Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Michigan > Grand Rapids metro area
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 03-22-2013, 09:26 AM
 
8 posts, read 47,109 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

I've heard many complaints over the years about Grand Rapids public schools, though I've never had any experiences aside from a brief (~2-3 month) stint as a mentor for second-graders. I love the Grand Rapids area, and should very much enjoy picking up full-time employment as a teacher in the area if I could.

To be brief, what *are* these issues? What I've heard is some very general stuff (which, frankly, I've heard about a lot of places) - "corrupt", "mismanaged money", "teachers/administrators/kids are horrible", and so on, and I'm not really inclined to buy into much of it since I haven't had the opportunity to see any examples, myself. However, since I am so intensely interested in moving to the area and seeking a job, there (though, as a teacher, I can't be too picky), I'd like to somehow know more about what I might be getting into (rather, "looking to get into").

Any information about the school systems in the area, really, would be much appreciated.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-22-2013, 08:38 PM
 
Location: Grand Rapids Metro
8,882 posts, read 19,776,432 times
Reputation: 3920
Quote:
Originally Posted by jvanwagner View Post
I've heard many complaints over the years about Grand Rapids public schools, though I've never had any experiences aside from a brief (~2-3 month) stint as a mentor for second-graders. I love the Grand Rapids area, and should very much enjoy picking up full-time employment as a teacher in the area if I could.

To be brief, what *are* these issues? What I've heard is some very general stuff (which, frankly, I've heard about a lot of places) - "corrupt", "mismanaged money", "teachers/administrators/kids are horrible", and so on, and I'm not really inclined to buy into much of it since I haven't had the opportunity to see any examples, myself. However, since I am so intensely interested in moving to the area and seeking a job, there (though, as a teacher, I can't be too picky), I'd like to somehow know more about what I might be getting into (rather, "looking to get into").

Any information about the school systems in the area, really, would be much appreciated.
I honestly don't think I've ever heard the words "corrupt" or "mismanaged" money about GRPS. They actually seem to be pretty fiscally responsible (while dealing with plunging enrollment and rapidly shrinking funding). I think it has more to do with a perception of unruly kids and really poor graduation rates/test scores.

Some of the schools are rated best in the State of Michigan though (City High, Montessori, some of the Center of Innovation, Harrison Park Elementary).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-24-2013, 09:20 AM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,259 posts, read 22,684,039 times
Reputation: 16408
My parents were career GRPS teachers. Mom also spent a few years in an administrative/curriculum development role. Even in the 90s, they were heading down the pathway of cronyism and gross mismanagement, and they had a couple of superintendents that were hired for political reasons and not competence. Patricia Newby screwed up the district big time, and then it kept sliding because no one wanted to admit what a colossal mistake she had been.

There is pretty much zero support from Franklin campus for front line teachers, and it's only gotten more antagonsitic since the days when my father was assaulted by a student, and central administration wanted to let the kid back into Union HS after only a two week suspension. It took a persistent union rep and Dad threatening to press criminal charges in order to get the original promised expulsion to stick for good.

The schools that are still highly rated are generally staffed by the folks who came on in the 1980s and early 90s when GRPS was actually quite good for a very diverse urban district, and getting a transfer into those schools is going to be very difficult unless you have a unique and desired skill set.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Michigan > Grand Rapids metro area
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top