Families, staff say GRPS could make improvements on key issues during school board meeting

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — All seats at the Grand Rapids Public School's board meeting on Monday were filled. 

Most of those in attendance were participating in the Urban Core Collective's "Community Report Card", a collection of 414 responses from parents, GRPS staff and community members on how GRPS is doing. The report card included key issues in the community like budgets, community feedback and decision making.

It also included attendees giving their own grades using color-coded pieces of paper, with most saying the district could make improvements by using red or yellow cards.

One of the questions asked: "Rate how well the Board of Education is doing holding the district accountable to address chronic issues facing our schools: Transportation, school food, staffing, district culture, air quality and mental health."

Most of the room answered with yellow or red cards when asked.

Another question asked: "Do you feel included in the district's decision-making about the future and/or solving ongoing problems?"

Again, most of the room held up yellow or red cards.

While the report card addressed concerns of the community, some still got up during public comment and let the board know that change is needed.

"We need to pay our teachers to keep them," said a concerned parent. "Our teachers are fantastic. You're holding our children's lives in your hands and quite frankly, you're screwing it up."

Communications director for the district, Leon Hendrix, responded to the community report saying they don't take the community's feedback lightly.

"This is all information that points that we are aware that we need to work on," said Hendrix. "We don't take the words 'reimagine GRPS with us' lightly. We didn't say 'tweak GRPS with us', we didn't say 'sort of change GRPS with us', we said 'reimagine GRPS with us.' And some of the issues brought up today are key components of that process."

You can review the report card grading rubric here.

►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.