Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Since 1854 — News from Montcalm County and Ionia County, Michigan
In preparation for next fall, the Ionia Public Schools Board of Education approved three projects on Monday: new tennis courts and two fresh parking lots.
Board members voted unanimously, with Trustee Roger Hull absent, to allocate $2,220,101 from the district’s sinking fund and capital projects fund for the projects.
From riding on new school buses to completing coursework on new Chromebooks, students at Ionia Public Schools will have a number of new resources to utilize in the upcoming school year.
The Ionia Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday to purchase two new buses for $212,680
The Ionia Public Schools Board of Education members recognized three students for recent outstanding accomplishments with framed certificates at Monday’s meeting.
Superintendent Ben Gurk said the school board commended Ionia High School student athlete and Boy Scout Riley Husted, who recently received his Eagle Scout badge and will have his Eagle Scout Court of Honor next week. Riley’s project was helping to create and implement the high school’s Bull Dog Wall of Honor to recognize Ionia High School military veterans, for which he raised money and volunteered “countless hours,” Gurk said.
A new English language arts course for Ionia High School seniors intended to simplify and streamline the 12th-grade curriculum while still providing students and teachers “innovative flexibility within the curriculum” was approved by the Ionia Public Schools Board of Education on Monday.
All school board members were present except for Trustee Roger Hull who has now been absent from 11 of the last 13 school board meetings.
When searching for a sense of identity throughout Greenville Public Schools, Josh Kirshman found in searching throughout the district’s seven buildings that one thing was missing: Consistency.
Hired as a systems coordinator in the district’s technology department last November, Kirshman was tasked upon his arrival to tackle marketing and communication.
Every year, the Greenville Public Schools Board of Education entertains a list of goals from its superintendent. Last week, the status of those goals was brought to their attention.
During the March 14 board meeting, Superintendent Linda Van Houten updated trustees on her progress of completing goals she created for herself to be completed during the 2021-2022 school year.
The Ionia Public Schools Board of Education heard good news from the superintendent at Monday’s meeting.
Graduation rates at Douglas R. Welch High School have increased by 17% from the prior year and at Ionia High School by 6%, said Superintendent Ben Gurk. Graduation rates from last spring were recently released by the Michigan Department of Education.
Ionia Public Schools Board of Education member Roger Hull was once again absent from Monday’s school board meeting, along with Vice President Ken Baker and board member Brian Siemen.
For Hull, absence has become a regular occurrence.
March is National Reading Month and the Lakeview Community Schools Board of Education heard a presentation at Monday’s meeting about encouraging high school students to become lifelong readers.
Lakeview High School Spanish teacher Delaina Friedman noted people typically think of March is Reading Month being related to the elementary school, where it is “a big deal.”
Members of the Greenville Public Schools Board of Education are looking to purchase two new buses for the 2022-2023 school year.
During Monday’s meeting, GPS Finance Director Maureen Fleet provided a bid from Midwest Transit of Marshall at a rate of $105,352.27 per bus.
