The impact of the proposed school staff retirement incentive, administrators and board members lobbying in D.C., the specifics on the Houseman field renovation and an official re-election announcement were among the topics at Monday’s Grand Rapids Public Schools board meeting.

Teachers union President Paul Helder asked the Grand Rapids school board Monday night what the district’s plan is for “recruiting and retaining the best teachers next fall” in light of the proposed retirement incentives for eligible teachers and school staff statewide.

“I expect we’ll see a huge exodus not only in Grand Rapids, but throughout Kent County,” Helder said.  “That means our competition is going to be in the same position we are.”

That is to say, all districts will be looking to fill teaching positions if the proposal passes and a wave of retirement occurs. 

GRPS Chief Operating Officer Lisa Freiburger said administrators have been looking into what should be done in response to the plan, pushed by the Michigan Education Association and a bipartisan group of lawmakers.  But Freiburger noted that the fluid nature of the legislative process makes it difficult to plan concretely.

District spokesman John Helmholdt said 1,000 people applied for a couple dozen open teaching positions in the district at the outset of the current school year, including candidates with experience.  implying that there are plenty of willing candidates to fill GRPS positions. 

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Superintendent Bernard Taylor is in Washington this week, lobbying lawmakers for financial help as part of the economic stimulus plan.  Taylor is there along with board President Catherine Mueller and Vice President Lisa Hinkel.

Helmholdt said tentative plans now sitting before the U.S. Senate would give GRPS roughly twice as much as the House-passed plan ($70-some million versus $30-some million).  That’s because the Senate plans includes money to help districts stabilize their budgets.

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GRPS’ new facilities director, Ken Klomparens, laid out specific plans at Monday’s meeting for the extensive renovations planned for the district’s Houseman Field.

Klomparens said new publicly-accessible basketball courts will be installed, replacing tennis courts he said neighbors indicated weren’t needed.  The renovations will include new restrooms, new entrances, a new press box, a new concessions stand and new turf for the field.

Board member Amy McGlynn noted that GRPS staff has to reconstruct the turf after each game played there because the field has served well beyond its usefulness.  “We have maintenance staff out Monday with fishing line and glue putting it back together,” Klomparens responded.  “This is safety.”

The board approved construction contracts in December that authorize up to $6 million in funds for the project.  It will be paid for by savings from the district’s construction bond issue.  Responding generally to concerns that the money shouldn’t be spent that way, District Chief Operating Officer Lisa Freiburger noted that “the bond language specifically addressed athletic fields.”

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Board member Arnie Smithalexander made it official Monday:  she’s running for re-election in May.  Smithalexander had said at a prior meeting that she was interested in running again, but needed to get the proper clearance from her employer.