GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — It’s back to school for students at Grand Haven Area Public Schools. Students will be returning to a new head of the district, Superintendent Kristin Perkowski.
She joins this district following a long career as an educator across Michigan.
Since joining in July, she says she's had dozens of meetings. Right now, she's working on getting through her 30-60-90 day plan.
That is her plan to listen to what the Grand Haven community needs and wants to see in their schools, which she says will help her move the district forward.
"And so from that, we will be developing a long term plan with our board on the next three to five years, and so we really want to have as many stakeholders at the table as possible,” said Perkowski. “And I'm really excited to get out and see students."
The superintendent says she also plans to start up a student advisory committee to get direct feedback from students.
In addition, district leaders are praising the community for the passage of a recent millage. That millage would support a sinking fund for the district which would fund district building improvement projects.
According to district officials, the average age of buildings in the district is about 62 years old.
“I feel like it's a huge hurdle, and we're just super grateful for that to be able to address some of the facility needs that have been long standing, that'll help with our students learning, and just make it a more comfortable place to learn,” said Perkowski.
The Grand Haven community also has the chance to give feedback on those projects. That is through the Capitol Projects committee, which is made up of staff and community members.
You can also see the status of proposed projects on the district website.