Superintendent

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April 25, 2025

GLPS Families,

As we wrap up the last full week of April and look ahead to May next week, it is wonderful to see the sunshine, green grass, flowers, and nice weather return. The turn to spring also brings with it the ability to get outside on a regular basis, and as I made my way around the district this week and saw all of our playgrounds and fields in use, it made me pause and reflect on the connection between GLPS and the broader community.

As you know, I frequently reference our strategic plan in these communications, and this week I want to call attention to the belief statement that says We believe in partnerships between the family, community, and education stakeholders for the success of GLPS. This week, that partnership was evident on multiple levels. I firmly believe that the success of a community depends on the success of its schools, and the success of a school district depends on the success of the community, and right now, Grand Ledge and Grand Ledge Public Schools are enjoying a wonderful run of success. 

If you drive around our community right now, every square inch of green space is utilized. From our parks to our ball fields to our soccer fields to our stadiums, the spring evenings and weekends are filled with Grand Ledge Public Schools kids engaged in recreation programming, enjoying the sport and preparing for future success in our varsity programs. In fact, today at our beautiful new track facility, we are hosting the Grand Ledge Comet Classic track meet, and 15 schools from across the state are here participating. In addition, this is also a great time to share that the City of Grand Ledge is working on a plan for a fully inclusive, ADA-accessible, universally designed playground at Jaycee Park in Grand Ledge. This new space will allow every child, family, and community member, regardless of age or ability, to play and connect. We're looking forward to seeing this wonderful project come to life! More information can be found HERE on the City of Grand Ledge website.

Last evening, we hosted nearly 200 people at the Grand Ledge Chamber of Commerce annual awards dinner in the boardroom here at Sawdon. 44 teachers were nominated for educator of the year, along with a number of business and community leaders who were nominated for business person, volunteer, Athena (Women in Leadership), and community supporter of the year. It was a wonderful event and recognition of our staff members and folks who make a difference, and it shows a true partnership between our school district and the business community. As another nice connection, Lise Mitchell, the director of Grand Ledge Area District Library, was named the community supporter of the year, and the library is currently hosting a Grand Ledge Public Schools student art show!  WILX News 10 did a Schools Rule segment about it that you can watch HERE.

While it is easy to see full athletic fields and a large annual Chamber event, a sure indicator of the greater Grand Ledge community and Grand Ledge Public Schools as the place to be is through our current job postings. In order to make sure we are fully staffed for the next school year, we have an opportunity in the spring for our staff who are retiring or moving on to other opportunities in the fall to let us know early, so we can get jobs posted and get new folks on board now so they are prepared to hit the ground running in the fall (as a reminder, if you or someone you know would be a good fit for the district in any capacity, click here to visit our careers page). Our turnover rate for certified staff is generally pretty low (less than 10%), and this year is no exception. The current research shows that people choose jobs for three reasons: location, culture, and leadership. I am proud to share that while we are still in the midst of a teacher shortage, and shortage in many of the areas we are trying to fill, we have many, many qualified applicants for all of the jobs we have posted. That means that people want to be a part of our district, because the word is out that we have a culture here, both within the district and in the broader community, that excites people about the prospect of joining our team. 

Your role as families within Grand Ledge Public Schools is essential to continuing to help us grow and thrive. We know that we still have work to do in many areas to live up to the ideals in our strategic plan and to create a place where all students can learn and grow, and both your support and your feedback will help with that growth (last chance to contribute to the survey I sent out over the last couple of weeks!). Thank you for all you do to help with our success and the success of the community in general. I appreciate the opportunity to work with you and your children every day, and as always, I am #proudtobeacomet!

Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools