Grand Rapids Public Schools says a new, ‘revolutionary’ strategic plan will be unvieled in February, but this Thursday, an open house will give the public a sneak peek—and one last chance to weigh in on the matter.
According to a press release, the new strategic plan follows in the footsteps of the Transformation Plan, which gained state and national attention for turning GRPS into a model inner city district and success story.
School officials say the district then went back to the drawing board, hosted over a hundred listening sessions with parents, staff and community stakeholders—and asking, ‘what is Grand Rapids Public Schools doing right, and what can the district be doing better?
Dr. Leadriane Roby is the District’s Superintendent. She says, the people spoke, and her staff listened.
“What is revolutionary is that it really is collaborative,” but also really imaginative,” Roby said. “It’s not just taking about what we see today, but also giving ourselves permission to say, ‘how do we really envision the future, and then make it adaptable?”
Roby says since November, six strategy teams have been working through all of the feedback from the public to develop initiatives that the district will use as the foundation of its next strategic plan including ensuring equitable outcomes and access for all of the district’s students and creating a more engaged and diverse workforce.
The public will have an opportunity this Thursday to view all of the district’s new initiatives anytime between 3:00-7:00PM at Grand Rapids Public Schools University at 1400 Fuller AVE.
Dr. Leadriane Roby is expected to present the final strategic plan to the school board on February 3rd.
