Tag Archives: Grand Rapids Public Schools

Free lunch funding change worries some school officials

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By Sarah Atwood
Capital News Service

Michigan school officials are concerned about children going hungry or accumulating lunch debt after Congress recently ended federal funding for free meals for all students.

With the federal pandemic lunch program discontinued, parents must now fill out paperwork for their student to get a free lunch. (pxhere.com)

“Families are still struggling with the economic downturn during the pandemic,” said Thomas Morgan, a communications consultant for the Michigan Education Association (MEA). “It’s not over, and we need to make sure children are taken care of.”

During the pandemic, Congress passed funding to ensure all students got free meals. That ended in  August, although children who would have previously qualified for free or reduced lunches will still be able to get them if their parents fill out paperwork.

Parents must fill out paperwork for free lunches

There have been instances where a parent did not fill out the paperwork, meaning a child could not get the food they need or goes into lunch debt, Morgan said.

Parents have to shift from automatically having access to free meals to having to fill out paperwork to ensure their children get what they need. 

“Since paperwork was not needed for the past couple of years, some parents weren’t aware they had to fill it out for their children to qualify, ” said Tom Freitas, the director of food and nutrition services for Traverse City Public Schools. “There have been issues with not having paperwork in on time, which affects the amount of pre-ordering for meals.”

Trying to keep costs reasonable

Traverse City Public Schools are trying to make sure all children who need free or reduced lunches are able to get them, he said.

“We’re doing our best to serve all our children. Right now, our superintendent is focused on getting donations,” Freitas said.

“We’d never take away food from a child, but we do have policies in place to make sure we get the payment required. After a child is $10 in school lunch debt, the parents are contacted,” he said.

This could be a problem for parents who thought that their child was getting free meals and are suddenly confronted with lunch debt.

Other issues impacting the lunch line

Funding isn’t the only issue affecting free school lunches this fall. A shortage of administrators means delays in processing time for paperwork.

Morgan said, “There’s a lot of paperwork that goes into providing free breakfast and lunch. The federal waivers made sure every kid had a meal automatically, meaning the paperwork wasn’t necessary and so this burden was removed for administration.”

Others say the shift might not be too troublesome for schools.

“I don’t believe schools will necessarily have any real difficulty going back to the way free lunches were processed a few years ago,” said Jennifer Smith, the director of government relations for the Michigan School Board Association. “The waivers did make it easier for school administration, but it’s not as if the infrastructure wasn’t already in place.”

Schools could take it upon themselves to continue to provide free meals for all students, as several districts across the state do.

Grand Rapids Public Schools free breakfast and lunch program

Grand Rapids Public Schools have been providing free breakfast and lunches for all students for seven years.

“I think this has been extremely beneficial for our students,” said Jennifer Laninga, the nutrition services supervisor at Grand Rapids Public Schools. “All of the stigma with free or reduced lunches is eliminated. Students who would otherwise avoid using these services for fear of being judged are now on an equal footing with other students.”

According to Laninga, schools with over 60% of students using free lunch services can apply for Community Eligibility Provision, federally funded through the Department of Agriculture.

However, schools are not guaranteed funding unless over 80% of their students are a part of the free lunch program. A more universal approach would streamline the process and make sure all students have access to free and healthy lunches, Laninga said.

Working to get federal funding for free school meals

Congress is reviewing  the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, said Alex Rossman, the external affairs director at the Michigan League for Public Policy, and there is a possibility that universal access for free lunches could come back.

However, that isn’t likely in an election year, he said. Additional funding would be hard to achieve.

The MEA’s Morgan agreed.

“I don’t believe it’ll go anywhere. It’s not a big priority, even though it should be,” Morgan said.

“It’s incredibly frustrating, especially when you realize that they’re literally taking food away from the kids who need it most.”

Sarah Atwood is a junior at Michigan State University double majoring in Social Relations & Policy and Journalism. She is interested in writing about how politics affects local communities and making information accessible for everyone. In her free time, she likes boxing, yoga, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog.

School News Network: Blessed by Brooklyn supports GRPS elementary school athletics

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Tonya Elias plans to turn an old warehouse into a resale store. (School News Network)

By Phil de Haan
School News Network

It was a 14-word headline – “Name of 10-year-old killed in Gaines Township golf cart crash is released” – followed by an 86-word story.

In those words on the mLive website on July 19, 2014 was a tale of tragedy: details on the death of Brookelyn Elias, who had died the day before when a golf cart she was on rolled over. 

Brookelyn Elias never backed down from a challenge on the soccer field, and her mom approaches life with the same determination (courtesy of Elias family)

But the story didn’t end that terrible day in July five years ago. And it won’t end anytime soon says Brookelyn’s mom, Tonya Elias. That’s because in the wake of Brookelyn’s death, she and her husband, Paul, started a nonprofit called Blessed by Brookelyn, using the life insurance money received after her death to do so.



“Out of our grief, we have developed a deeper faith and perseverance,” she says. “And we are using the nonprofit that carries Brookelyn’s name to impact our community.”



Among those on the receiving end of that positive impact are elementary schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools system. This past soccer season Blessed by Brookelyn donated some 150 pairs of cleats, plus numerous pairs of shin guards, soccer socks and even balls to the GRPS soccer program. They also purchased gift cards for GRPS volunteer coaches in memory of Brookelyn. 



Now Elias and her organization are collecting basketball shoes to donate this winter to GRPS for the elementary school season, which starts after Christmas (donations are still needed, and Elias can be reached at blessedbybrookelyn@gmail.com or via the charity’s Facebook page).

The current basketball shoe drive for GRPS requires some washing of the footwear before it is given to the students (courtesy of Elias family)

A Teacher Giving Back

The connection to GRPS schools is a natural for Elias, a former GRPS teacher who taught at both Harrison Park and Westwood middle schools before moving to East Kentwood High School, where she continues to teach while also heading up her charity. 

But beyond her background and belief in education, there is also Brookelyn’s history as an athlete, including as a soccer player who loved the game and was a strong last line of support as a defender. Today the charity that bears her name provides a similar last line of support, equipping numerous kids who might not otherwise be able to play with the tools needed to participate. 

For Kellie Kieren, a physical education teacher at North Park Montessori and district coordinator for elementary soccer for GRPS elementary schools, the partnership with Elias has been unexpected but vital.

“It fell into our laps,” she says. “Tonya is an amazing human being. Whatever she could do, she just wanted to help. She and Paul are particularly passionate about helping kids in need within Grand Rapids, and they’ve done amazing things for our district. She will get it done.”

And it’s not just soccer and basketball gear that Tonya collects. Word is getting out about the charity, and donations of clothing now make regular appearances at both the Elias house (on Facebook, Tonya jokes with friends that “yes, the porch is always open”) as well as at the headquarters for both the charity and Paul’s HVAC business on Madison Avenue SE in Grand Rapids, just south of 28th Street.

It was a joy for Tonya Elias to be part of the GRPS elementary soccer season and students felt the same way (courtesy of Blessed by Brookelyn Facebook page)

Developing Center for At-risk Youth

 

The couple is in the process of renovating the building, which they purchased in the summer of 2018, and there, Tonya plans someday to open a resale store. She also brings in young people every week who are required to complete community service hours due to car theft, petty theft, assault, and various other juvenile offenses in Kent County. Together they sort clothes and cleats and whatever else needs doing, and they often have a meal together. 

Eventually, she says, the goal is to set up a job training and internship program for at-risk youth, with all of the money from the resale store going to provide their mentees with a paid, part-time job to go along with a structured learning experience.  

Through it all, Tonya and Paul draw strength both from memories of their precious daughter, and from the power of the stories that are now being written because of the charity that bears Brookelyn’s name. Indeed, on the Blessed by Brookelyn Facebook page there are lots of posts about the work of the charity, the need for donations, where things stand with the renovations and more, but there are also more personal entries. 

On Oct. 13, there was this from Tonya: “Yesterday, the soccer season at GRPS ended. I cried. I cried because of the kids. The season was over. I cried for the kids. I cried from all the hugs. But the tears weren’t tears of sorrow but tears of joy. Tears for the smiles, the laughter and joy that came from them allowing me to be a part of their story.”

Their story, her story, Brookelyn’s story.

For more stories on area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.

School News Network: New leader for Center-based Special Education named

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Paul Dymowski is stepping into the newly-created position as director of the center-based Special Education program that is transferring to Kent ISD from Grand Rapids Public Schools

By James Harger

School News Network

 

Paul Dymowski was enthusiastic when asked about being chosen as director of the center-based Special Education program that is transferring to Kent ISD from Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS). “It’s a really exciting opportunity to build off the work Grand Rapids has already done,” he said after he was named to the new job on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

 

Dymowski, who currently serves as transition coordinator, part of the Special Education Department at Kent ISD, was chosen from a field of 28 applicants, according to Superintendent Ron Caniff, who announced the appointment.

 

“We’re confident that Paul will do a great job in this new role and will assist us through the transition occurring within these programs,” Caniff said in a letter to the staff and parents at GRPS. “He is excited for this opportunity and looks forward to meeting and working with you in the near future.

 

“The position will play a key role in helping Kent ISD prepare for the transition of operating special education center programs this school year and will be the administrator responsible for overseeing the center programs on a day-to-day basis once these programs transfer to Kent ISD beginning in July 2019,” Caniff continued.

 

(The GRPS School Board voted in August to turn over operations of its center-based programs to Kent ISD. These specialized programs serve nearly 1,400 students from throughout Kent County and part of Barry County. Most of the buildings for these programs, like Lincoln Developmental Center or Pine Grove Learning Center, are owned by Kent ISD, and all are currently operated by Grand Rapids Public Schools.)

 

In his current job, Dymowski provides technical assistance to transition coordinators and programs at local school districts for older students with special needs who are making the transition to adult life. He also supervises Kent ISD’s team of physical therapists and audiology staff.

 

Dymowski came to Kent ISD last year from Allegan Area Educational Service Agency, where he served as Assistant Director of Specialized Instruction. There he administered regional and center-based programs for students with cognitive and behavioral needs as well as Early On screenings and services for preschool students.

 

The 39-year-old Flint native also served as a director of special education for the Wayland and Hopkins school districts. Earlier in his career, Dymowski was a special education instructor at Northview and Grand Rapids Public Schools.

 

The selection process began with a stakeholders group that included two parents of children receiving services from center programs, two teachers, two center program principals, two local district special education directors, and three representatives from Kent ISD. Three finalists were then interviewed by Caniff, Lowell Area Schools Superintendent Greg Pratt and the chairman of the superintendents’ Special Education Advisory Committee.

 

Dymowski will assume his new duties on a rolling, intermittent basis, Caniff said in his letter. Beginning later this month, he will devote a few days each week to the transition process, gradually increasing his supervision of the center program transition until it becomes his full-time assignment in January.

 

More information  about the transfer of center-based programs can be found on Kent ISD’s website at Center Program Review pages.

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

School News Network: Transferring special centers to Kent ISD makes sense, consultant says

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Special education consultant Beth Steenwyk met with staff from center-based special education programs during a recent focus group

 

By James Harger

School News Network

 

Beth Steenwyk, the consultant hired to review the regional Center-based Special Education programs, says it makes sense for Grand Rapids Public Schools to transfer responsibility for these programs to Kent ISD.

 

‘Steenwyk says shifting the center programs creates an opportunity for educators to take advantage of the latest research and technology that’s available for special education programs.

 

‘The transfer of the center programs to Kent ISD makes sense if one looks at how special education has evolved over the past 45 years, Steenwyk says. (see related SNN story:Leaders begin transition of center programs)  Legislation requiring special education programs was first adopted in Michigan and the U.S. in the early 1970s, she explained.

 

‘When state and federal laws first mandated special education for children with developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments, urban districts like Grand Rapids had the most resources to provide those services because of their size and central location, Steenwyk says.

 

“Special education programs and standards have become more complex thanks to civil rights legislation and federal mandates that have established those students as a “protected class.”

 

Today, urban districts have a greater need to “hyper-focus” on their core educational missions, Steenwyk said. At the same time, growing suburban districts are sending the centers more students with “super-complex” needs, she says.

 

Most special education students attend schools in their districts. But some students with complex needs, those with severe impairments or complicated medical issues, ages 3 to 26, are enrolled in the centers, which were created specifically to meet their more complex needs. Early childhood and oral deaf programs provide services to children younger than 3 at home.

 

Most of the buildings containing these programs, like Lincoln Developmental Center or Pine Grove Learning Center, are owned by Kent ISD, and all are currently operated by Grand Rapids Public Schools. The GRPS School Board voted in August to turn over operations of these programs to Kent ISD beginning with the new school year in 2019. These specialized programs serve nearly 1,400 students from throughout Kent County and part of Barry County (according to Kent ISD).

Special education consultant Beth Steenwyk

Listening to Parent and Staff Concerns 

 

Steenwyk, a Calvin College graduate who began her career at Lincoln Developmental Center 40 years ago, is midway through her review of the center-based programs. Steenwyk is the former deputy director of the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services for the Michigan Department of Education. The Mecosta County resident consults with special education programs throughout the U.S.

 

She was hired in May at the request of the regional superintendents association, with the support of GRPS, after questions were raised by parents of students attending the centers and by staff. (see related SNN story: Let’s review center-based programs) So far, Steenwyk has conducted more than 60 hours of town hall meetings and interviews with parents and staff. She recently finished focus group sessions with smaller groups of parents and staff. She expects to send the district her final report and recommendations in early 2019.

 

During recent focus group sessions, parents told Steenwyk they are troubled by a lack of communication and inconsistent classroom experiences that sometimes overlook the students’ needs in favor of broad-based program requirements.

 

“Communications seems to be a really hot topic,” Steenwyk explained. Some of the parents said they wished for greater feedback and communications about their children from staff members. Others complained that staff members talked down to them.

 

But while some parents complained about a lack of feedback from staff, others praised their child’s teacher, saying they were kept in the loop. One teacher set up a Twitter account that included reports during the day, a parent said.

 

“They’re kind of all over the board as to how they communicate,” Steenwyk told the parents.

 

During one focus group with 14 staffers, Steenwyk heard complaints about mandatory professional development requirements imposed by the district that did not meet their classroom needs.

 

Steenwyk says she plans to personally visit each classroom and provide the ISD with specific recommendations for each program. More information, a timeline, FAQs and updates can be found on the Center Program Review pages.

 

“There are things going on around this country (in special education) that will stop you dead in your tracks,” says Steenwyk. High-tech companies like Microsoft are focused on special education programs as a new frontier. “There are some really exciting technologies emerging out of this space,” says Steenwyk.

 

This can be “an opportunity for the county to say, ‘This is who we are.’”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

School News Network: Leaders bring transition of center programs from GRPS to Kent ISD

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Libby Walla, left, shown here with her father, Tom, and a teacher, received excellent services in the early childhood special education program run by GRPS, her mother says, but she feels it makes sense to transfer such programs to Kent ISD

 

By Charles Honey

School News Network

 

As a parent of a child with special needs, Beth Walla raves about the “amazing staff” and great services her daughter received at Grand Rapids Public Schools’ Ken-O-Sha Early Childhood Center @ Campus, which serves children throughout Kent County from birth through age 5.

 

“Libby was never given limits,” Walla said of her daughter’s two years there. “Everybody was just trying to help her work toward her potential.”

 

But as 19-year teacher in Rockford Public Schools, Walla says it’s a good move to transfer operation of early childhood and other center-based programs to Kent ISD, as the Grand Rapids Board of Education approved Monday, Aug. 6. The change should make program oversight more “cohesive” for students like Libby, who’s entering kindergarten in Rockford’s cognitive impaired program this fall, her mother said.

 

“The center-based programs are serving all the students in the ISD,” said Walla, a fifth-grade teacher at Lakes Elementary. “It only makes sense to have it be centered around the ISD (and that) responsibility is given to the ISD and all of the districts. It think it helps make every district be a little bit more invested in the center-based programs.”

 

That’s the aim of Kent ISD leaders who say they are ready to begin a seamless transition to taking over the center programs as of July 2019. The Grand Rapids school board voted 7-1 to discontinue by then operating the programs on behalf of all 20 Kent ISD school districts, currently serving 1,385 students with severe physical, mental and emotional needs. GRPS will continue serving its own special education students who don’t qualify for center programs.

 

More at the Table

 

Board members said the time is right to transfer the programs for the benefit of all students in Kent ISD while enabling GRPS to focus more intensively on the needs of its own students. The move makes GRPS part of collective decision-making with other districts rather than the primary overseer, proponents say.

 

Lincoln School student Olivia Taylor enacts a hand movement with classroom aide Marianne Cool

“GRPS is not walking away from the table, but there will be more people at the table with us,” said board Secretary Kristian Grant. “We’ve all admitted that we need some change. We need more resources, we need more staff for the students, and I’m voting thinking that that means more of that will come to the table when all of the districts are involved.”

 

Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal and board President Wendy Falb have said the idea has long been under discussion and wasn’t specifically prompted by recent criticism of the district’s special education program. The vast majority of intermediate districts around the state run such programs, they point out.

 

While expressing gratitude to GRPS for the “fantastic job” it has done over several decades, Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Caniff said he and the local superintendents support the decision.

 

“It was important for us to follow on this, not lead,” Caniff said. “If Grand Rapids Public were not supportive of the move, we would feel otherwise. Given their support and conversations we’ve had with superintendents, it’s something that we’re embracing, and we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

 

A Time to Listen

 

They’ll begin by seeking input from parents, staff and others as part of a Kent ISD-funded review of center-based programs, commissioned this spring with consultant Beth Steenwyk. Listening sessions will be held Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 (see box), to help identify questions about the transition “so we can get to work on what those answers are,” Caniff said.

 

A big question is how the GRPS staff now working at the center programs will be hired by Kent ISD if they want to transfer, and how those who wish to remain with GRPS will be placed.

 

Of the 425 center program staff this year, 117 are teachers, while others are therapists, paraprofessionals and other specialists. Those who wish to follow their programs to Kent ISD will have the opportunity to apply, but it will not be an “automatic conversion,” Caniff said, acknowledging many questions must be addressed with GRPS officials and employee unions.

 

“Just generally, those jobs aren’t going away,” Caniff said. “Those are critical positions. We certainly are going to want to have experienced staff if they’re available in those positions and effective staff in those positions.”

 

While the pay scale for Kent ISD staff is generally higher than that of GRPS, it remains to be seen what that would mean for teachers and others hired by the ISD, said Mary Bouwense, president of the Grand Rapids Education Association. She said she has gotten many questions from members about pay, whether sick days would be honored, insurance and other issues, which the GREA will “demand to bargain over.”

 

“Those people are still our members and still under our contract,” said Bouwense, a former special education teacher. “We would want to make sure they get the best they can get in the transition.”

 

“Those (special education) teachers are in short supply. It will be in the ISD’s best interest to retain them,” said board President Wendy Falb.

 

Concerns about Transition

 

Bouwense said she hopes the transfer to Kent ISD will address some of the criticisms the GREA and parents have made about GRPS special education, which continued with half a dozen parents and former teachers who complained to the board Monday night.

 

Lincoln School student Larkadu Pow enjoys a happy moment with classroom aide Andrea Fisher

Board member Jose Flores, who cast the sole dissenting vote against the transfer, said he fears the perception that GRPS has done “a lousy job” contributed to a hasty decision.

 

“I just think we’re moving too fast. Without appropriate discussion I feel like we’re doing a disservice” to students, Flores said, insisting it would be “devastating” to them if they got different teachers or schools. Superintendent Neal pointed out most of the center program buildings are owned by Kent ISD, and has said GRPS is interested in renting out its own buildings housing center programs to the ISD.

 

Other board members argued it makes sense for Kent ISD to run the program, and for GRPS to concentrate more resources on preparing its in-district students for graduation, college and careers.

 

“This is what the ISD is set up to do, the things that individual school districts don’t have the capacity to do,” said trustee Tony Baker.

 

Program Origins

 

Board member Maureen Slade was a student at Grand Rapids Junior College in the late 1960s when a group of GRPS parents began a program at the college for children with Down syndrome. Classes were added over time for students with other disabilities, eventually forming the center programs run by GRPS – an exception to how most programs in the state are run, she said.

 

Slade worked in GRPS special education for 21 years, as a teacher, director and assistant superintendent, before becoming assistant superintendent for special education at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, which ran the intermediate district’s center programs. Having worked under both models, she said it’s “in the best interest of those kids” for Kent ISD to run the program.

 

“The program’s grown, and it’s just right to put them at the ISD where they belong,” Slade said before Monday’s meeting. “If I hadn’t done it both ways I may not have recommended it. But I saw how well it worked at an ISD level when you’re representing all of the districts.”

 

GRPS and Kent ISD leaders say they’re committed to making as smooth a transition as possible for students and their relationships with staff.

 

“These families, these children have had a high-quality service,” Caniff said. “We’re very confident we can continue that high level of service.”

Grand Rapids Public Museum School Wins XQ: Super School Grant

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museum-signLast week, the Grand Rapids Public Museum High School was chosen out of 700 other applicants as one of 10 schools nationwide as a XQ Super School. Grant funds will go directly to Grand Rapids Public Schools for renovations and technology updates at 54 Jefferson SE, the former Public Museum building and future home of the Grand Rapids Public Museum High School, as well as professional development for the schools’ teachers. The Grand Rapids Public Museum Middle School is currently based inside the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s main location in downtown Grand Rapids.

 

“The Grand Rapids Public Museum School will give GRPS students a truly hands-on education, and the Museum is grateful to be a partner in this project,” said Grand Rapids Public Museum President and CEO Dale Robertson. “There is no better way for students to learn than to be exposed to the real thing. As an educational institution, we have the real thing in more than 250,000 artifacts and six sites at the Public Museum.”

 

Applicants went through a rigorous 11-month application and evaluation process to be chosen as a winning Super School by XQ: The Super School Project. Each school will be awarded $10 million over the next five years, which will directly fund school renovations, facility updates and new technology. All 10 schools will serve as new models for remaking the high school experience.

 

Grand_Rapids_Public_MuseumOf the 10 winning schools, Grand Rapids Public Museum High School is focused on creating a learning environment that leverages cultural artifacts, local impact projects and museum studies to spark student inquiry and creativity delivered through place-based and design-thinking instruction.

 

“This is huge! Our Museum School truly exemplifies the success of our GRPS Transformation Plan. Being named as a winner for the XQ Super School Project gives much deserved national attention to our innovative, collaborative efforts to provide high quality public school choices. Special thanks to all our school partners – Grand Rapids Public Museum, GVSU, Kendall College of Arts and Design/FSU, the City of Grand Rapids, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., and the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority,” said GRPS Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal.

 

The Grand Rapids Public Museum High School will leverage the unique cultural artifacts and museum archives of the Grand Rapids Public Museum to create a one-of-a-kind learning environment where students are pushed to take risks, guide their own learning and solve real world problems. The Grand Rapids Public Museum School is part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools and works in partnership with the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Valley State University, Kendall College of Art & Design/Ferris State University, City of Grand Rapids, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and local businesses to shape the student curriculum. Students will work on projects that give them the opportunity to tackle real-world challenges in their community. For example, students will be involved in one of the largest urban river restoration projects in the United States by working with world-renowned scientists to remove and replace mussel species within the Grand River.