GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) is hosting the last of its Facilities Master Plan town halls.
The feedback taken during these sessions will help determine the course for the future of the district's school buildings and facilities.
It's all part of a goal to find new ways to use under-used buildings.
The district said the master plan will allow the school system to use financial resources in the best way possible.
READ: Grand Rapids Public Schools asks for community feedback in new facilities plan
The last two meetings are being held Wednesday, October 12.
Community members are invited to share their thoughts on the new plan and to talk with district leaders.
The district superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby said the plan is an all hands-on-deck approach.
GRPS said there has been a 26% decrease in the number of students enrolled at GRPS over the past 12 years.
Due to the decline, its overall building utilization levels sit around 53% which is significantly less than the 85% the state recommends the district maintain.
A firm hired by the district found it only needs 21 of its 44 education facilities and found the project could save around $4 million in annual operational costs.
“There’s a little bit of angst about 'What does this mean?'," said Dr. Leadriane Roby, the superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools. "Will it affect my school? Will it affect my child? We want to make sure that people understand this will be a process and we are very, very committed to be transparent and sharing the process along the way so people aren’t surprised," she said.
Dr. Roby adds the district will likely phase in the closures beginning in the 2025/2025 academic year.
It has not yet been decided which schools will be shut down, but Dr. Roby said they do not intend to close any high schools.
“What do they want for their schools, not just now, but in the future?," said Dr. Roby. "I think it’s really important that we engage people and have some tough conversations, but also imagine and dream about what the future could be," she said.
READ: Elementary, middle schools focus of GRPS consolidation plan
If you'd like to provide some feedback, there are two town hall meetings scheduled for Wednesday.
The first is being held at Westwood Middle School (1525 Mount Mercy Dr. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504) from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The final meeting is being held at Mulick Park Elementary (1761 Rosewood Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506) from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
If you cannot attend the meetings, you can also take the Facilities Master Plan survey. The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete. The deadline is Monday, October 24, 2022.
