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| | Board of Education Meeting Highlights |
| | Superintendent & Deputy Superintendent Reports |
| The Gearheads presented about their robotics season and how they qualified for both State & World Championships. Students design, build, and code a robot along with executing marketing and media plans all within a six-week period. The team won the Industrial Design Award and the Innovation in Control Award. The Gearheads recognized its graduating seniors and their future plans: |
| Jack S., Captain Allan C., Captain Carter C. Jack G. Christopher T. Michael A. Nicholas R. |
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| MI Tech - Engineering Mgmt. MI Tech - Aerospace Eng. MSU - Psychology & Film MSU - Engineering Macomb CC - Landscaping Wayne State - Comp. Science Detroit Mercy - Engineering |
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| Photo: Gearheads presentation |
| Special Education update by Lillie Loder, Executive Director of Student Services The following positions are open: 3 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 2 speech & language therapists, 1 temporary speech & language therapist and 1 temporary resource teacher, 6 paraprofessional. Moussa Hamka, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, added that the district did not reach a letter of agreement with the paraprofessionals union to utilize Act 18 Wayne RESA funds to provide salary increases. Mrs. Loder stated that the district is focused on retaining and training current paraprofessionals.
A Grosse Pointe Parent Advisory Committee has been established by the district. The committee has met three times and is making plans for the fall. Three key hires have been made: an ASD teacher, a speech pathologist, and a school psychologist. The school psychologist position was filled pursuant to a Wayne RESA agreement given the long-term vacancy.
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| President Worden expressed support for Ferry Elementary teachers. This was in response to a social media post from a sitting board member criticizing kindergarten teachers’ decision to recognize Special Person’s Day. President Worden applauded the Ferry community for ensuring that all students felt supported, valued, and included. She emphasized that it is not the role of the board to direct lesson plans or second-guess teachers’ decisions on how to celebrate holidays. Trustee Derringer commented that the decision showed kindness and empathy. |
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Agenda Action Items
Approved with 5-0 vote (Trustees Cotton and Jeup were absent): |
| | Hiring Katie Parent as Assistant Principal of South High School Hiring Kevin Shubnell as Principal of North High School Hiring Dr. Sara Delgado as Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
Resolution to Re-purpose Trombly. President Worden proposed the resolution based on Plante Moran information, survey data, and the budget deficit spending. All trustees have supported keeping Trombly as a district asset. First, the bond would have to pass and then Administration would be directed to develop a plan for Trombly. At this point in time, enrollment projections do not support reopening as an elementary school. The resolution language would allow for a school to open if there was a population need. Trustee St. John commented that it's important to direct the Administration to find a use for Trombly that is cost neutral. Trombly should not be used as a “political bargaining chip” to vote for/against the bond or candidates. A decision needs to be made for the benefit of our students. Trustee Klepp supported the resolution and setting aside bond funds to preserve the building. He found the survey data to be thought-provoking as it relates to enrollment and capturing students. There is an opportunity that needs to be explored. Trustee Derringer commented that they need to make long-term strategic decisions that allow for flexibility. Trustee Hull supported the resolution as it leaves the door open for an elementary school, but will also allow the asset to be utilized.
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| | Superintendent & Deputy Superintendent Reports |
| | South’s Athletic Director, Andy Rishwami recognized the Girls Ice Hockey team for their state championship win and the Girls Swim team as runner-up in the state championship. A host of student athletes earned First Team All-State honors as announced in roll call of students here. Congratulations!! |
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| Bond Advisory Committee update The committee is working on a final recommendation to present to the school board at the June 11th meeting. Based on committee meetings and discussions, $115 million of the $120 million proposed bond has been allocated. The committee will discuss its final recommended allocations at its next meeting.
Parcells principal update
CFO update Recent hire for the position, DeAnn Irby, has resigned. Consulting CFO Shelbi Frayer has resumed working on the budget and will present it to the board at the June 11th meeting. A hard copy of the budget will be available to the public on June 5th at Central Office. The budget hearing will occur on June 11th and the budget vote will occur at the June 23rd meeting.
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Resolution to Honor District Retirees The following district retirees were honored by the district on May 29th. Thank you for your years of dedication and service to GPPSS! |
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| Jim Cadotte Joseph Ciarvino Jennifer Corbett Michelle Denison George Flora Kim Gerlach Daniel Gilleran |
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| Carol Holmes Susan Howey Karen Januszek Helen Johnson Diane Kozikowski Kevin Kurkowski Ann Lightbody |
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| Margaret O’Connell Kirk Sattelmeir Geneva Scully Erika Stout-Kirck Linda Trombley Kemmer Weinhaus Amy Wilson |
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| Agenda Actions Items
5-2 vote in favor of adopting board norms, with Trustees Cotton and Jeup voting No. 7-0 vote in favor of approving intra-district transfer policy, which allows Administration to permit school transfers on a case-by-case basis at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Discussion here. Trustee Cotton stated that this is a great first step when viewed through the lens of what can be done to increase enrollment in the district. He explained a family may choose a GPPSS school instead of a private school. President Worden disagreed with that comment since we are not an open district allowing people to choose the school they would like to attend. If there are issues with school size, then the school boundary lines should be considered to equalize the schools. There may be equity problems if people are allowed to select school of attendance.
Trustee Jeup stated that it’s a step in the right direction and parents should choose “the why” and make the best decisions for their children. Trustee St. John clarified that this is a case-by-case policy that the Administration will use to make its determinations. Policy is not intended to fragment neighborhood schools.
Other Discussion
Taher Food Service Contract Discussion Dr. Tuttle raised concerns about food service programming and indicated that the Board will need to make a decision about Taher contract. Trustee Jeup noted that Taher has provided quality food, which costs more money and that the district should take a hard look at continuing to work with them. Trustee Derringer raised concerns about the timing of the Taher contract issues. In response, Dr. Tuttle provided an overview and stated that the district has not had a stable CFO. The Taher contract was approved with a 7-0 vote, which she “had nothing to do with.” The district does not have a good track record with food service providers. Former CFO Pavlik, who left in December 2024, did not share any concerns about the Taher contract with Dr. Tuttle. In January, consulting CFO Frayer found that there were some expenditures over revenue. An RFP (Request for Proposal) did not go out in March because Dr. Tuttle did not want to risk losing food service to students, though she is not aware of that ever happening. Last year, Dr. Tuttle and Trustee Cotton met with Taher and there was a contract addendum for Taher to provide $50K on an annual basis to the district. There may be a disagreement and contractual breach of that amendment that requires attorney review. President Worden reiterated her concerns voiced last year about Taher’s financial spending and the obligations of the company to the district. She does not want to spend “one dime of general fund” for a company not making its contribution since the budget needs to be balanced. Dr. Tuttle indicated that we have an interim CFO who we may be close to losing if this issue continues to be pushed.
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| | Policy Committee: May 5, 2025 View agenda and recorded meeting. GPPSS Policy Manual. Intra-district transfer policy 4.04.1 will allow students of any grade to transfer within the district on a case-by-case basis. Dr. Bishop will form a committee to review transfer requests and believes it is a positive change. Under policy 8.13, some emails from the public and between board members are posted to the district website. The Administration requested a legal review of this policy. Trustee St. John is concerned about potential violations of the Open Meetings Act should a quorum of trustees exchange emails by inadvertently “replying all.” The legal review concluded that, “[g]iven the legal risks, the current litigation, and guidance from the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), the Policy Committee may want to consider a recommendation to the Board of Education that the Board rescind Board Policy 8.13.” Trustee Jeup requested a closed session immediately because she had questions. She stated that she assumed an attorney would be at the meeting. Trustee St. John advised that a request for a closed session could be made to the board president. Trustee Hull was concerned about the added cost of an attorney attending a closed session. She added that she has reviewed websites of peer districts and did not find any board emails posted for public view. Public comments included accusations of lack of transparency from those wishing that board emails remain posted and frustration at contention over what seems like an insignificant change in policy that is not student-focused.
Bond Advisory Committee
May 21, 2025 View meeting
Dr. Tuttle presented a spreadsheet with updated figures for the committee’s identified priorities and reviewed the document here. Plante Moran consultants provided details on potential spending for LED lighting needs, HS North & HS South practice fields, Elworthy renovations, the South IA building and the cost of renovating and maintaining school pools. Committee members were given the option of taking one minute to express support or concern for a project or priority. Members advocated for Early Childhood Education, STEM, air conditioning, Parcells pool, athletic fields, among other projects. Members were asked to vote on cost reductions for furniture, LED lighting, and boilers. As well as voting on allocations for renovating Parcells pool, IA building use as facilities storage, Elworthy tennis courts, and athletic facilities at North and South. All recommendations were supported by the committee. Members took another priorities survey and results to be discussed at the next meeting. Public comments requested bond money for Elworthy tennis courts and a fieldhouse with restrooms.
May 28, 2025 View meeting
Plante Moran compiled feedback from the previous meeting and produced a spreadsheet with estimated costs of ranked choices. The consultant answered questions about providing air conditioning to schools, locker room upgrades, and the Parcells pool rehab.
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| Committee members expressed support for particular line items, which included infrastructure for Early Childhood Education and STEM programming, new locker rooms, and a solution for the Parcells pool: renovate and reopen or turn into a cafeteria. By instant poll, members supported the following: replace South Track D Zone, $50K going to each building to spend at their discretion, air conditioning improvements across district, Early Childhood Education initiatives, and high school locker room renovations. They did not support re-opening Parcells swimming pool. A presentation with the committee’s final recommendations will be made to the board at the June 11th meeting, with a board vote to approve on June 23rd. If approved, attorneys will formulate ballot language.
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| | | Our students’ mental health is important and should be prioritized. The data is clear that youth are in a mental health crisis, which impacts every aspect of their lives.
Schools, however, can play an important role in promoting good student mental health. Feeling connected to others at school is a powerful strategy to protect students’ mental health. School connectedness is the belief that others at school care about you, your success, and your well-being. |
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| | We Can and Must Support the Mental Health of Our Youth |
| By Dr. Stephen Warnick, Jr., MD Guest Writer
Dr. Warnick is a board certified Family Medicine and Psychiatric physician specializing in integrating mental health care for all ages in the primary care setting.
While COVID worsened the mental health of our youth, depression and anxiety were increasing at alarming rates in young people well before the pandemic. Despite this, the United States Department of Education started Mental Health Awareness Month on May 1st by halting $1 billion dollars in school aid for mental health.1 This cut in funding comes 2 years earlier than expected, requiring schools to make difficult decisions on providing mental health support for students at a time when: |
| | 21% of 12–17-year-olds reported anxiety symptoms and 17% reported depressive symptoms.2 20% of US high school students reported seriously considering suicide in 2023, with rates up to 40% if the student identifies as LGBTQ+.2,3 Over half of youth with depression did not receive treatment in 2024.4
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| Given this bleak news, what can we as a community do to help our young people thrive? There are multiple evidence-based practices that give us hope:
Limit and promote healthy social media. Social media overall can worsen a teen's mental health. The good news though is that parents and guardians may be able to mitigate some of these negative effects by limiting screen time, teaching kids about responsible social media use and its’ impact on mental health, as well as through adults’ role modeling their own responsible social media use.5 Provide support as a trusting adult for children. Studies show that having a trusted adult in a child’s life can lessen the risk of suicide.6,7 This trusted adult can be a parent, guardian, family friend, coach, youth group leader, or any other adult. Keep routines. It sounds simple but in practice having stable meals, a routine bedtime, and regular physical activity can help children thrive emotionally. Support school-based health centers. Writing to your legislators to encourage them to oppose the Department of Education’s defunding of school-based mental health is an active intervention to support students. Michigan is fortunate to have had a history of bipartisan support of school-based health centers, which provide convenient, affordable access to care for students during the school day.8 Our community is fortunate that a school-based health center opened in 2025 at Harper Woods High School.
We have the tools as a community to support the mental health of our students and to raise them to be the resilient, healthy people we want them to be.
Sources: Education Department stops $1 billion in funding for school mental health. https://www.npr.org/2025/05/01/nx-s1-5382582/trump-school-mental-health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, November 2). Data and statistics on children's mental health. https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html The Trevor Project. (2024). 2024 U.S. national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ young people. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2024/ Mental Health America. (2024). 2024 state of mental health in America report. https://mhanational.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-State-of-Mental-Health-in-America-Report.pdf Abdulrazzak, A., & Jackson, S. (2025, January 14). Protecting youth mental health: The role of families in addressing social media’s impact on self-harm and suicide. Behavioral Health News. https://behavioralhealthnews.org/protecting-youth-mental-health-the-role-of-families-in-addressing-social-medias-impact-on-self-harm-and-suicide/ The Trevor Project. (2019, June 27). Accepting adults reduce suicide attempts among LGBTQ youth. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/accepting-adults-reduce-suicide-attempts-among-lgbtq-youth/ Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (n.d.). Coping skills and trusted adults as protective factors. https://sprc.org/news/coping-skills-and-trusted-adults-as-protective-factors/ Kjolhede, C., Lee, A. C., De Pinto, C. D., O’Leary, S. C., Baum, M., Beers, N. S., Bode, S. M., Gibson, E. J., Gorski, P., Jacob, V., Larkin, M., Padrez, R. C., Schumacher, H., & Council on School Health. (2021). School-based health centers and pediatric practice. Pediatrics, 148(4), e2021053758. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-053758.
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| | | Wear Orange is dedicated to honoring the lives of people in the United States affected by gun violence and elevating the voices of advocates across the country who are demanding an end to gun violence by taking action.
Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015—what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. Today, Wear Orange honors Hadiya and the 125 people shot and killed every day in the United States, along with the hundreds more who are wounded and the countless others whose lives have been changed by gun violence. Learn More
← Join one or all of these free community events coming up. |
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| | Teacher’s Appreciation Week was celebrated May 5-9th. The National Education Association had already supported a National Teachers Day, which was brought about with the help of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who advocated for it to Congress in 1953. “It is quite impossible to give teachers monetary compensation alone that will repay for their devotion to the job and the love that must go to each and every child. But I think we could compensate a little more adequately the teachers in our communities if we were conscious of their importance.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
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| | |  In 1992, Congress permanently designated May as the special observance month to honor Asian & Pacific Americans heritage and contributions. Learn more about the importance of this observance: https://tinyurl.com/historyaanhpi
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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. |
| | | 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. |
| | 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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You can find and download learning materials as well here: 
