GRANDVILLE, Mich. — Grandville Public Schools selected its next superintendent during a special Board of Education meeting Tuesday night.
After a final round of interviews and community input, the school board picked longtime district leader John Philo to take over the role. Philo will start in his new position July 1.
“I’m humbled to be chosen. I recognize what that means to our community, and that’s not lost on me, and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep the respect and keep the trust that has been shown in me in the process that we just went through,” Philo said.
The decision came after community members filled the room Tuesday night, with many staying for hours to make their voices heard.
Jason Heyboer, president of the school board, said the community wanted a leader who could maintain the district's current trajectory.
“He knows our district, and when we went out and asked our constituents what they were looking for, they really wanted someone who could continue on the great things we're doing here,” Heyboer said.
Michael Gelmi, principal of Central Elementary School, agreed with the board's direction.
“When you got 85% of the folks that like the direction we're going, then it's very indicative of what you want to do moving forward. I think it's great,” Gelmi said.
Grandville parent Nick Brock said he is pleased with the board’s decision, adding that Grandville is known as a “destination district” and he plans to stay involved as his son continues through school.
“I think John being under kind of the tutelage of Roger Bearup, I think that that's a big plus for the district. John knows a lot about the district, and will be able to step in immediately and make some changes and keep things going,” Brock said.
Grandville resident Sheryl Garner said even though her children have already graduated, she still wants to stay involved and support the community.
“I think that the board did a really good job vetting and going through the entire process, while initially I may have had some concerns about not having an external applicant, I absolutely appreciate promoting from within and the knowledge base that John Philo brings,” Garner said.
Grandville parent Cyprian Gardine said he believes the role will shape the district’s future.
“I'm excited for him, I think he's the right guy for the job,” Gardine said.
Philo said the moment became real when he shared the news with his family.
“Last night, I was having dinner with my family. I just kind of slid my phone across the table and showed them when I got a text message and it was just a super cool moment for us as a family. It was just a really nice evening to hang out with my friends and hang out with my family and start dreaming about the future,” Philo said.
As he prepares to take over, Philo said he is looking ahead to the district’s future.
“We need to look again at our strategic plan. We need the community input to tell us kind of where they think from a district level we need to be moving forward. If we can accomplish some of that work and lay a framework for the next few years, I'll count year one as a pretty big accomplishment,” Philo said.
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