GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Monday night, Grand Rapids Public School board members approved how they're going to engage with the community to begin the process of restructuring the district.
The district is experiencing a drop in enrollment, leaving some buildings underutilized.
Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby wants to emphasize that the board is in the beginning phase of this process and that the plan does not mean cutting back on staffing and resources for the students.
"We're gonna have several townhall meetings, 11 total, two of those will be virtual," President Raynard Ross says.
As part of the Facility Master Plan, the district needs to evaluate how the school buildings are operating because enrollment is down nearly 30 percent over the last decade.
The district currently has more than 40 buildings, and a report found only half are being used at their full potential.
"Most likely, we would see the changes in the '24-'25 school year," Dr. Roby says.
She says she knows parents will want to know if their child's school could close. Right now, she says there are no buildings on the chopping block.
"There's no school or schools that are on any list. And once we get to that decision, then we're going to be very intentional about making sure that we're revisiting those communities, making sure that they understand what is their child or their scholar's articulation plan for what school he or she can attend, and then what services and programs that are offered available at those schools," Dr. Roby says.
The school board plans to vote at the end of this year on the Facility Master Plan, once they make decisions following these town hall meetings.
"It is not about cutting. That is not what this is about at all," Dr. Roby says. "It's about to make sure that every person in our district has a path forward and they also have the resources that they so rightfully deserve so that they can do their very best work and we can provide the best customer service for our scholars."
Tuesday, teachers return to school and they will be able to talk with their principals about the plan. The district will release exact dates and times for these 11 town hall meetings on their website.
Of the meetings, two will be virtual, two will be presented in both Spanish and English and all of them will have interpreters for other languages.
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