Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) has a new leader. Chris Streng has replaced Christine Baker as the school board president, effective January 15, 2024. “I’d like to thank the board for your vote of confidence and trust in me in leading this wonderful board of directors. I’d also like to thank John Siemion, Carl Treutler, and Christine Baker for giving me great examples and traits to learn from.“
Streng, a father of seven, is a financial advisor for the Great Lakes Insurance Agency. He also serves on the board of several other organizations:
Director on the Board of Trustees for Rotary Club of Grand Haven
Chair of the Board of Directors for the Tri-Cities YMCA
Treasurer on the Board for Folds of Honor
Treasurer for Veterans of Foreign Wars
Director on the Board of Trustees for the Grand Haven School Foundation
Chamber Ambassador for the Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce
Community Investment Panel Leader for the United Way
The community is hopeful that Streng will effectively lead the board of education (BOE) through its selection of a new superintendent. It is sure to be a busy time, as in addition to the extra meetings involved with selecting a new superintendent, the president attends and leads three committee meetings each month.
Marc Eickholt will be the new vice president, while Seth Holt will remain treasurer and Nichol Stack will remain secretary. There was limited discussion at the January 15, 2024 BOE meeting as to how the members were selected for these positions, but according to Nichol Stack, “No one else has really expressed any interest otherwise in re-arraigning any other thing.” The motion for the officer positions passed unanimously with the five board members in attendance. Kristal Boyd and Christine Baker were absent.
Also during the meeting, Superintendent Scott Grimes shared that the results of a recent survey that showed the community is overwhelmingly in favor of starting the school year after Labor Day.
The board unanimously chose the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to assist with the superintendent search. Four firms were considered including MLI which presently employs former GHAPS Superintendent Andy Ingall. Choosing MASB appears to be a positive step forward as having fewer ties to GHAPS should help preserve objectivity. The proposal price given by MASB was not disclosed; however, the board set a budget of $10,000 for the effort. Seth Holt said, “It was easy to figure out that MASB was going to be the least expensive of the two.” Carl Treutler, acknowledged the possible conflict with MLI. He stated, “I feel that the MASB proposal meets our needs and will be independent of any former superintendent or other superintendents that have been active in this area. And I think that’s a concern in the community, that we go forward with someone who is coming to look at the community from the outside.” During the personnel committee meeting, which took place January 10, Treutler also expressed a desire to hire a new superintendent based on merit. The community of Grand Haven should look for opportunities for involvement in the process and be notified of open meetings on deliberations, decisions, and interviews.
Board meetings take place monthly usually on the second Monday of the month at 7:00 pm, with three committee meetings taking place the prior week. Visit the GHAPS BOE webpage for meeting times and locations.