GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – The Grand Rapids Public Schools has started its community engagement on the development of the district’s Facilities Master Plan.
GRPS has announced eleven town hall meetings where the community will be invited to engage with district leaders and provide input that will be used in creating the plan. The district also launched a community survey to garner as much information from district stakeholders as possible. The survey will be open through October 24 and takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
The town halls begin on September 13 and conclude on October 12. There will be childcare, refreshments, and interpretation services at each event. Two of the town hall dates will include a dedicated Spanish session that will run at the same time as the English session, though interpretation will be available at all of the meetings. There will also be two virtual sessions where participants can join the conversation via Zoom.
The Facilities Master Plan will allow Grand Rapids Public Schools to refocus district financial resources. The currently maintained educational space far exceeds the needs of the number of scholars the district serves.
Reducing the number of school buildings will allow the district to focus taxpayer dollars on the space the district needs and reinvest in programs for GRPS scholars.
“These are serious conversations that require the input of the community at large. The decisions we make with this Facilities Master Plan will improve education for our scholars today and well into the future,” GRPS Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby said. “This plan needs all hands on deck and this public engagement plan reflects our desire to get as many voices at the table as possible.”
“When we created the 2022-27 Strategic Plan, we promised to ensure financial sustainability for our district. That’s what creating this plan is about,” Grand Rapids Public Schools Board President Raynard Ross said. “We also promised to engage our community including the young scholars we serve in the decisions we make. The survey and town halls are just the beginning of making good on that promise in the creation of this plan. No decisions have been made and they won’t be until we hear from the community we are here to serve.”
Those wanting to share feedback in writing are invited to email myschools@grps.org.
Media Contact: Leon Hendrix, Executive Director of Communications and External Affairs | HendrixL@grps.org
