GRPS feels the time is right to ask voters for $175 million

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-Momentum is high with the Grand Rapids Public School District.  Graduation rates, attendance rates and ACT scores are all up in the district, that's why district officials feel the time is right to ask for $175 million in a bond proposal this coming November.  The district is beginning what it calls phase two of its transformation plan.  That master plan includes expanding the Enviornmental Science Academy all the way through grade 12, a Public Museum School, a Zoo School and even a Baccalaureate Academy.  If the bond passes, the average homeowner with a home valued at $100,000 would pay $8.33 more per month, or $100 per year for 20 to 25 years.  If the bond measure fails, Director of Communications at GRPS, John Helmholdt says the district would have to rely more on private donors, which could slow down some of the expansion plans.