Exclusive to Grand Rapids Pundit: GR Pundit has come in to possession of a letter being sent to teachers and substitute teachers, preparing them for an impending illegal strike against Grand Rapids Public Schools. View the GREA Strike Letter. The letter, signed by Grand Rapids Education Association president Paul Helder on August 5th, laments the fact that Grand...
Read more »
Find Me Elsewhere
For Your Information
MEA
Exclusive: Grand Rapids Teacher’s Union Planning an Illegal Strike
Who Paid for Proposal 5? You Did!
We did some reseach on who backed Proposal 5 and, to our complete and utter lack of surprise, the far majority of the money came from the National Education Association, aka, the teachers union. How much? $3.4 million. If you’re a teacher, I hope you rest well knowing that so much of your dues...
Read more »
GR Pundit Election Wrap-Up
GR Pundit would like to express contentment with the outcome of the elections in Michigan this year. We have been in favor in a split government, that’s why we weren’t very big fans of a DeVos election. The re-election of Jennifer Granholm will ensure that continued split, with the addition of a Democrat-controlled State...
Read more »
Don’t Bankrupt Michigan – Vote NO on Proposal 5
Proposal five, which will be on Michigan’s ballot on Tuesday, is a union-sponsored and funded campaign to dramatically boost funding for teacher pensions. The proposal basically creates a madatory annual increase for school funding, based on the rate of inflation. However, what the proposal’s backers don’t tell you is that the majority of this...
Read more »
GRPS Loses More Students
The Grand Rapids Press reported today that the Grand Rapids Public Schools lost 1,100 students over last school year. They say this is the largest single-year student loss in a decade. The article (which is not available online) quotes a school board member who’s completely baffled by the loss. Well, gee, who knows, maybe...
Read more »
Area Teachers Best Paid in the Nation
In an interesting article from the Grand Rapids Press, it seems as though area teachers are the best paid in the nation, when cost of living is taken into account. The average teacher in the GR area makes $55,568 in adjusted salary. Bert Bleke, superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools, says that this number...
Read more »
GRPS Sticking to Its Guns
Yesterday the Grand Rapids Public Schools board voted in favor of outsourcing all school bus services. The move is estimated to save $2 million per year for the school district and $18 million over five years. Hundreds of protestors showed up, according to the Press, to try and convince the board not to outsource....
Read more »
Grand Rapids Schools’ Panic
The last few weeks have seen a flurry of activity around the Grand Rapids Schools. Superintendent Bert Bleke, as well as members of the school board, have been screaming about funding. They claim that they need to cut another $18 million from next year’s budget. But, lo and behold, they are actually pursuing some...
Read more »