GRANT, Mich. — After sorting through dozens of applications, Grant Public Schools Board of Education has chosen their final trustee candidate.
Stephanie Deible was selected after the board conducted their final interviews Monday morning during a special board meeting. The decision comes after trustees were scrutinized for voting to eliminate the Grant Middle School health center last month, which was operated by Family Health Care.
The school board has not provided detailed reasons behind its decision to close the health center, other than cost and security concerns. People in the community have been vocal in their support for the health center, saying it is a vital resource.
Board members began the search with 63 applicants and narrowed it down to the top five. Those five applicants then had about 15 minutes each to answer the same questions from the board in public interviews.
Dozens of community members were in attendance to hear from the final five candidates.
The interviews did not address the controversy surrounding the health center. Instead, the conversation centered around how the candidates would improve the school district and support a board they don't always agree with.
Board members scored candidates based on their responses. All but one member voted for Deible.
"She's strong, passionate, has a ton of institutional knowledge, you know, not only from being here as a student but family working here, and then beyond," said board member Rob Schuitema. "She has demonstrated character and leadership as evidenced by her answers, also her very impressive resume. That's amazing."
Deible has lived in Grant for over 30 years and attended Grant Public Schools. She said her decision to apply for the board member position came after she analyzed her own education in the district and worked to identify what needed improvement.
"I saw this as a really good opportunity to help give back to the community, help strengthen our school system, and really take time to engage with the community and really help the board convey how the community can get involved and really help support our students and our school system," Deible said.
Deible also said her experience as a wheelchair user will bring a different perspective to the school board, something she said is crucial to "meet students where they're at no matter what their needs are."
"I just really want to create a unified culture here in Grant," she said. "So that's something that I was really glad to hear and to see people working together today. I really hope it's something that we can build off of."
There was no discussion about the health center controversy during the meeting. At the last board meeting, members voted to reopen the conversation with Family Health Care as well as other health care providers.
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