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Thornapple Kellogg superintendent outlines strategic‑plan progress and proposes two grant‑funded coordinator roles
Summary
Superintendent Rob Pouch updated the board on progress across the district strategic plan and proposed two grant‑funded Section 31A positions — a student pathways coordinator and a student success coordinator — to expand CTE and target at‑risk students.
Superintendent Rob Pouch told the Thornapple Kellogg School District board on March 9 that the district is moving from planning into staffing and implementation as part of its strategic plan.
Pouch said the district has begun work on K–12 curriculum maps, student assistant teams and data‑team meetings, and that it has initiated positions to support both advanced learners and struggling students. "We are proposing a grant‑funded student pathways coordinator position through grant funds 31A," Pouch said, describing the role as responsible for expanding career‑technical education, dual enrollment and virtual or alternative programming. He added that a second position, the student success coordinator, would ‘‘identify at‑risk students, coordinate targeted interventions, support attendance improvement efforts, monitor student progress with building level teams, and ensure compliance and accountability with 31A.”
Pouch told trustees the proposals are a response to stakeholder feedback gathered during the strategic‑planning process and to operational gaps the administration identified: "We need a dedicated person if we're committed to positive change to move this forward," he said, noting counselors and principals are already stretched thin.
Board materials included job postings and a financial summary showing available 31A carryover funds and proposed reallocations; Pouch said some costs will be offset by reassigning portions of existing community enrichment positions and by leveraging My School at Kent expenditures. The board discussed the personnel committee’s earlier review of the proposals and asked clarifying questions about timelines and funding sources.
No formal vote on hiring was recorded at the meeting; Pouch said the postings are in board documents and the roles will be funded through available 31A carryover and reallocations. The superintendent framed the move as part of a multi‑year effort: "We are putting structures and leadership in place to continue to move these initiatives forward in a systematic way," he said.
The board did not take final action on the positions at the meeting; Pouch and trustees indicated follow‑up steps will appear in future personnel committee materials and board packets.
