Grand Rapids board approves $7.39 million in claims, multiple labor contracts and retirements
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Summary
The Grand Rapids Public School District board approved December 2025 claims of $7,389,678.17, accepted retirements and ratified two multiyear labor contracts (AFSCME Local 2071 and ESP 2025–2027) during the regular meeting; motions passed by voice vote.
The Grand Rapids Public School District board voted to approve December 2025 claims totaling $7,389,678.17 and finalized several personnel and contract items at its regular meeting.
Board action included approval of personnel retirements, with the board recognizing teacher David Caledary for 34 years of service. The consent agenda — described by the board as staffing-related matters that do not require discussion — was approved by voice vote.
Two labor contracts were presented and approved. Casey, who introduced both agreements, summarized key terms of the 2025–2027 AFSCME Local 2071 service-unit contract, citing market adjustments, a reclassification for the crew technician/routing specialist role and a shift differential for early-shift staff. The motion to approve the AFSCME contract was moved by Mark and seconded by Tom; the board approved it by voice vote.
Casey also reviewed the 2025–2027 Educational Support Professionals (ESP) contract. Highlights included a one-time stipend in year one, an average 2.25% base increase in year two (described as roughly 50¢ per hour in the board presentation), adjustments to longevity, and two additional annual training hours per employee. The motion to approve the ESP contract was moved by David and seconded by Mark; the board approved the contract by voice vote. A board member commented on the difficulty of negotiating contracts when the first year contains no base salary increase.
Other formal actions:
- Approval of the meeting agenda (moved by Mark; second by David) — approved by voice vote. - Approval of minutes of the Jan. 5, 2026 organizational meeting (moved by Mark; second by David) — approved by voice vote. - Approval of retirements, including David Caledary (presented by Casey) — approved by voice vote.
Votes and tallies: Most votes were taken by voice; the transcript records unanimous “Aye” responses but does not provide roll-call tallies or a numeric count. When a roll call was discussed the chair noted Melissa was not present; no roll-call vote was required.
The board did not record any dissenting votes on the items above. The meeting proceeded to board reports and the superintendent’s remarks after routine approvals and adjourned with no public input sign-ups recorded.
