“Trust was a consistent theme raised in the focus groups. Many participants, regardless of their decision on the bond proposal, expressed frustration with a perceived lack of transparency. They wished for more details about exactly how the funds in the bond proposal would have been spent. Some feel the lack of trust and transparency started during the pandemic, increased during the embezzlement, and came to a head with the bond proposal. In the focus groups and in the open-ended questions, some research participants questioned whether hiring an “insider” as the district’s current superintendent was the right decision. In general, they want more transparent communication from the district so the trust can be rebuilt.”
The above statement is from the Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) May 2023 failed bond Survey Report compiled by King Media. The report also stated the following.
“Trust is the foundation of any relationship, including the relationship between a school district and its community. According to our research, many voters feel that trust has been breached. They talk about the embezzlement scheme and how GHAPS has not provided them with enough information about how it happened and what measures have been put into place to prevent it from happening in the future. That leads to questions about how ESSER funds were spent and why some asks in the bond proposal weren’t addressed with those dollars.
A lack of trust in the district also led many research participants to question how the district came up with the dollar amount for the bond proposal. There is a feeling that the district calculated how much money they could get without raising taxes and then set about figuring out how to spend it, rather than starting with the district’s priorities and asking for what was truly needed.
Many research participants, especially those who had reservations about the bond proposal, felt the district did not engage with the community during the process. They want more conversation leading up to the development of future bond proposals and want to feel that their voices are truly heard.”
King Media held focus groups and performed a community survey. Here are some specific comments from survey respondents showing many residents do not trust GHAPS leadership.
According to GHAPS Superintendent Scott Grimes, the survey and focus group report from King Media revealed four items desired by community members.
Community members wanted choice and to have projects prioritized.
The community thought $155 million was too much money.
Community members wanted more details regarding proposed projects.
The community wanted to understand the district’s plans for Lakeshore Middle School.
Although King Media emphasized the need to build trust in the survey report, there was no mention of trust by Superintendent Grimes.
On November 7, 2023 GHAPS will ask for more money. Now they are asking voters to approve two separate bond proposals. They are asking for $118.3 million for proposal 1, and $28.6 million for proposal 2, or a total of $147 million. GHAPS essentially split the May proposal into two proposals and shaved off $9 million by reducing the number of busses. They feel this solution provides the voters with choice, prioritizes projects, and lowers the cost by a sufficient amount.
Do you agree? Has the district earned back your trust?