Superintendent

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October 10, 2025

As we wrap up another outstanding week here at Grand Ledge Public Schools, I thought this would be a good opportunity to share some facilities updates with you. Over the last couple of weeks (other than a quick detour to discuss the budget), I have shared academic achievement data with you, as well as information about the adult learning that helps lead to increased academic outcomes. It is important to think about the spaces where that learning happens as well. Innovation in our buildings and classrooms, and the overall operations within our district, are dependent upon facilities that are aligned with their purpose, and I want to highlight a few key elements that are happening this fall.

All buildings in the district are now operating with a secure entrance, requiring visitors to be buzzed into a vestibule and then into the office in every school building. This maximizes our opportunity to control who is entering our buildings, and ensures that all visitors are greeted by our incredible and friendly front office staff whenever they come to visit. All other entrances to every building are continually viewed by cameras and monitors in our main offices, ensuring that our doors are secure and we know who is coming and going during the school day.

The new classrooms at Hayes and Willow Ridge are up and running, creating much needed relief for those two buildings. As businesses and housing grow in the Delta Township portion of our district, we have seen population growth across GLPS; all of our elementary schools have more sections than last year, which also means population growth at Hayes, Beagle, and GLHS. While Beagle, GLHS, and Holbrook can still accommodate the growth (Holbrook has the added bonus of a separate gym and cafeteria, allowing for the gym to be used as instructional space all day, uninterrupted by lunchtimes), the new classrooms at Hayes and Willow Ridge this fall, and Delta Center two years ago, have allowed us to deal with the growth in those buildings as well. In addition, the new road behind Hayes and Willow Ridge has vastly improved traffic patterns, making drop off and pick up significantly safer and more manageable. 

As for Wacousta, as I have communicated numerous times, the new Wacousta building was designed to expand as student needs dictated and funds were available. We carefully planned HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems to allow us to quickly and efficiently add classrooms. Because of our careful budgeting throughout the bond, as well as an increase in student population, we are able to add four additional classrooms later this fall. That work will be underway soon, and the four additional classrooms will be open and available for the fall of 2026.

Finally, we are excited to announce that we closed on the Morris Property today. For those that are not aware, in 2005, Dave and Betty Morris, farmers from the Eagle/Wacousta area, gifted the district some property north of town for the purposes of developing student programming, particularly around agriculture and the sciences. In order to receive that gift, the district had to commit to building a learning center on the property. We are still in the design stages of the building and programming, looking at ways we can increase student access to agriculture and natural science programs. However, we will be rolling out more information about the specifics of the building and the learning that will happen in it in the coming months, and  we have now officially acted on the vision of Dave and Betty Morris and taken the final steps we need to take to secure ownership of the property.

Many districts in the state of Michigan have seen significant population declines in the last few years. Because the state funds schools on a per pupil basis, that means those districts have had to make difficult decisions about cutting staff and programs. GLPS continues to go against that trend, as we have seen steady growth over the last four years. As new businesses, neighborhoods, and housing come into our district, we have continued to offer high quality educational programming and expanded our offerings. As I have mentioned before, our families and our community continue to support our work, voting us the best school district in the region again this year and providing us with positive feedback through our surveys, and our student achievement continues to grow every year. We appreciate the support you have provided us to allow our facilities to grow with our district, whether it is through the 2018 bond or last year’s sinking fund renewal, and we are very thankful that we get to serve our students, families, and community every day. Thank you for all you do, thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with your kids every day, and thank you for your role in helping GLPS be the premier learning organization in our region. As always, I am #proudtobeacomet!

Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools