001Good afternoon everyone. We welcome you to this meeting of the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education. Les pedimos por favor que apague sus teléfonos celulares. Les recordamos no aplaudir y no hacer comentarios audibles. Les pedimos que si tienen comentarios que hacer lo hagan los momentos de comentario público. To do this, fill out the comment card and you can give it to the officers on either side of both entrances. Los comentarios son solamente para 3 minutos y el día de hoy es 11 de agosto del 2025 de señorita Davis, por favor puede llam Rodríguez. Treasurer Williams present. Señorita Davis presente y presidente de la junta también está presente. ¿Puedo tener una moción para aprobar esta agenda? We have a motion and we have support. We are in favor of you. The same signal is opposed.
002The motion continues. Nosotros vamos a ir a una sesión cerrada en estos momentos. I need you to please give us the authorization. We ask that you please grant us authorization for a closed session to discuss the negotiations regarding the superintendent's petition, as is permitted in open meeting sessions. Necesitamos tomar el voto para esto, señorita Patrick, señorita Marina. Yes, sir, Mr. Melton. Treasurer Williams. Yes. Mr. Williamson, yes. Very good, it holds up. We'll go to a closed session then. We will return to you. Let's begin with the celebrations on our agenda. Good evening everyone. We're going to ask Mr. Akins to come and give us a presentation about the 2025 Learning Nights. This will take a second, but I want you to imagine: While the screen is working, I'm here to give you a super brief
003presentation on Summer Nights for 2025. Just a second. So Antes de que empecemos, quiero asegurarme de que nosotros estamos también involucrados con el plan maestro. Hemos visto que esto va a incrementar también el poder del estudiante. What we have are several options for students this summer. We do n't have our summers. And that's where we were able to have different opportunities for families to come from preschool grade onwards to use our resources and learn from our programs like the Grasp program. These are things that families can do at home. The structure is until July 24, from the beginning, which we did on June 16. The directions. Here we can see on screen where we had the different events. We had some at the academic center, also in North Park, Montesuri, and Southwest Middle. We had
004these programs again. Breakfast lasted until 8:30 and then the program ran until 12:30 and the extension program ended at 3 in the afternoon. English and mathematics were the areas where we focused a little more, and also on the credit recovery program for the secondary level. For enrollment, we can see that we had around 200,000 students from preschool to eighth grade, then from 9th to 12th grade a little less than 400. We are happy to share that if you were here a few minutes before the meeting started, you may have seen the video we had of our students graduating. And we know that history matters, this history tells how different everything can be for us. One of the things we learned last summer is that we wanted to increase the different opportunities to explore beyond our
005four doors. We were able to make different partnerships with other organizations in the city and they helped us with the Venendo Institute, the children's food program, and the different museums. We can see here that we have achieved some of our goals, we can say that we have won, we have reached all of our goals and we want to give you a couple of minutes, a visualization of a few minutes and see what would happen at summer school. I read during recess. We've been learning math and reading, and it's been super fun! Very good. This is a wonderful program we have where students are learning, using the experience from the previous course with this one, and these are all wonderful details, very strong in math and reading, reinforcing what they need to learn as they enter
006this new school year. This is one of those programs where everything is done while they learn, while they are doing these kinds of activities. Here they allow them to read, but at the same time experience the things they are learning. It was super fun. We need to maintain a place for students where they can continue to grow throughout the summer. If people weren't doing math or reading throughout the summer, if they were just playing games, they would forget most of the things they had learned. This is a good opportunity for me to come here and learn. This is just part of my leadership. I really like to stay completely involved. The teachers are super nice. The students are learning all the time, and we can socialize too. I did many very good things. The audio
007wasn't working, so the volume was all the way up so I could hear the man, and he yelled that at me. This is just a short video about our learning experiences for summer school in 2025. We will have an evaluation so we can give you more detailed information. Do you have any questions? If only everyone were like that. Let's see. We will now continue with the public comments. This is only for the topics that are on the agenda. All individuals who wish to make a comment, please. They must hand in the cards with the comments. The rules are on the back regarding comment policies and procedures. We have two public comment sessions . The first one is only for topics that are in our program. The second opportunity is to comment on topics that are
008not necessarily on the agenda, things that are related to the district's business, but that are not on the current agenda. If you want to make a comment on both occasions, you have to fill out separate cards and the card has to be filled out on the front and back indicating the exact point you want to talk about. Please give us the complete card and we will place it on the tables at either entrance. Our board assistant will collect them, and we ask that you please refrain from making abusive comments toward employees, volunteers, and contractors. We also ask that you please report any complaints you have about specific board members through the appropriate channels, based on board policy 9450 . If you are unfamiliar with our policy, you can find it on our website. Individuals may
009come one at a time to the podium to speak with the board members. And before you begin your comment, please let us know your full name. We will start timing and give you 3 minutes per person for your comment. Then I'll let you know when there's one minute left, and we'll notify you that the 3 minutes have passed. All concerns will be brought to the appropriate personnel. We greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you. Thank you very much, Kimnen. You are the first. Next up is Kim Homework. Good night. Good evening, board members. Doora Roby, president, wait a minute, wait a minute, we have no way of counting time. It's great to see Governor Whitmer. Thank you so much. I know you were part of this. We were invited and I was a little disappointed that
010I wasn't included in the conversations, but it's okay. I know she's a very busy woman. And I know he has many schools to visit and that he already wants us to have a good student budget. I was happy to see her here. I would also like to speak with the board today about a point that has to do with the board's comments. I think it's super important and I understand the need to perhaps say that we have to deliver all of this within a certain timeframe. I also understand that we prioritize students, and I believe that these leaders also need to be recognized throughout the district. This should be the priority, and my hope is that as you rewrite these policies, you will recognize that it is important for us to talk to the board
011before the vote is taken, because I believe that the community's opinion is very valuable and important before the vote, not after. I read all of this and I would like to tell the board that please, when comments are going to be made, especially on this, we can make the comments at the beginning of the meeting and not afterward. And there's also a point that has to do with being part of the West Michigan fund. And from my experience being included in these teachers' associations, I know that we have other teachers who have gone to this health program and I know that other districts that have done this have then moved away . Initially it provides some savings, but in the end the services are extremely bad and the services are not supported. With all due
012respect, I know that we have an obligation to some of these bargaining units that we are members of, but I would advise you to please consider this when it becomes available. I know they also want a closed session for negotiations, and we want to receive an update. We stand united as an association of educators for our members, and we ask that a salary proposal be made that incorporates these salary increases on an annual basis. We are grateful for what has been achieved. However, the correct proposal does not put us in line with the average cash price, and this is based on last year's numbers, not the current year's. We respectfully ask that the district reconsider our proposal. So I ask that you please respect and value our educators. Reagan Roses. Regan R follows her. Hello,
013my name is Kimmer H. Good evening. I want to talk about the agenda items regarding contracts with the Grand Rapid School Association. I saw the press conference after midnight that says this is its historic 4.5 increase and the reality is that even with this increase we will still be at the 25% lowest in Kent County. It goes without saying that we have a greater need, we are struggling in this district with another district that is not necessarily doing so. So I don't understand why we're paid so little compared to everyone else. I have seen many great educators leave this district, people we should retain, but due to their financial situation they had to go elsewhere. We've received emails from directors leaving left and right, and I personally am in a financial position where I have
014to work two jobs this summer to be able to stay with GRPS. I want to stay here, I want to be here. love, our families, our students. Uh, I live a block and a half from where I work, it's my dream job, but nevertheless the pay doesn't reflect the cost of living in Grand Rapis. So I'm asking you to consider that. It seems to me that after many of the things James said, not because we want to be or think we deserve all these things, but we are working very hard for our students. We are very worried about them. Everything looks very confusing, and someone who has been here for 7 years desperately wants to stay here. I also know that we are the district with the most money we've had in over 30 years,
015$40 million . Why doesn't that help retain educators and attract more educators? Uh, we need to have certified educators in every position. The students deserve it. We're not asking for much right now. The numbers are adding up, and I've even heard this from teachers who aren't even in the union, as if they don't care about us, saying things like there's bad blood in us. Nobody wants this, really. We just want to be paid and respected so we can continue working hard here for the students and families of this community. So thank you for listening. There's a mess there, win r after winer. Hello, good evening, Council Superintendent Roby. My name is Rigan. I teach special education at the high school level. We are living through some pretty historic times in general on many fronts, and
016I think one of the things we can all unanimously agree on is that the world is in chaos. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, what will happen in the next 10 minutes, but in such a chaotic climate, school is a constant safe haven for many of our students. So I'm curious why we're deliberately choosing to add to this chaos by not having a calendar a week before classes start, by not having a contract a week before classes start. There were almost 100 certified positions last year, and teachers are leaving to go to other neighboring districts where they are treated with the professionalism and respect they deserve. Yes. And we passed less than 91% of instructions from all districts in Michigan. It's not fair to ask these students to show up and not know if
017the teachers will be there the next day or not because they had to go to another district, because they had to do what was best for them and so on. It 's not fair to send a robotic call to a family a week before classes start with an incomplete calendar . I 'm asking my council, you have to do better. You can do your best. You are actively disregarding the most vulnerable members of this community, and those are our students. These are the people you are harming by not supporting the talented educators who want to be here, who want to come to GRPS. I love my job, I love what I do, but you have to do better because if you ask us to give more than we can without you doing the same. So
018I ask you to seriously reconsider that proposed budget, because historically all those in power do everything they can to maintain that power and maintain that status at the expense of the most vulnerable population. So, which side of history do you want to be remembered for? Thank you, Wendy Winston. Then, Lucas, Love. Hello, my name is Wendy Winston and thank you all for being here doing the work you are doing. I know it's a thankless job. I am here to talk about the bilateral agreements that you discussed in the closed session. Almost every educator I've worked with at GRPS loves what they do, and they are extraordinary at what they do. So many members are leaving, and those of us who remain are making it harder for us. The losses will continue because we have a
019lack of respect and poor working conditions. And I'm not just talking about the EA, but the administrators, the support staff, everyone. First, a 4.5% offer does not justify so many years in which we have earned so little. I have a colleague who left last week, they have 4 years of experience and went to North View and are going to receive a 31% increase in their compensation, plus $160 less for their health insurance. That's something that changes your life. And that person stood here on this podium last year and told you how difficult it was for them to survive. They had no choice. I also have a colleague with 9 years of experience who went to Comstar Park and is going to receive 12.5%. No, 4.5 12.5%. I have a friend who is 6 years old
020and is going to FR for a 22% increase. These are substantial increases, and you're not just thinking about this year, but your entire lifetime earnings, your retirement, your pension, everything. You can't imagine why people are leaving, and we come here once a month to talk about what we need. I have a letter here from one of those people who left for the council. I am writing this to you as a former employee, and I do so with both sadness and joy. Sadness because I left him with teachers and administrators who are truly exceptional. I served this district for 6 years and wanted to make my career here, but I must proletarianize for the well-being of my family. I'm happy because I'm going to leave $62,000 and I'm going to earn $64,000 in the other district.
021This significant increase will have a direct impact on my family. I hope you will consider why people are leaving. Education, a passion for many, is a profession. To retain the best employees, they have to provide for her and her family. The most fundamental levels. It starts with a respectable salary. uh 4 million investment compared to 40 million in a fund balance. Lucas Lev and then Lisa Leas nights. I'm tired, you know? I'm angry, I'm furious. I didn't want to be here tonight. I'm too busy, too tired for this. I have a lot going on at my own job, where I have to do my job, not like you guys. But I'm not as tired as these poorly paid teachers. You are talking about secret negotiations again . Everyone is wondering what they're hiding. We all
022experience a day filled with misinformation through the press and then we receive this union statistics sheet. But the corruption, the corruption that exists in this organization, 25% lower, 40 million dollars, positions, they have the money for that over 100 vacancies is abysmal. The rest of us have to get to our jobs and work, and we have to do that every day, working hard to get to the point for 8 months, just like I was at my job when you were first elected, for the same amount of time that I was at my job. Administrators in this field can spend money, block people, be corrupt and lack transparency, attacking parents. They call their employees fat, and we go to work every day for 30% less than what they earn here on this campus. It infuriates me.
023Many of us would have already been fired for this. This district of supposed professionals should at least reach these marks; they should be afraid when that new boss arrived. I know that when a new CEO comes in, everyone is concerned about their job, about doing things right. The others fire him, the others need to know that they are not, and you don't pay the teachers. Basically, you're using the district and our taxes like an ATM. Embarrassing, stupid, not inexcusable. And time has run out. I was fortunate enough to be there on Friday on a tour to see the drum core in Indianapolis and the new band director ready. But she says, "It's so strange working without a contract and getting paid so little. I do it because I love it so much. How long is
024this going to last? But we already know how the other one left. Do better. Lisa Lee and then Alex Lotin. Good evening. My name is Lisa Lee, I 'm a teacher at Banan Elementary. I came here with a mindset of solving the problem, and today I'm sad. Uh, I got a real blow when I opened an email saying there was a 4.5% raise. That's not 4.5% for every teacher. I'm over 30 years old. And I'm going to make less money next year than I do next year. I'm not getting a raise. I teach in Michigan, where our governor is making preschool for everyone. You have to understand that there aren't many teachers available with my number of certifications. Traditionally, these kinds of teachers are paid very poorly. They're not coming into the profession, and they're
025not leaving. We 're in a district where our children are so Vulnerable. The effect of the pandemic and the learning gaps on our children are profound, and it's truly frightening to remove someone like me. This puts their lives on track because that age is so important, and I 'm the person who guides them. The reason I'm staying is because I can look in the mirror, and I ca n't afford to let these children down. It's their life; it's about them. If they do n't have anyone to speak up for them, I'm that person, but I don't feel like this is collaborative. I don't feel respected. Imagine getting this news from a robot telling me, "Come here to work on such and such a day, nothing personal." I have employees who are calling me to tell
026me where we're going. We have no information. How do we do this? Human resources is telling us different things. We do n't have any kind of order. It's so sad. And despite all this, we're back to work. I know there aren't enough people like me. There is no [information missing] there, our work is difficult and it is even more difficult in GRPS due to the huge backlog and the disabilities we are working with. Don't force me to leave. Let's work together and solve these problems. We're on the same team. We are here for the same people. However, it doesn't feel that way. Hello, board. Hello, superintendents. I just wanted to start by saying thank you all for being here today. We are all here because we care more than anything about those who need us
027most. We are looking to our future, and in this community, when we look at this country, we want what is best for everyone. We want everyone to have an education, and we want everyone to be treated with respect and dignity. That respect and dignity comes from our actions, the actions of how we do our work, how we communicate with each other. There are many things that have been done throughout these contract negotiations. When the press conference was held, there were 5.4 four increases, but it feels like the waters aren't really clear when we talk about these negotiations, because we 're not really talking about the real situation . It took me coming here to find out that you were coming to a closed session. I have work tomorrow. I haven't even eaten my dinner yet.
028But you make these last- minute changes and make it more difficult for us and the community to be here and be part of this process. We received these robocalls telling us to go back to work, and most of us didn't even get that. Nobody even knows how we're running the district. I think back to the time when we did n't even have computers for all the students. I even have copies of these reports that I do. I take them in and say, "It's not working, but I'm not getting anything back. We're looking at the interactions that are happening between the administration and the classroom. We're so disconnected that we don't even know what's going on . And the truth is, I feel like I 'm starting this school year with no idea what's going on
029. But to be honest, I'm completely excited to get back in the classroom. I'm really looking forward to being able to do all of this. I think about this group of new students and I think about how the year has been and seeing how they've grown. And I hope all of you are completely excited and are also feeling everything you have to do for the children in the coming months, because that has to be our priority. That's how we have to build a society where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. We have to start here. Thank you. With that, we conclude our first public comments on the agenda items. We're going to move on to the Secretary's reports. For the Secretary's report, we have the report from July, from the meeting we had here
030in the building. On the 20th at 4:30, we have a meeting here in room 112, and the ADHW committee meeting on September 10th will also be in room 112. The finance committee will meet on August 25th. Okay, very good. Let's continue. We have a report from the ADHW committee. Yes. Today we had our meeting at 5:00 PM, and we discussed and received information. We learned that many of these projects are already on schedule, and many of them are coming in under the amount we had budgeted. That makes us very happy. We can then come back and make these kinds of changes. Look, these aren't small changes; they're not millions and millions of dollars. We 've also discussed changes to policy 4900, and we're going to bring this to the legal department as well. We want
031to come before the board in general, and we were also talking about the different contracts and signatures and how information will be received. Regarding the From different assessments, we also learned that in the security project, all but one of the buildings have secured entrances, and only one does not . There are reasons for this, but it has other security conditions. Finally, we have some ideas we want to bring to the board regarding the board's priorities for our different properties and what we would like to see in order to provide more direction and clear, specific guidance in the coming months. We want to continue attending one of our working sessions, and we have also discussed that there may be many proposals going forward, but we want to make sure we know the needs of our district
032and that these are always our top priority. Okay, let's continue with the superintendent's report . Good evening, everyone. We're going to begin with our mileage program. I'm going to ask Mr. Hamh to come forward and give us an overview of this. Okay, Dr. Roby Davis, board member. It's great to be here with you again, Julie. I think the slide is ready. Julie is updating the PowerPoint. It's a pleasure to be with you here tonight to share an overview of the research that's been done on this fund. We're following direction in the administration, and we want to look at what the voters believe. Most importantly, [Music] the most important thing is the explanation. We're referring to a tax, property taxes. Last year was the last time we passed this fund. It's different from what we've had
033in other situations. It's about making a payment as we go along, and it has a limit of up to 10 years. It covers things like electricity, plumbing, maintenance, repairs, and it can be used for technology, transportation, students, and student and teacher welfare. What's ideal about this fund is that it's an update so the district can use what we have with the dollars that have already been given to us to do major renovations. And then the amortization fund would be used to make repairs alongside these. There are major arrangements being made to keep buildings open for a longer period of time. By doing this type of research, we were looking at what voters were saying . At a higher level, we worked with the Clan Girov group. They are one of the largest in the entire
034state. We received 400 responses. We were talking around August 2026, focusing on this. This gives us information about a lower percentage of voters compared to the primary elections in a politically busy year like the one we had. For, I don't know, Senate, Congress, governor, secretary of state, and so on, a couple of high numbers. These are numbers that are really encouraging. We have a community that greatly supports Grand Rapids Public Schools, supports public education, and recognizes one of the highest numbers that has come from these informational ballots. 74% of these ballots came from GRPS, 67% agreed that GRPS needs more money, and it's an acknowledgment that we heard throughout all the information we received. We know there is uncertainty about the Federal and state funds. 62% had a favorable view versus 16%, and 19% had
035no opinion. This is common. There are many people who may not have any experience with GRPS; perhaps they are students or families who are part of it, and that 19% said no comment, no opinion. From 62% onward, 65% say that GRPS is headed in the right direction. There is 25% who have no opinion, and we are also looking at the renewals, and we also have the improvement renewal, and this had an increase of about $300 per student. We would be talking about about $350 per student. And this will be on the ballots from November 2025. They are reviewed separately and together. Both are relatively strong, but together they impact both in a way that is not as positive as if they were separate. And overwhelmingly, the results were 6% versus 1,000 miles and 5 years
036instead of 10 years. A substantial difference. Without a doubt, August 2026 is going to be the strongest, it's going to be the best election for you, to put this before the voters, the electorate that hasn't thought about this, perhaps a greater number of people who are going to run, and we saw the funding priorities, while technology was the lowest of the whole group. They had a 6.67 out of 10, which is significant, and if we're talking about projects like security, warmth, dryness, uh, to maintain a building, a house, it's in line with the same. I also want to note that in the first cold tests, one wants to be above 60 initially, or at least. And the good news is that you're there, you're in a good place, in a good position, but it's also
037going to be about when the best time will be, when, what the best order is, how many years, what recommendations for August 2026, five years from now. I'm going to open it up to questions. Yes, not a question, but three comments. Thank you for the scientific part because we had this discussion and I Personally, I was more inclined, but after seeing these numbers and the results, we must take this into consideration and look at next year's August. It's good to hear that our community, based on these results, supports funding for this organization . And, obviously, I support this, the appropriate mileage sinking fund , but anyway, I'm in favor of this sinking fund, speaking of the dollars to increase the pay of professors, teachers, and other staff. So this is a way to free up
038that money. So thank you for the work you've done, John, and thank you for the scientific point. Any other questions, comments? Thank you, John. We're going to invite Mr. Larry Johnson to talk about the back-to-school safety plan we have in place for this coming school year. Okay . Good evening, Mr. President. Dr. Robin, distinguished member of the Board. We're getting ready; in six days, we'll have students back in our buildings. We've been working not only on the summer program but also preparing for the first day of school. This week, the safety team... He has a 40-hour training course to refresh his knowledge of the other districts' security systems . We've spent a lot of the summer working to train our behavioral assessment personnel. About 65%, 65 people, have already completed it, and on Wednesday we'll
039have 35 more people. On August 26th, there will be many more training sessions to get all the staff up to date on behavioral assessment. Our cameras are live this summer. We're waiting to activate two more systems that are being installed this week, as well as working on the response protocol, which was a state mandate, and in discussions with the Department of Transportation regarding their work with drivers, whether they are properly trained, and also recording violations. We'll be focusing on ST violations and sending that message to remind parents. One of our challenges at a few schools is street construction, and we have to reroute some buses, looking for places to drop them off. the students and pick them up so they are n't crossing the street between these buildings. We're working with the city of Grand
040Rapids to establish appropriate drop-off and pick-up locations for students. This is going to be temporary. We're going to try to put the buses as close to the buildings as possible, and this could be until the end of September. Hopefully, it will end sooner, but it does create a challenge for us. But we're all ready. Our staff is ready, everything is in place, and we're looking forward to a good school year, doing what the kids do and keeping them safe and secure for our community. There's going to be a campaign regarding violence. We're talking with the police department, and through their community outreach staff, they're committed to running a campaign. And speaking with the police chief, we're going to do this this year as a reminder to parents, especially on those streets that are busier. Yes,
041a quick question, excuse me, this just came to mind. Do you know about Commissioner Kilgor's email regarding some crosswalks that need... Guards? Yes, I'll make sure you receive it, and the city assigns them, not us. Regarding the stop-arms, and refresh my memory, every bus that will be in service will have a camera. No, no, not all the buses. Um, the goal is to have cameras. We're working with Deans and a few community groups to put cameras on all the buses, and they'll be activated once they're ready. But we can start the year with the buses. Yes. Ah, very good. Thank you. What's the status right now with the emergency protocol? Yes, last week was the final review with the staff. We invited [Music] the GRPD security team. Um, it went very well; I think it's
042in the final stage. Everything has been updated, some areas that needed it, the response protocol, our suicide prevention protocol, and all of this is going back to the original manual, which is being updated. We have 75 individuals who are going to do this review process. There are some key people who were on vacation this summer. who also need this, and we're going to give them the opportunity to have this. So, everything is going well so far. Anyone else? Thank you. Let's move on to updating the construction fund. Hello, Mr. Smart. Good evening, everyone. President Buchek, Dr. Roby, distinguished board members. I was telling you that you can go back if we can turn up the heat a little . I see the superintendent is cold. My apologies for that. I think we can do this
043because we're all cold. We've had a very busy summer. Many projects. I'm going to try to get this done as quickly as possible, but as always, please ask me questions. But I want to start by bringing up the facilities issue. I want to say that they've done an extraordinary job, operationally, in maintenance. Sometimes I just imagine how flexible they are, able to jump from one thing to another in just one phone call. So, I know they're not here, but I'm thinking of them, and I want to commend them for the great work they do and continue to do for us. So, one project, let's... Let me briefly talk about Sibli and Coy, uh Southwest Career Pathway, uh the Chavez parking lot, Montessori, the Montessori roof, and we also have a few projects that are in
044the design and scheduling stage. We're trying to work with Riversai Montessori. The Kent Hills project is being developed. We 're also working on the construction documents for Aura, the high school. We have a project there, one is down below the auditorium. We're renovating the space to accommodate the Arger middle school students. And we're also looking at the pool project. Arel is going well, and we also have some auditoriums that we need to finish. So, all of that is in the design and scheduling stage, and more projects will come after this. We do know we have some projects that are in the final stages of cost evaluation. I don't have much information to share with you about this, but in Aberdean, we have a new auditorium, and we'll give you more information about that. We'll start
045with Housem. I'm super excited about this. What you're seeing here is a current photo of the house course. We do n't have the track, but that course looks great. That was our communications team. I think Kevin used a drone. A drone, sorry. Here we have more photos that you can see, a closer angle showing how good it looks. You can see the details, the logos, the Union logo, the Aurowa logo. It looks really good. We're so excited to have our first game there. I think it's going to be on the 19th, and we'll be ready for it. The Bricks is also progressing. We did n't have the lines yet, but that's going to be done this week. The course is there, ready, and I've been told that the neighbors are already walking on the track.
046Sibli, we're completing phase two. It was two phases. We started last summer, and we're going to complete them this year, and we're ready to go. I would say, as a general rule, all the projects will be ready by the start of classes. Many of them are already there, and we're just putting the finishing touches on them. of completion. This, this gave me a lot of ulcers. This was a battle, it was a challenge. We had deadlines to finish, and we're still working. Uh, the operations team has been cleaning and preparing it. You're going to see a few things that are going to be delayed, like the gym and the stage. That work is going to happen over the weekends, holidays; it's not going to happen while we're in class. Today I received news that the
047gym floor was being done, and when we did that, the parking lot— we're talking with the contractors— we're going to be looking for a time when we don't have class, like next Friday, to go back and finish everything, the entire surface. We do n't want this to interfere with classes. Okay. Parking lot. We did a redesign. The structure is completely new, and they're doing a wonderful job. Originally, the parking lot went all the way to the sidewalk; we were able to redesign it and create space for green areas. Congress is the one I'm most excited about because we were able to redesign and expand it so we can have two different lanes and two different lanes for the parents can come and pick up the children. We are hopeful that this will help us a
048little, and in the future, we are going to explore and want to do the same for the schools, but that will be something in the future. At Chavez Elementary, we are in a very, very good position. We were able to recover most of what we had planned for this school. In phase two, we can come back and do this again, like the office, for example. We hope to be able to do this next year as well. We also got better control over everything related to the playgrounds at Dickinson. We completed the entire secure entrance, and this was one of the biggest goals we had for the summer. We put new carpeting throughout the school. It looks wonderful. The next thing we will be doing is the control of the heating and cooling system. The roof
049at Richmore. This was a last-minute project. We didn't even know if we were going to be able to finish it this summer, but thanks to you all because you helped us go through the approval process. We already have something that is done, and if Weather permitting, we can finish this roof this week before the students arrive on Monday. And lastly, the last thing we have here in this picture, right? This picture, right? It does n't do it any favors. If any of you want to go, I can give you a tour, but we are so proud of this project and everything we 've accomplished and the space we've created for the students. This is such a huge transformation. We went from having these super small windows to windows that are now twice the size. So
050much light comes in, and we can reflect it so you can see the entire classroom space completely. We also had a student lounge. Now we have an area where the students can go and spend some time. We were able to refinish the gym area and the teachers' lounge. The teachers' lounge looks wonderful, too. I think those are all the projects I had in mind to talk to you about so far. If you have any other questions, please let us know. Thank you so much for the presentation. I had a quick comment, this is in gratitude, no not only to what has been done here, but to the workers who are doing all of this in such a hot climate. There is still no ventilation or anything, and they are making it possible. Thanks a lot.
051If you could let him know, that would be wonderful. Yes, of course, I'm going to share it with them because in all construction projects we always have many challenges and I'm always going to say problems. We found things hidden in the walls that we did n't know about until the last moment. Projects almost never arrive when we thought they would, and so on. Incidentally, everything has also been part of the project. Thank you so, so much. Another question about housem. When I think of Houseman, I think of TRPS and I think of football. We're also going to have American football. Yes, of course. That concludes my entire presentation for tonight, and this will then lead us to our action points for tonight. The first of our action items is a resolution authorizing a membership, a
052public membership for the health insurance of swimming pools. Health insurance in western Michigan. We have a motion to try it. We have been part of this since 2013. What we are doing is simply continuing this process and appointing two people who will speak about it in the resolution . Those who are in favor, say "I am". Someone gets on board. Very good. The motion stands. Let's go to policy 1370. We had a discussion about this in the working session. I would like to reopen this to see if that discussion was interpreted correctly for this policy or not. This is the first reading. If we have any changes, they can be made tonight, but any comments? My comment would be on the comments of the presidents and others. I think it's more about maintaining it as
053it is . No, no, really no, it's not all opposed to maintaining this. I believe the changes we made are because I haven't been able to review everything on the agenda cards, and I think it's good to keep it. I know that as a person who comes to speak at the meeting, I sometimes talk a lot beforehand so that I can do it in 3 minutes. If we were to make a change without knowing exactly what the change is, it would make me nervous. I think the change would be to say the comments will be half a minute, a minute and a half, 2 minutes, but that way we make it easier for people who feel nervous to come and talk to us and that way they can prepare. I think that the conversation regarding
054this, ideally we wouldn't add more time, we would add less time. As the president, I wouldn't go and say, "You know what? Now you have 30 seconds." But many of the conversations regarding this, there were conversations that talked about how long our meetings were and how we could, or needed to, do a better job of organizing our time. How can we do this? What part can be left to the president, and what part is better? Knowing the agenda, knowing how many public comment cards are coming in, and with the goal of making sure we hear all voices. But the intention is not to say, you know we're going to cut it as short as possible, right? Rather, I want people to be able to practice what they need to do so that they are ready
055for that amount of time. It's difficult for us because imagine we have 50 cards and you're practicing for 3 minutes, and we say, "You know we have 50 cards? We have to cut it down to 2 minutes." You won't have time to practice that anymore, but you will know if it's two or three. I think, I wonder if if we cut it down to, say, two, but it's not enough time. What we're trying to do is adjust it. We do n't want to have a vote to add public comments to a whole hour of the meeting. And we can still vote, we can vote to make the time longer than 3 minutes, especially on agenda items. I appreciate Sara's comment about being specific, because even when you're reading it to someone, sometimes it's difficult. I
056know that if it's two or three minutes, I would practice anyway, especially if I know there will be a lot of people, but if I don't know what my options are, oh boy, that would make me very nervous. If I had to condense the whole comment One minute. I know it doesn't seem like much of a difference, but for the speaker, it always makes a difference. Everyone agrees. The reason we do this is because we want to see if we want to allow more time for public comments so that people feel they can count on that time. We don't. The idea is that it's all based on what you suggested. Three minutes, two minutes, one minute—it's based on the number of people or public comments we have. Ideally, that won't happen unless we have 60
057people who want to give public comments. I wonder if there's some kind of comment that says no more than... I don't think one minute is enough. I do n't know if we have a standard in the city with meetings that have a minimum speaking time. I don't think there is , but I don't know, I'm not sure. We'll have to look for it. I also wanted to say that this isn't just about time; we want to be able to hear as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. We want to accommodate more voices, and it's not just a matter of, you know what, let's cut it short because we don't want to be sitting here for so long. Time. That's not the case. And we've had people here who don't complete their
058comments and send us the information by email. I always really appreciate that because I can read it calmly. It's another way of doing it. My priority is that everyone who wants to talk to us and has the opportunity to come can do so. I don't want to say, " You know what?" I'm going to allow only 10 people and then say, "Well, that was n't possible." As long as everyone has a chance to speak, it's ideal. I agree. I think we can at least have a minimum, even if it's just one minute. I don't mind if the minimum is one minute. As someone who gives public commentary, I prefer more than one minute. I think two to three minutes would be preferable, but this is open for everyone to discuss. The preference would obviously be
059three minutes, but I agree, we can have a minimum of one minute. That gives 60 people a chance to comment in one hour. I don't think we have to go down to that number too often. Anyone else? I want to make sure we're giving the correct information. Anyone else? We'll add a minimum of two minutes then. Part of this is that we want to say 60 minutes for commentary. I suppose. I do n't know how much you can say in one minute, that's what I mean , but the value is that we're listening. If we're rushing you to say something in one minute, we're not... I don't know. The idea is that we can also do the district's business. When we say one minute, we have to accommodate this transition period. If we go longer
060and longer, we're going to cut off the opportunity for that voice and the diverse group of voices we can have. So we talked about public comments as well, that we had to have two. We have to have two separate comments, and on the agenda items, and not on the agenda, we can have them all at the beginning. I like that. How do we make it easier? Is anyone opposed to this? No. And I want to make sure everyone is on board to keep the negotiations going. That part was taken out. Okay. Yes. For the unity of negotiations. You all helped me improve on this. I'm going to continue trying something else that doesn't look like a reflection of the conversation appropriately. I heard a comment about students speaking first. We had talked about whether we
061did separate comments, right? I know what it was. If we move the public comments to another part of the agenda to allow students to speak first, and we move the public comments, like today's example, because we're paying them A lawyer who's here. It's less time we're going to spend, we're going to spend less money. That's where the decisions are made strategically. We're not trying to silence anyone. Okay, anything else? I do n't know if this is policy. It's been a practice, uh,uh, in the council last year and this council this year. I think that's why Trost Moreno is talking about this. The opportunity, the public hearings, comments on the agenda, other, uh, issues, so you're going to go more or less. But I'm saying, well, what's our commitment? What's the policy? What's the practice? Uh,
062if it's written down, we have to do it. I listen to it completely. I would step back a little from that because it's something so specific that our council has to do, that maybe there are other better ideas, a different way of addressing, uh, public comments that could be adapted to the needs. My mind was an opportunity, or another opportunity, to communicate how the council provides opportunities, something like that, so that our practice is, even though we're moving the council to other Places, maybe a few points. The council is going to add other opportunities for public comment. I like that. I think we're taking something away instead of giving other opportunities. And what are we taking away? The potential of time. Well, but with that, if we're only going to have one public comment, we
063can extend it to an hour. I'm missing the language about the requirements for having double the time. If you're using an interpreter. It's so small. I know I read it. The council chair can give additional time up to 3 minutes. That can be changed to: It will be given as another option that we want to do. It will give. Okay, I'm glad I brought this up. The language that's there needs to be made sure that the time is consistent because that person can have 3 minutes, so it needs to be specific to the change in the language. It says up to 3 minutes. Okay. Very good. Before we take a vote on this, we're adding a point under public comment on what Member Moreno said, an opportunity for public participation. My only concern, this is
064calling the working sessions, we talk better there about things that we can do. So we're going to leave it like that. We're going to provide additional opportunities for what the council members can establish . Does that make sense? Yes. Okay, good. I have a moment, I have a motion to try the first reading of policy 1370 with minimal changes of one minute, a public comment section. This would be the meeting of both for additional opportunities for public participation outside of council meetings, and taking out... Where's the second part? Regarding negotiations. Yes, we move, excuse me. And the word "we're going to," yes, we move what is decided about those minutes on the council at that same point. I'm sorry. Can you explain that? The chair can give up to 3 additional minutes to the person.
065Um, it's never going to exceed 3 minutes because it's going to be 3 minutes plus 3 additional minutes. If it were two, they get two additional minutes. Okay, I have a motion, the second one. Everyone in favor, say yes. Anyone against? The motion passes. Very good. Moving on to certifying the delegates to participate in the Michigan Association of the Assembly Regarding delegates, we need to formally appoint the people who will be delegates for this . Trustee William, as our delegate, because they will be attending the conference in October. We can have up to four people. If there are more people who want to attend, I'm not opposed to that. However, those two council members will be going to a conference. We've only had one delegate in the past, so two would be sufficient if they
066want to go. You can speak now. I do n't know if I can go until the end of this week. It would be very good if I could. You know, if you can add later that one... would like us to move it forward... I do n't mind moving it forward. And no, we can do it at the next council meeting. If you let me know before then, that's fine with me. Okay. Let's do that. I need a motion for the next meeting. I support it. Let's clarify. The motion is to move it to a meeting in the future. I 'm not positive. Which one? I don't know. Positive. Which one can we do? A session of I'm working on a meeting later. We'll move to propose this to an upcoming section or meeting. We'll move,
067we'll support, everyone in favor, say yes, those opposed, emotion passes. That's what we're going to move on to regarding public meetings going forward. We'll continue regarding the consent agenda. I have first, is there any discussion regarding the consent agenda? Very good. Motion to try on the consent agenda. We'll move. I'll second. Tr Moreno. Everyone in favor, say yes. I opposed. Emotion passes. Council member. I think I should ask. Uh, I see a mistake here. If you look at the consent agenda, uh, the negotiation says 9.0 to 13.0, zero. So I need a motion to try the business items. The business matters, resolutions, there are none. We all support. Say yes, those opposed. Thank you. The motion passes, you got this good. Moving on to the presentation from the Chair of the Council, I have this
068on my phone. Okay, good ideas. About a week and a half ago Back then I realized I didn't send it. Um, if you have something written down, if you want to take a screenshot, send it, make sure of that. I think it's Councilor Milton, but if you didn't send it, make sure you send it to Julie, as well as for the work session in two weeks. Please bring your individual goal from the evaluation we did to share with the rest of the council. We have the council goals that we haven't finished yet, uh, yes, we've made very good progress, but also be prepared to share your individual goals. And then the last one on our list is the copy with the council. It's going to be on September 2nd, it's going to be a Food
069Basket. I'm hoping to solidify at least three or four council members who can attend that day. So we can decide that. If we decide today, that would be great. It's going to be September 2nd. I can attend, so there goes one. Me too. Me too. Anyone else? I can have you too. Yes, we can have someone who can be a maybe, and maybe we can get A good group of people who can come. Kids Food Basket is where we'll be, and that's all I have. We're going to move on to our second opportunity for public comment on the points that aren't on the agenda, and I need you to read it again, please. During public comment, people will be invited one at a time to the podium to speak with the board members. Please call
070our full names, and we'll start timing, allowing three minutes per person for your comment. We'll let you know when there's one minute left. You'll need to keep your card fully visible, front and back. Our board members cannot respond to comments, and all your concerns will be escalated to the appropriate staff. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We're going to pause before public comment because we need a motion to extend the meeting. Thank you. We have a motion. Those in favor, please say so. I object to anyone. Keep the excitement going. First, we have Bill Hugtra, then Lucas L. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here. I see this as a great blessing. I am a I'm a student in the Grand Raps school system. I'm not going to do anything
071stupid. I volunteer to minister in prisons. I do everything I can to avoid pressure. But at 67, I feel very angry. It's not important that students graduate from school. It's important that they can process information and function in society. It's irrelevant. That piece of paper did nothing for me, absolutely nothing. It's completely irrelevant whether people graduate or not. Something that worries me is that the clock is ticking, so I don't know where I stand in terms of time. Something that worries me is what you all are saying about the importance of reading. I've never read better than I do now, but I don't understand what I read. No matter how many times I read and read and read, I can never understand what you have on the back of the card, what to do and
072what not to do. You could shoot me in the head because I honestly have no idea. Please have a video So that people who have problems, comprehension problems like me, can understand and listen to him. We can't assume that everyone can understand what they read. The only way attitude makes a difference is if everyone has the same ability. You have a positive attitude and a negative attitude. That might make a difference, but you'll never meet anyone who wants to learn as much as I have. And that hasn't helped me. At first, we were talking about art and art in Grand Rapids public schools. I know this has gotten out of hand, but there are so many kids who take advantage of it . It's a wonderful thing about these art festivals. We said, 'Let's have
073a good festival,' and we did. We're going to celebrate the art of creativity and not just focus on the issue of teachers' salaries. I'll never be able to earn a salary. I can't make what teachers earn. I'm not saying this to condemn teachers. What I'm saying is that if you want to help more people, you have only one option, and that's to teach. I can't understand because I don't have the intellectual skills for this. But in our Christian schools, I look at what they're paid. I do n't complain about the teachers, I have no complaints, but a public school teacher earns more money than a teacher at a church school or in private schools. Please, let's all get down to learning, learning how to learn. This is so important, and with that, I'll end. Thank
074you, Lucas L. Then D. Jones. Hello. As of today, I understood that the cowardly agenda they had for today began with a closed session, and that this was due to the group of lawyers—basically a district that doesn't know how to write a contract and that made the decision to tell us what we thought about the negotiations before the negotiations even started. And all of that was summed up by the board member I was talking to. Because they have a contract, you're already paying too much to the lawyers you have here. Again, death comes from a million stupid things. We have to look at the last two cycles. We also have to understand the different changes in The systems. Many of you, I've considered acquaintances, but if we had the elections again , I would never
075in my life have voted for any of you. We have eight months, and we have nothing ready for those eight months. We have to reform this course of action first, American policies for 2025. We have to, we can't continue using children as human shields, and if that includes you, the Constitution guarantees this. On that note, I want to tell you the following. Instead of reforming these rules, instead of doing that, instead of talking about the surveillance stage, about putting the cards directly under the cameras, you have a policy in front of you that would take away the power of those who can't get to the meeting. The board has different ideas. They basically give the president limited authority, and instead of looking for ways to limit this, understand that you are here to work as
076late as you can. You are trying to remove the commitment to be here until midnight. If that's what it takes. We know you don't know how to do math. A couple of days ago you did super. Also, The people who were absent, how are we supposed to trust you? Let's change politics in different ways, and don't try to sell us a bunch of laws. Jones. Hello, how are you? I'm D. Jones. Lucas, I have to tell you, I really like Larry Johnson, and I have to tell you, I need us to push a little bit on the Larry Johnson issue, because he 's a good man, and it's thanks to him that I've been able to get to this school district and for other people to invest in esports and increase opportunities for students. I'm
077DJ Jones, I'm 100% 247, and I have to tell you that we have to start respecting the leadership of Black people. Larry Johnson is a good person, and I wanted to say that. I think you're a good person too, Lucas. Speaking of esports and everything else that's happening, I wanted to thank everyone for embracing this. I'm super happy about the amortization funds that you can start using for esports. I'm willing to use it for something like that. As I've told you many times, I'm not asking much of you, but I do want to ask two things for the community. First, perhaps the neighborhood business organizations could sit down and have a conversation so we can understand the social issues. I've been coming to these meetings since 2017. I've never sat there, I've never made a
078legislative decision, but I've been here for seven years consistently advocating for change, and I've seen the change and I know the effect of advocacy, and I truly understand what can be done for the community. I also wish you could have a little better communication. I do n't like that I'm coming before you as a private citizen. I should tell you that he didn't even know he was at this school. You need to work a little more on communication because many times I'm doing all these programs. I have Michigan State University, Ohio State University, and I'm bringing these kinds of celebrities and people to our district. Many times our initiatives aren't showcased. If I 'm ever partnering with you on another matter... Once in town, I would love for you to be able to do these
079super-famous initiatives because I 'm trying to provide opportunities for the kids in the district. I don't like that, and I know you don't like that either. I have esports comic con and the finals, the Rockefeller family. They said we have one of the coaches—if you need to start listening to me, because the people who shape this American government, some of the students and kids are actually coaches of these kinds of activities. Okay, that concludes our public remarks for tonight. We're going to go to the superintendent's remarks . I'm going to keep it very brief. I'm so excited that we're just a few days away from the start of the school year. We've had several of our staff members already meeting, organizing the classrooms, and I know we've mentioned— the superintendent mentioned—the renovations we have at
080Southeast. That building is absolutely wonderful. If you haven't had a chance to come and see it, I want to ask you how everything is going. We want to welcome our students and we want to see their joy, and we are Happy about that. With that, I'll end my remarks. Board members, any comments? We have no comments at this time. Oh, yes, we have a lot going on in our district right now, and the truth is, this new year is starting with many of our schools opening, finishing some projects, and I realize it's going to be very hot. The more air conditioning we have, the better it will be. This is going to be very, very good for the students. I don't have anything to say, but I just want to echo the comments regarding the
081teachers who are in these schools and that morale has been lifted. When we see little faces coming through the doors, we know that many are struggling to find their footing without a contract, without a schedule, but our children deserve 100% of the best. A little bit of joy from the educators and teachers— I appreciate all the work you do. Trusty William. Yes, I would like to thank Mr. Smart for adjusting the temperature because it was unbearable, very cold in here , thank you. And I think this is a good temperature, although Don't let a very hot day freeze us because it's hard to hear. It's as simple as that. I want to invite the public, as well as our colleagues, to donate and h perishable and non-perishable items. Our students return and have many needs.
082So if we can put some of those resources here so they can have access to them before practices, or if they don't have money for lunch, they can go there and access those things, and also clothes, personal items, anything. So please feel free to leave that here, be intentional. Hey, look for a few things on ARA too for the food fund. I also mentioned, I think, that the public shouldn't make claims, particularly if you don't know if people's careers and lives are true , calling people corrupt and claiming they're doing things that are unfair, and whether you agree or disagree . Calling him corrupt is different from calling him corrupt. I want to suggest that you don't do that. I'm not going to your workplace to tell you that you 're doing corrupt things because
083I don't like how you're doing it. Maybe it is , maybe it isn't, but try it first. So I'm going to ask the public not to do that when they come here to talk to us. And lastly, I want to wish our staff and families a happy new school year. I am very happy and very proud of the work we are doing, working with these facilities, so that the children feel comfortable in a learning environment. That's all. Trusty Williamson. Yes. Two thoughts I'd like to touch on. First is the discussion about the big ideas, which has been good as we, as advisors, talk about those things. Hopefully it will be like this in the long term. And that, along with the visit to South East Career Pathway, for me, were the reasons why I wanted
084to serve on this council, the work we have done thinking long-term about the district and what our staff and students deserve, walking there and seeing this precious structure that could have been relegated and has become the purpose that will serve the students on their educational journey. And many of us know those people. I think it's very important in all the work we're doing. Uh, yes, we've had some intense discussions about the teachers' contracts, the facilities plan, teacher. I would like to express that because these are big ideas and things that, when we have children, can go to GRPS because of the work that is being done right now to make this possible. It's a great district, so thank you and thank you to everyone in the community for being with us today. Trusty Davis, no,
085no comment. I have no further comments for tonight, so we'll conclude this meeting. Have a good night.