Please view my message here if you need translation services.
August 30, 2024
GLPS Families,
The first week of the 2024-2025 school year is in the books! We had a few bumps, mostly related to weather, as storms in Wacousta and a chiller on its last legs at the high school caused some issues, but it was wonderful to see our classrooms, buses, and buildings full of kids and staff again! The new Wacousta Elementary School is a beautiful building; construction projects at Willow Ridge, Hayes, and the operations building will be starting soon; we are fully staffed in most areas across the district; our student achievement on MSTEP and SAT far exceeds state averages and continues to improve; and our enrollment continues to rise above pre-pandemic levels. In all ways, GLPS is a school district that is trending up!
As we start off the year, it is a great time to remind our longtime families and share with our newest Comets that Grand Ledge Public Schools is guided by a strategic plan that was developed in collaboration with the community in the spring of 2022. Information about the plan in its entirety, including goals and details, can be found on our strategic plan page. If you click this link, you will notice that there is a board presentation from last year in regards to our goals; we will be sharing a similar presentation with the board in October to highlight last year’s goal achievements. However, today I want to emphasize that as part of that plan, we developed a set of belief statements that guide our work. They are:
- We believe all students can learn.
- We believe it is the role of the school district to provide support and access for all students.
- We believe in an inclusive learning environment where every person is valued.
- We believe the GLPS staff are professionals who are vital to the health and future of the Grand Ledge community.
- We believe in a safe, inclusive environment where students can explore their interests and learn the skills they need to thrive in their communities.
- We believe in partnerships between the family, community, and education stakeholders for the success of GLPS.
We hold ourselves accountable for these beliefs, and we expect you to hold us accountable for them as well, as they form the foundation of our work throughout the district.
In addition to our strategic plan, our district is guided by a set of board policies that were adopted by the GLPS Board of Education in the late winter/early spring of 2024. The policies can be found at the bottom of the mission, vision, beliefs, and policy page or by clicking on this link. The board policy system is set up to allow staff and the public to search by keyword. These policies direct us in everything - in our processes and procedures, and they create common and consistent expectations across the district.
In future communications, I will ask for your input on topics you would like to learn more about in these weekly updates. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the long weekend, and I am very glad you are all here with us to start another school year. I have no doubt that it will be a great one, and I appreciate all of your support. Thank you, and as always, I am #proudtobeacomet!
Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools
