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Parents and educators tell GRPS board vacancies and proposed teaching cuts threaten special-education services
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Summary
Multiple public commenters and teachers told the Grand Rapids Public Schools board that 173 posted job openings — including 67 special-education positions — and planned teacher cuts will strain services for students with disabilities and increase class sizes.
At the April 13 Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education meeting, parents and district employees urged the board to address a growing staffing shortfall that they said is placing vulnerable students at risk.
Lisa Lee, who identified herself during public comment, said there were 173 current job openings posted on the district website, 67 of which were for special education, and described a continuing gap in leadership: “For the past two years we have not had an executive director of special education,” she said. Lee said vacancies in paraprofessionals and support roles are leaving students without needed services.
Elise Horak, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher at CA Frost Middle High, told trustees a teaching position at her school will not be replaced next year and warned that the change will produce larger classes, extra preps for teachers and unstable learning environments. “This is not a minor adjustment,” she said, adding that cuts will “sabotage the progress being made at those schools.”
Trustees acknowledged the urgency. Trustee Williamson said ensuring staff capacity and support for special-education educators is essential to student well-being, and Trustee Moreno pressed staff to consider how budget discussions should center scholar needs.
District leaders have discussed multiple budget items during committee meetings earlier in April, including special fund items and contract changes; the finance committee also noted items related to summer school supplies and expanded program dates. At the meeting the district’s executive director of community and student affairs, Ian Mel Atkins, presented a separate certified enrollment-count briefing and noted the preliminary spring FTE figure of 13,200.67 is not yet audited.
The board approved routine agenda items and moved the meeting forward to follow-up actions. Commenters requested clearer timelines for filling vacancies and asked the board to prioritize resources to avoid service reductions for students with disabilities.
The board did not take a specific on-the-spot vote to change staffing levels during the meeting; next steps referenced by trustees included continued discussion in finance and budget planning sessions and the upcoming School Budget 101 workshop for families (April 29).
