GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Grand Rapids Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal and school board members know that closing and merging schools will be difficult for some families and are preparing carefully to engage them in the restructuring.
Last week, the school board held an annual retreat to discuss a range of issues, including restructuring to match current district size and deliver better instruction, as well as a sobering quality review report from Cambridge Education that outlines multiple areas that need to be addressed to achieve better student outcomes.
Related: Grand Rapids schools planning to close and merge schools, other restructuring measures
“We have to bring the community along so they see that it’s fair, makes good financial sense, and that our kids are really moving into a better situation,” board member Maureen Slade said during the retreat. It (restructuring) is such an awful, ugly situation but absolutely necessary."
"We know we can’t make it peaceful but at least we can make it understandable."
In its report, Cambridge Education explains why the district should restructure financially and academically.
According to the audit, "The district has more schools than it needs and is maintaining more school places than required. It is essential that the structure of the school system is rationalized quickly to bring spending under control. This will then enable valuable resources to be directed where they are needed most, in individual classrooms in the schools selected as providing the best foundation for the future."
No number of buildings or specific schools were discussed during the retreat, only the process and the need to set the right tone and be united. Neal said she will be providing information to the board and hopes to begin community meetings in October.
"The closures are restructuring, a remaking," said board member Wendy Falb about framing the message. "We want a district that reflects the needs of the city right now, and toward growth in a different direction, other than the old direction."
Board president Senita Lenear said she thought it would be important to come to the community as soon as possible in the school year, which begins Sept. 4, so they can respond to the plan to restructure.
Neal and the board continue to emphasize the restructuring is about more than saving money. It's about changing the way they deliver education.
"There is renewed hope and a growing alignment of our people and partners around a common vision and common goals," said Neal, who said the last six months were spent mending, rebuilding and strengthening the core foundation. "Now we need to take what we’ve learned and implement and take action for the betterment of our students, schools, and the district."
Related: What will a reinvented Grand Rapids schools look like?
The Cambridge report references the need to be competitive with charters and neighboring districts, seen as more attractive and better because of higher test scores overall.
"The program of school closures and restructuring needs to be sufficiently rigorous to ensure that no other structural changes need to be made for at least the next three years, giving time for new initiatives to bear fruit and improved academic achievement to begin attracting parents and students back from charter schools and suburban districts," according to the report.
This isn't the first time the district has raised the idea of closing schools. Last year, when former Superintendent Bernard Taylor was still at the helm, amid declining enrollment, there were discussions about closing a high school.
For example, an estimated 602 students were to attend classes at Ottawa High School last year in a building built for 1,868.
Related: Declining enrollment, aging building may lead to closing of a Grand Rapids high school
The issue came up as the district was considering how to tackle more than $30 million in school repairs. A sinking fund tax was passed that November.
Neal said the Cambridge report is only a piece of the puzzle in determining how to reshape the district.
Consultant Mike Washburn, former longtime superintendent of Forest Hills schools, guided the board through the restructuring conversation. He asked board members what they needed from Neal to go before the community.
Board members said they needed clear information on the impact to student achievement and finances.
The second part of the retreat is scheduled for today at Kent Intermediate School District, 2950 Knapp St. NE from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Restructuring isn't on the agenda. Slated for discussion are the 2013-14 budget plan, yearly planning, marketing plan, and committee reports
Email:mscott2@mlive.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter at Twitter.com/GRPScotty.
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