starting careers as IRS certified tax preparers while still working on their high school diplomas.
For four weeks, students at Southeastern High School received training through a tax preparation pilot program through the Detroit Public School Community District, Flagstar Bank in Troy and the Accounting Aid Society. They also successfully completed a test for certification. King High School is also part of the pilot program.
Now the students will spend the tax season through April 3 preparing and filing taxes for qualified families. Students can do basic tax returns and the service is free to the community. The tax preparation season runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Southeastern.
On-site supervisor Garylle Thomas, chief operations officer for the Accounting Aid Society, said she wants students who are “willing to put aside their time doing other things to learn this skill for their own benefit.”
“This is a great opportunity for our students,” said Blair Sawyers, Southeastern’s business teacher. “They have acquired a skill in a field that needs qualified and competent preparers. It may be a career or something they do on the side but it is a skill that they can build on and make money on in years to come.”