Outgoing Grand Rapids school board member David Allen accused the teachers union leadership Monday night of never having “any intention of settling a contract” with Grand Rapids Public Schools.

During remarks at his last meeting as a board member, Allen said union leaders, including President Paul Helder, did not bring a potential contract agreement to member teachers in February.  District teachers just finished their second school year without a contract.

“Imagine that: seven people deciding the fate of over 1,700.  That does not sound like a democracy, it sounds like a dictatorship, ironically one of the things of which [the union] accuses (Superintendent) Dr. Taylor,” said Allen, a one-time board president. He said the union’s tactics have mirrored a 2003 warning presented by a staffer at Michigan Association of School Boards

Allen, who has served since 2002, also discussed what he saw as successes during his tenure: the passage of a school bond, making needed building and program cuts, more schools meeting state and federal standards and looming high school reforms.

In an interview after the meeting, Helder told 24 Hour News 8 Allen is entitled to his opinion.  But he said there never was a tentative agreement he could have presented to his membership.  And the union president said he would literally be willing to be locked in a room with negotiators until a contract is settled.

“We’re offering right now again: go into a building, chain the doors — we’ll get flat food, you can slide it under the door,” Helder said.  “And we’d like Dr. Taylor there as well.”

Also Monday night, the board approved pink slips for 141 teachers.

The district typically recalls most of the teachers who receive the slips, although because of lower than expected retirements and the elimination of 95 full-time positions, that may not be the case this year.

Those 95 positions will be cut through not replacing retirees, moving some teachers from full- to part-time and laying off some teachers.  Helder said he expects roughly 30 retirements this year.
Also Monday night, Superintendent Bernard Taylor offered a moment of silence for two members of the school community who lost their lives recently, including Nathaniel Jones, who was shot Thursday afternoon near Fuller Avenue and Kalamazoo Street SE.

GRPS has announced LEED certification, a nationwide environmental designation, for Gerald Ford Middle School. It’s the third district building to receive the honor.  A fourth has applied for it.

The board also approved the lease of Park School, 1150 Adams Street SE, to Michigan Family Resources/Head Start.

Keep it here for the latest.

–Tony

Hudsonville’s two middle schools — Baldwin Street and Riley Street — have been named “Schools to Watch” by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.

The district celebrated the honor with a ceremony Monday morning.

Six Michigan schools applied for the designation.  The honor is given to those schools that meet extensive criteria — including “academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structure” — developed by the group.

Bottom line, state coordinator Steve Hoelscher told 24 Hour News 8, is those surveying the schools are looking for models of middle school education.

“Is this a place where I would want my child to attend?” Hoelscher said.  He said the winning schools should be places any teacher from around the country could visit to see an example of best practices in education.

GRPS board meeting, May 4, 2009.

A team of Grand Rapids Public Schools students took top honors in nationwide math and language competitions at the National Academic Games tournament in Tennessee. (more…)

A senior from Kalamazoo’s Hackett Catholic Central High School has been named one of 141 “Presidential Scholars” by the U.S. Department of Education. (more…)

GRPS passed budget parameters Monday night, including a school attendance level at which schools would be considered for closing or consolidation.  Below, a look at the other parameters, including class size, and list of who’s running to keep their seats and who’s looking to sit on the board.

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Grand Rapids Public Schools has set a series of open houses to connect would-be students and parents with the district’s new theme schools, high school speciality programs and expanded grade levels at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy. (more…)

The relatively new superintendent of the public school system in the nation’s capital has made a radical offer to teachers: give up tenure and I’ll double your pay.

Her basic premise? Tenure protects bad teachers by making it more difficult for districts to fire them.

Washington Superintendent Michelle Rhee’s plan isn’t brand new. It has been featured in Newsweek. I caught a report on it yesterday on ABC World News Sunday and this morning, Rhee’s ideas were featured in the Grand Rapids Press, which just published a series on tenure issues in West Michigan. (more…)

Grand Rapids school administrators and the teachers union have formally agreed on a fact-finder — a state-paid negotiator who would look at the district’s books and issue a non-binding report on a new teachers contract — but that person still won’t be available until spring. (more…)

Lots going on at GRPS tonight — in light of a new offer, the board is putting off a decision on the sale of the former Lexington school building, it did vote on Houseman renovations and there are plenty of announcements of new money for preschool programs, Chavez Elementary and the arts. And another note on the negotiations for a teacher contract. More below. (more…)

Some west siders put forth a new plan for GRPS’ old Lexington School at tonight’s board meeting — and afterward we got a look at the exact details of the latest GRPS contract proposal. (more…)