GRAND RAPIDS — The ISD 318 School Board approved nearly $1.6 million in recommended budget cuts at its meeting Monday, March 11.
The boardroom at the former Southwest Elementary School in Grand Rapids was full Monday night but remained quiet as Superintendent Matt Grose reviewed the proposed budget cuts and the board accepted them.
With the decision, the 2024-25 school will be noticeably different. There will be fewer teachers, and class sizes will be larger. There will be less technology and fewer resources for staff. There will likely be fewer activities, which Grose said no one will be happy about.
“There’s not a person in the room that’s interested in reducing opportunities for students,” he said.
At the open forum before the official meeting, multiple community members spoke out against one of the changes: shifting East and West Rapids elementaries to grade-level buildings.
"You’re going to split the schools?” one community member said. “I’m going to have to go to three different schools to drop off four different kids?”
Grose has previously said the change does not inherently save money but does make it easier to evenly redistribute kids with a reduction in the number of classes. The district plans to eliminate a second, third and fifth grade section next year.
With kindergarten through second grade at West Rapids and third through fifth grade at East Rapids, class sizes in those grades will only increase by three to four students, rather than eight or nine in just one building’s classes.
The other public comment hot topic was tennis. With almost $40,000 in activities reductions, Grose said tennis was identified as a potential cut. Athletes and parents showed up in support of the sport they love.
“I’ve been playing the sport for 10 years, and I know everyone in the sport is so passionate about it,” said Charlotte Moss, a freshman tennis player for Greenway/Grand Rapids. “... I know there’s a lot of younger kids joining — like tons, I mean, like 30.
“ ... I understand that maybe it costs a lot and stuff, but as a Greenway Student Council member, I know we could probably help with some fundraising.”
The School Board elected to postpone deciding which activity cuts to make until after looking at spring participation and other data, but the reductions will still be made in some way.
Other budget cuts could be necessary for the district next year. When voters said “no” to an operating referendum last November, the district’s only option to address its budget deficit was cuts. Without significant increases in revenue, which are unlikely, the district will need to pass a referendum or make more cuts to maintain a balanced budget.
“Having a stable district is important for our staff, it’s important for our community, it’s important for our students,” Grose said. “If we have a stable district, we’re not here in March, we’re not here in April, talking about things that we might be losing. We’re talking about things that maybe we’re adding.”
