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GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Hi, I'm Diana.
I'm a parent, I'm a former Early Childhood Education Large Center Director, Head Start Teacher, and community organizer in Grand Rapids.
There's one reason I'm here:
I believe the board should be made up of people with one of the following credentials: someone who has worked directly in GRPS with students or is a caregiver or guardian to a GRPS student. Our school boards should not be a political launchpad where money moves, deals get made, and political operatives "take over" a party -- and at the expense of our schools, our children, and our community.
For this reason, you won't see the following from me:
I won't fundraise a single dollar. Money doesn't belong here.
I won't be asking for endorsements.
I'll tell you who I am below and you, the parents, the community members, and the tax payers can determine if you'd like me to be in the room to think pragmatically, hold systems of power accountable, and act on your behalf for the well-being of our schools, teachers, and children.
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My Why
Like many people who graduated college during the Great Recession, there weren't a lot of options in Michigan; and so I found myself out-of-state in Colorado, where I began working with children in the early childhood setting. In order to maintain my job I enrolled in an extension program, taking all necessary courses to become Large Center Director qualified in the state of Colorado.
I tested and received my Large Center Director license, on top of my BFA from Alma College.
I grew into an Assistant Center Director for YMCA of the Rockies ECE program and began obtaining my Masters Degree in ECE with Special Education Endorsement through UNC and UC Denver, before moving to a new city and taking a role in Head Start. My last year teaching was 2012 before I went into the private sector.
Much of my teaching foundation was in the Reggio Emelia approach with a strong attentiveness to behaviorism. I have always observed that behavior reveals itself when communication fails and so we must see the root of the behavior as separate from the individual's intention and desire.
- Children require and deserve our full respect. They can handle complex issues.
- Behavior tells us what someone can't say. It's our job as facilitators to provide the space for regulation.
- Social Emotional development is the foundation of learning. A child who has strong development in this area can master academic tasks, including when something doesn't go right.
- Our foundation of education in our country is based on some theory that is outdated, debunked, and carries biases - it is critical we review and change our perspective when necessary.
- Our role as adults is to not only model but to create the least restrictive environment for success. Create the right space, provide the resources necessary, and the child will take ownership of their space and learning, creating things we often never would have thought of. Our job is to step back.
- Equity is required in all spaces, in all actions. We must create the environment to not only be accessible but equitable for the best outcome for every human being.
My partner and I moved to Michigan in late 2018 and after years of fertility challenges, I had our child three weeks before covid hit. Suffice to say: we've had a time navigating parenting, childcare, schools, and care for our child since his birth. It hasn't been easy and we've relied heavily on county resources for support when we've needed it.
Our GRPS Experience
There is a big issue we faced: our community school is in complete disarray. Most days I found myself cleaning the playground after drop-off; it was littered with broken glass and trash. The black top was destroyed, tree branches fell in front of me, and metal railings were left cut. Not to mention, the inside of the school. A/C isn't planned until 2030 as part of Reimagine GRPS . The "water puddle" behind the toilets is just a well-known issue. The facilities are old and underfunded. Most of the time the staff and teachers are just trying to cover each other for ratio, let alone be present on the unfenced playground.
For our family, we had to seek other options in Kindergarten. We applied for theme schools. The district's answer to failing neighborhood schools, which has essentially created in-district charter schools. We were accepted into a wonderful school knowing that that meant we got a better opportunity while our neighbors didn't . We transport our child past at least 5 public schools across town to attend a school with more resources, newer facilities, air conditioning. We have had to change our work schedules to accommodate the late starts the theme schools have. We have made sacrifices just to get our child into the safest and healthiest school we can.
And let me be clear: this is of no fault of the teachers or the local school admin. Their hands are tied. When I hear, "well, we didn't get outdoor custodial this year", I am in disbelief.
When my child begs to take a lunch to school because they run out - of the state funded free-lunch program - I am floored. Why are we running out? Have you seen the menus? Tell me how a cheese breadstick meets nutritional standards?
For us, we have enough resources we can send in what we need (we typically don't because we don't want to create an issue among peers), we can adjust our schedules to get our child into the best option of the poor options that we have. It's not fair that we can do that while others can't.
We want to see a district that thrives in every neighborhood, for every family. We want to walk to school. We want to know our neighbors because we work together on school items down the street - and GRPS continues to move away from that.
It's time for me to put up or shut up.
FUNDRAISE OR SEEK ENDORSEMENTS
From my perspective, between 2014-2020, and in the years surrounding the first Trump admin, so many were desperately trying to organize anything to oppose what we were seeing at the federal level. Groups like Emily’s List, Indivisible, Together We Will, etc. all emerged across the country. There were playbook after playbook to win back political power for Democrats. A big tactic was to “run for your school board” as a jumping off space for political careers. It was considered low stakes and a way to practice politics.
So, here we are.
We see school boards full of people trying to launch political careers to gain power and access. This is a tactic both parties are executing and it's why I won't pander to either.
If you want a career in politics, respectfully, you don't belong practicing and gaining power at the expense of our kid's lives.
I want school boards full of career educators and parents invested in the districts’ success. Full stop.
After much conversation and encouragement, I have decided to add my name to the list. I don't want money. I really don't want attention. I want to use my skills, should the community deem them worthy, to make a difference in our schools. So - email me at diana4grps@gmail.com and ask me anything. I'm here to tell you who I am and how I approach decision making.
I'm a pragmatist and a doer. I execute based on the best information I have. I won't promise to always be right, but I promise to weigh the information and make the best choice I can.
If you've known me or organized with me, you will know it's rare I back down from social pressure. What matters is what is just, ethical, and serves the people involved. The last thing I care about is being liked. I'm not doing this to make friends or deals, I'm doing this for a better community resource that serves all of us. I really could care less about the personal matters of it all. You can either trust me to go in and advocate for us or not - and that's why I don't want to leave that choice up to anyone but you.