GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public Schools and its teachers' union continue negotiations over pay as community members push for more transparency in district operations.
CONTRACT DISPUTE: Grand Rapids teachers continue picketing as contract negotiations stall over salary disputes
During Monday night's school board work session meeting, Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby shared her goals and her evaluation was discussed in closed session, prompting criticism from teachers and parents who say such private conversations undermine public trust.
"It doesn't instill a lot of confidence, to be honest. And I also want to see what board members feedback is so I know how to vote next time we have a board election, because there were also some promises made with people who ran for our board," said Kaitlyn Holmwood, a special educator who has worked in the district for eight years.
Holmwood said morale is already low as the teachers union pushes for higher pay. A bargaining negotiations update was provided during the closed session at Monday's work meeting, but those details aren't made public.
SEE MORE: Grand Rapids teachers make progress on contract negotiations despite ongoing salary dispute
Many attendees focused however, on the evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Roby, hoping it would be conducted publicly.
"I believe every employee should have the right to discuss how they are evaluated in private. I'm fine with that, but what I'm not fine is what feels like, just consistently at a district level, we are choosing to err on the side of holding things in dark and not being accountable and transparent to our parents, to our community, to our kids," said Seth Moore, a parent.
In response to Monday's discussions, the district provided a statement to FOX 17:
"Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby has guided GRPS through the development of a new district Strategic Plan and the implementation of the Reimagine GRPS with Us Facility Plan. These efforts are expanding collaborative learning environments and strengthening equity across the district. She looks forward to celebrating this progress through the annual evaluation process, which includes discussions in both open and closed session, consistent with standard superintendent evaluation practice."
The district also shared the Dr. Roby's 2025 Goals presentation:
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