| | Board of Education Meeting Highlights |
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Defer Principal Dr. Lisa Rheaume introduced students, Lottie and Charlotte, who shared about the Kids Heart Challenge service-learning program. Using stuffed animals, students learned CPR and how they learned to recognize stroke symptoms and seek help through FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time to call 911).
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| North Athletic Director Jim Ellis and South Athletic Director Andy Rishmawi provided district sports updates. North Girls’ Hockey team will be consolidated with South's team. The North program can not be run safely without a full roster. The combined team will reduce costs for ice time, which is a significant expense. Given student interest, there will be a unified Downhill Ski Team and Bowling League.
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Grosse Pointe Foundation for Public Education (GPFPE) presented its annual Spring grants and SEED awards across the district, totaling $77,885. GPFPE Board President Cynthia Sohn noted that, GPFPE is
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“a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and for the 20 years we've been in existence, thousands of community members from all corners of the community, from all backgrounds, and many different perspectives on education have come together for one reason, and that's because of the kids. So I'm really proud that we have granted over $4.8 million back to the district for the kids. Our mission is to come up with together to fund educational opportunities for our children and that's something we can all agree on.” |
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| For the Curriculum update, presenters shared about international travel opportunities for interested high school students: France trip and Germany trip and exchange.
For the Student Services update, Executive Director of Student Services Lillie Loder provided resources available for students with special education needs and their families.
Stakeholder Engagement Report
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| Agenda Action Items By consent, the board approved the following: Regular and closed session meeting minutes for April 27, 2026 GPFPE Spring grants GP South Railing Project, District Truck purchases, the Fiber Maintenance Conditional Agreement, Fiber-Structured Cabling Conditional Agreement and the Network Electronics Conditional Agreement HR Report passed with 7-0 vote.
After discussion, and with a 5-2 vote the board approved the Bond Program Architectural Services for the Trombly Building:
Trustee St. John noted that she received form emails about the resolution and clarified that President Derringer wrote the resolution although her name appears on the document. She indicated her support for the resolution and never advocated for selling Trombly or using it for a non-school purpose. Trustee Klepp indicated his support of the resolution and recommended that a process be initiated to determine the optimal use of the building. Trustee Worden indicated her support for the resolution comes down to data, fiscal responsibility, and district-wide needs. Her goal is to see lower class sizes and there are ways to do that without re-opening as an elementary when data does not support it, such as redrawing district lines and looking at building capacity. Trustee Jeup noted that the board received 200 emails from across the district in support of the resolution and made suggestions for language revisions. Trustee Cotton made a failed motion (2-5 vote) to amend the resolution to include language that Trombly would reopen as an elementary school. He reasoned that the sinking fund, bond proceeds, and million-dollar pledge from the Grosse Pointe Park Foundation provides financial support for it. President Derringer reflected on how the Trombly issue has “touched all corners of our district in the last eight years. There's been a lot of discussion, there's been a lot of emotion. Three different school board makeups, four different school board makeups, multiple administrations, multiple superintendents, a lot of different community members, longstanding community members, new community members, sinking fund, a new bond resolution, an old bond resolution. This particular issue has touched everything about district business for a very long time. And I think that it's critical for our district and us as leaders of the district, to advance the ball forward and to start getting kids into that building and to reconnect with our Grosse Pointe Park partners to maximize that as a district and a community asset.” Trustee Hull noted her support for the resolution as it provides a preschool option that meets a clear community need, while still preserving flexibility for future use of the building. Trustees Cotton and Jeup voted against the resolution.
May 4, 2026 Closed Session Agenda
May 18, 2026: Regular Meeting Agenda | Recording
Deputy Superintendent’s Report Monteith’s Principal Shelleyann Keelean and school social worker Josinda Feldstein presented Monty's Character Quest. The quest is a social emotional learning initiative that focuses on building good character traits. Ms. Jo spends 15 minutes in every classroom leading lessons on character development through prompts and reflection activities. The school’s mascot, Monty the Tiger, journeys through the jungle and classes earn badges after completing each month's quest.
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| Gearheards FRC #1189 the FIRST Robotics team of North and South students had an award-winning season! The team won the Creativity Award at the Woodhaven District event and took home the Innovation Controls Award at the Livonia District event, where they were also event finalists. At the State Championship on DTE Field, the team served as captains of the Third Alliance, won the Gracious Professionalism Award, and earned a spot at the World Championship landing in the Top 5% globally. The team explained the Rebuilt game theme and demonstrated their amazing robot.
Congratulations to the team and graduating seniors!
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Officer Jeff Martel, Security Resource Officer, who supports North High School was recognized by Grosse Pointe Woods as Officer of the Year.
CFO Andrea Agrusa in a brief financial update provided an overview of current revenue and expenditures to date. A second amendment and FY27 Budget will be presented at the June 9th meeting.
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Stakeholder Engagement Report Grosse Pointe Parent Advisory Committee for Special Education (GPPAC) hosted its final meeting of the year on May 20th to provide resources for families to avoid the summer slide. You can reach the committee by email grossepointepac@gmail.com and follow on Facebook for updates.
South High School student representative, Betsy R. highlighted special recognitions: The Mothers’ Club awarded 77 scholarships totaling $92,000. At Senior Honors Night 143 students were recognized including those in the Academic Hall of Fame (57 students with 4.0+ GPAs). The Culinary Club placed 3rd out of 80+ teams at a national competition in Orlando; three student athletes committed to college programs and three students committed to military academies: will be joining the U.S. Air Force, West Point, and the Naval Academy, respectively. South broadcasting students earned five excellence awards and four honor awards at the Michigan Student Film Festival, plus multiple placements at the MIPA Journalism Awards. The Viewpoint Yearbook won first place for school spirit photography and six honorable mentions at the same competition. The girls tennis team won regionals and advanced to states; track and field qualified for states in six events; and the softball team, boys lacrosse, and other spring sports are competing strongly to close out the season.
Agenda Action Items
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Moussa Hamka provided an overview of the hiring process for the recommended appointments. The board unanimously approved hiring Erica Shovein as Executive Director of Student Services and Andrea Doherty as Assistant Principal for Pierce Middle School.
Dr. Bishop recognized district retirees and the board unanimously approved the resolution to honor their years of service to the district.
The board discussed the preliminary Wayne RESA 2026-27 budget. The board voted 5-2 (Trustees Cotton and Jeup voting no) to approve the preliminary budget. Trustee Cotton raised concerns about how the district’s budget will be negatively impacted under the proposal as Wayne RESA maintains an $18-million “war chest.” President Derringer noted that Wayne RESA provided Act 18 funds for special education staff bonuses and raises for teachers and paraprofessionals within the district. President Derringer also requested that CFO Agrusa provide a detailed presentation on the Act 18 budget at the next meeting to address ongoing questions about its impact on district programs.
In preparation for approval of the strategic plan, Dr. Bishop and the administrative team, provided a detailed presentation of SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals used to further develop the details of the plan. The plan was developed collaboratively with Central Office, with input from GPEA, and 1:1 meetings with board trustees. In Year 1, A GPPSS “Portrait of a Graduate” will be developed and adopted to guide future programming decisions and support the design of targeted program improvements and pilot opportunities.
Watch the presentation here.
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May 18, 2026: Closed Sessions
Session 1: Agenda | Session 2: Agenda | Combined Recording In the first session, the board voted 4-3 (Trustees Cotton, Jeup, Klepp voting no) to create a standing committee to review Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) appeals with committee members appointed by President Derringer, per board policy. In the second session, there was no discussion or decisions made.
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| May 28, 2026: Special Meeting - Negotiations
Agenda | Recording
Trustee Cotton made a motion to amend the agenda to include public budget discussions, stating that a budget is needed for negotiations and claiming that any discussion in a closed session is a “secret budget meeting.” Trustee Worden responded that the board was not having a secret budget discussion. The meeting was called by her and President Derringer at the request of the administration to discuss negotiations. Trustee Cotton’s motion to amend the agenda failed 2-4 (Trustees Cotton and Jeup voting yes). The administration indicated that they are prepared to discuss the budget at the June 9th meeting and were not prepared with details for the special meeting.
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May 12, 2026: Facilities Meeting Agenda | Recording First committee meeting to discuss STEAM Commons Area for Parcells. The initial budget is around $8.7 million with additional contingencies for structural work that may be needed. The focus is on flexibility and multi-use purpose. Ideas considered: robotics, Esports, and community use. Construction timeline is Summer 2026 - Winter 2027-28.
May 26, 2026: Facilities Meeting
Agenda | Recording Dr. Tuttle clarified that the Parcells committee purpose is to provide representative community input about the potential uses of the space that will ultimately require board approval. Small groups shared ideas for the space: innovative teaching & learning space within school day, hands-on projects, and entrepreneurship opportunities were suggested. There was discussion of survey results from the first meeting, programming options, and a review of 3 design proposals.
May 26, 2026: Policy Meeting
Agenda | Recording
A graduating senior recommends a policy change that would allow seniors to opt-out of final exams for those who have B-average and fewer than 3 unexcused absences. She submits that this would provide an incentive to keep grades high and would be less disruptive to the school schedule for other grade levels. Discussion of proposed AI policy developed with teachers and students as stakeholders. Students asked for clear guidelines. AI tools will be evaluated for safety and effectiveness before use. Discussion of cellphone restrictions in compliance with House Bill 4141. Recommendation that district adopts “instructional time” as the limitation on device use in order to improve student engagement. There are expectations for special circumstances. Discussion of restorative practices and positive behavioral interventions and support (PBIS). Under Michigan law (MCL 380.1310d), except under limited circumstances, school officials must consider restorative practices when making disciplinary decisions, including suspensions and expulsions, along with other relevant factors.
May 28, 2026: FOIA Appeal Agenda | Recording
After discussion in a closed session, the committee unanimously voted to release documents related to a complaint filed by Superintendent Dr. Andrea Tuttle. The document was not initially released under FOIA due to attorney-client privilege. After further investigation, it was determined that the material was not privileged and could be released.
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Be Informed about the Michigan School Aid Budget |
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In 2025, the Michigan school aid budget was not resolved until October, beyond the July 1st statutory deadline. This year’s proposed budgets show that the Governor, House, and Senate have found common ground in three areas:
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Governor Whitmer’s budget places literacy as her #1 priority with a $625-million plan, "Every Child Reads," which includes early learning with $181.1 million for PreK for All. Other allocations include: $123 million to continue expanded support for special education students, $90 million to support academically at-risk students, English language learners career and technical education students, and students in rural school districts, $50 million for MI Future Educator Student Teacher Stipends, $25M for the MI Future Educator Fellowship program, and $60 million for Grow Your Own educator programs
Notable in the Senate plan: Same $300 million as in Governor Whitmer’s plan for mental health and school safety grants with revised language about waiving privilege to receive the funds. $235 million for literacy, including resources for early literacy coaches, school libraries, LETRS training, and curriculum supports. Support for a 15-year weighted formula structure to automatically increase funding for under resourced districts and students.
• Notable in the House plan is a one-time $50 million allocation to improve educational outcomes in STEM and $100 million for math supports. And a proposed ongoing $150 million literacy allocation with a mandate for districts to choose from five state-approved literacy curricula to access the funding. The Senate and the Governor’s proposal leaves the curricula decision to local districts and educators.
To review details and analysis visit the following: House Budget, HB 5630: https://tinyurl.com/HouseBudgetFY27 Senate Budget, SB 860: https://tinyurl.com/SenateBudgetFY27 Governor Whitmer Budget: https://tinyurl.com/GovEducationFY27
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month
This year, Mental Health America is highlighting the theme “More Good Days, Together.”
The campaign encourages all of us to reflect on what a “good day” looks like — for ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities — and how we can work |
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| together to make more of those days possible for everyone through support, advocacy, education, and connection.
Mental Health America offers an Action Guide & Screening Tools which you can access here: https://mhanational.org/2026-mental-health-month-action.../
Here in our community, organizations like The Family Center of Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods and Kevin's Song provide valuable support, education, and resources for individuals and families. Consider following their work, sharing their resources, or supporting their mission in any way you can.
Together, we can help create more good days — for everyone. |
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May 4th - May 8th, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week.
To the teachers who show up every day with heart and dedication—thank you.
You do so much more than teach lessons. You inspire confidence, spark curiosity, and create spaces where students feel seen and valued. The impact you have goes far beyond the classroom, shaping lives in ways that often aren’t immediately visible—but deeply felt for years to come.
Thank you for everything you do.  
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This month we celebrate the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities!
In 1992, Congress permanently designated May as the special observance month to honor Asian & Pacific Americans heritage and contributions. The law recognized the significance of May 7 and May 10 in the history of Asian/Pacific Americans. May 7, 1843 is the date on which the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States. And on May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad in the United States was completed with significant contributions from Chinese pioneers. |
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Source: https://tinyurl.com/historyaanhpi
You can learn about and honor the contributions of AANHPI communities at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), which has free admission for Wayne County residents.
We hope you enjoy celebrating the history and rich cultures of the AANHPI community! |
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Jewish American Heritage Month |
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For Jewish American Heritage Month this May, we honor Judy Blume for her impact on youth and adult literature. Her 29 books have sold more than 93 million copies in 40 languages.
In 2020, Ms. Blume was honored by the Authors Guild Foundation for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community. In 2021, Yale University conferred a Doctor of Letters honorary degree and the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Free Speech Defender Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to her. Ms. Blume was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year in 2023 and received the National Book Critics Circle Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Wear Orange is a community-driven movement that honors lives lost to gun violence and amplifies calls for safer streets, schools, and neighborhoods. Each year, people nationwide wear bright orange to spark conversations, remember victims, and stand in solidarity with survivors and their families. Wear Orange invites everyone to reflect, listen, and work together toward meaningful change that keeps communities safer. Below are events and opportunities to participate in Wear Orange locally here in our community hosted by Students Demand Action and Moms Demand Action.
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| | | Upcoming Board of Education Meetings
Click here for calendar
Regular board meetings will be held on Mondays at 7:00 pm unless otherwise noted. BoE committee meetings will also be on Monday evenings; times vary. |
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| | | The Beacon team welcomes your thoughts and letters. All letters may be edited for content and length. We reserve the right to refuse any letter. Limit to 200 words Include your name, city of residence, and phone number Email to newsletter@alliancegpps.org
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| | Alliance Mission Statement
We seek to partner with the Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods communities in the collective effort to create a safe and inclusive learning environment where students can achieve academic success, maximize potential, and become engaged citizens in a vibrant democracy.
Alliance for GP Public Schools is not affiliated, associated, authorized or endorsed by Grosse Pointe Public School System. |
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| | Alliance for GP Public Schools Board of Directors |
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Policy Director LaKeytria W. Felder |
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| Communications Director Rosy Stefanatos-Knapp |
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