On Thursday evening, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority held a forum at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) for candidates in the May 6 elections for the Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) Board of Education. On May 6, voters will chose two candidates to fill two four-year terms and one candidate to fill a one-year term. Candidates Jane Gietzen, Gordon Griffin, Kenneth Hoskins (current board member), Derrick Martin, and Luis Pena (a current board member who was not present at the forum) will compete for four-year terms, while Tony Baker and Senita Lenear (a current member) will compete for the one-year partial term.

As part of Mediamouse.org's commitment to cover local elections and specifically candidate forums, what follows are summaries of the questions asked of the candidates and their responses. Unfortunately, we were unable to stay for audience questions.

Opening Statements - Why Running:

Lenear: She is a 13-year employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield with experience in labor relations, human resources, and community affairs. She has a daughter at the Montessori high school and she believes that awareness of the postive things happening in the district could bring people back.

Gietzen: She is the mother of children in the district's Montessori program. She has three main emphases: passion--she is driven by her children to improve GRPS, commitment--she is involved in the classroom and in district committees, and skills--she has worked for Spectrum Health and has relevant experience.

Griffin: He has twenty-eight years of experience in the GRPS as both a teacher and a principal. He has nothing but respect for the GRPS but believes that the district can do better. He believes in the schools and wants to make them better and he is capable of working with others to make these improvements.

Hoskins: He has been the board president for the last two years and has served for vice president for a year. He wants to realize the potential of all children and he believes that while advocating in Lansing is important, we must do all that we can to help children receive a quality education. He wants to enhance community and parental involvement.

Martin: He was a student at GVSU and Central High School. He has been active in GRPS for many years, including a run for the board in 2000. He wants to help provide a productive and safe environment for employees and students. He says that the current board has become stagnate and that it is time for a change.

Baker: His campaign theme is "We are GRPS." He said that the Grand Rapids public needs to take ownerships of the schools. Everyone needs to get involved because the problems at and in the schools are community problems. He currently has two kids in Montessori and is a sociology professor.

Many are concerned about youth violence in the community, what can the schools do about gangs?

Baker: As a parent, if his children came home and said that there was a problem with gangs he would go talk with the principal. As a board member and sociologist, he would be careful when using the term "gang" because of the stigma that it attaches to children. He said that using the term can often turn children into something that we fear. He believes that we must engage students in school to combat gangs. He said that one way of doing this is having strong leadership and principals.

Lenear: Gangs give children a sense of acceptance and approval. The GRPS needs to provide more positive activities for children to engage in. She said that while Grand Rapids is a "program rich" community, many people are unaware of the existing programs and that the GRPS could help build awareness of the programs. She cited the LOOP Program as an example of keeping kids out of trouble. She also said that it would be beneficial to partner with the Grand Rapids Police Department to learn about gangs. Finally, parents need to be educated about the problem.

Gietzen: Gangs provide children with a support system; GRPS needs to find a better way to fill those needs. She suggested improving relationships with neighborhood associations. Also, because it is a multi-faceted problem, she mentioned her experience in bringing different stakeholders together.

Griffin: There is nothing GRPS can do to solve this alone--it is a societal issue. There needs to be law enforcement, community, and parental involvement. Kids are disenfranchised and have real needs but often join gangs because they do not know what to do. It is a means of reaching out and GRPS may be able to intervene.

Hoskins: The gang problem has to be taken seriously. He is on a Grand Rapids-GRPS liaison committee to talk about issues such as this. GRPS needs to teach students to avoid peer pressure. He cited the LOOP Program and sports as alternatives, but said that the schools can do much more.

Martin: Agreed with much of what the other candidates said, but the GRPS needs to acknowledge that the problem exists. The board is treating it as a PR issue rather than a safety issue.

A recent study referred to GRPS high schools as "dropout factories," how can the number of drop-outs be reduced? How can students be given the skills for the 21st century?

Lenear: She refutes the study and said that it erroneously counted results by ignoring differences in local, state, and federal criteria for determining who is a dropout. She said that there are dropout recovery and alternative high school programs in the district and that those help many students. She said that new buildings and learning environments will help students take ownership. A switch to a trimester system for classes will also help.

Gietzen: She said that the GRPS needs to agree on a measurement and use it. Dropouts are more likely to fall into poverty. She said that raising the dropout age to 18 and the plan for "Centers for Innovation" and small schools will also help keep kids engaged. She said that the trimester change will also help, as will counseling.

Griffin: He agrees with the others that it was a poor report. He said that 90% of students are not dropping out and that the GRPS needs to recognize its accomplishments more. He said it is similar to the gang problem; there is a lack of affirmation for students. Unfortunately, he said there is a lot of pressure on middle and high school teachers to teach to a curriculum that makes it hard for them to have alternative ways of evaluating students.

Hoskins: The report didn't take into account those who may have moved out of the district. However, there is still a lot to be done in the high schools. The "Phase 2" building plan for the high schools will help as will improving the curriculum as part of the "Phase 2" changes.

Martin: He said that there were 405 students in his class when he entered Central High School in 1996 and only 105 when he graduated. He said that there needs to be truancy officers and stronger truancy ordinances.

Baker: The data was flawed and the headlines were erroneous. He said that the current board recognizes the challenges but the resources at many schools are not what they should be. He said that he will ask the community for the best resources and that a new physical infrastructure is needed.

Poverty is a reality for many GRPS students, how can the schools better serve those in poverty?

Gietzen: 81% of students in the district qualify for free and reduced lunch. The departure of the middle class is hurting everyone and there needs to be quality programs and choices to bring them back into the district. She also said that those with privilege make a lot of assumptions and that staff needs to understand what it is like to live in poverty.

Griffin: Poverty is not just about money, but also power and transportation. He said that there needs to be an environment that is welcoming and affirming for children. Community partnerships are necessary. It will help children if the schools promote the view that there is something that students can do to improve their position aside from just their parents' wealth.

Hoskins: A better educational system is key to combating poverty. In Grand Rapids, there is a 23% child poverty rate. Students who receive quality educations will ultimately bring resources back into community. It is essential to be innovative in academics and also to develop more philanthropic partnerships.

Martin: He said that the district needs to bring together community resources to address the problem. He also argued that GRPS contributed to poverty in the district when it voted to privatize bus drivers. The district is still pushing for privatization.

Baker: The middle class is choosing other options. However, GRPS needs to produce a quality education product for those still in the district. He said it is essential that we believe and expect that kids can learn. He said that early child education programs such as Pre-K are essential.

Lenear: Poverty is diverse and needs to be understood. That said, she said that there are a number of programs--transportation passes, homeless programs, free lunch programs, dental and health programs, and summer food programs--that are addressing this issue. They haven't eradicated poverty but they are helping.

English as a second language is important in the district, how can the schools help reduce the language barrier?

Griffin: Many kids in GRPS now speak three or four languages. There are children at the sixth and seventh grade levels trying to learn English and it is difficult to catch them up. It is essential that GRPS remain sensitive to not only language differences but also cultural differences and how those play out in the classroom and on standardized tests.

Hoskins: The problem is difficult as students represent 70 countries with 49 different languages. There must be adequately trained teachers--and existing can be trained. He reiterated his call for innovative academic programs. A challenge cited by Hoskins was that the district only has a year to get students speaking English before they have to take the MEAP test.

Martin: He echoed what the others said and said that he things it is important to expose English speakers to different languages earlier.

Baker: He said that it is important that GRPS does not debate immigration or immigration status and that the district teach all of its students and work hard to do it. He said that it is critical that the staff understand diversity and cultural differences.

Lenear: She said that she is on the board's legislative committee and is trying to get federal support for ESL programs. She said that it is an incredible barrier for students and parents when they have difficulties communicating. She said that the district has sacrificed money from its operations budget to pay for ESL programs.

Gietzen: She said that this is a community issue and that it is an opportunity for creative partnerships. She also said that it is essential to learn about different cultures.

What are your thoughts on the GRPS's proposed plan to eliminate comprehensive high schools to replace them with theme schools?

Hoskins: He said that whether the bond passes or not, there must be an improvement made to the high schools. He said that the question needs to be asked, "are our children worth it?" He said the answer was "yes."

Martin: He is not totally against the plan, but he has some concerns--particularly with regard to the fact that the board paid thousands to a consulting firm to find out that a bond was needed. He said that this shows the board is out of touch with the community. He would like to see new schools.

Baker: Based on research, he thinks small schools will work as they provide a better learning environment. He said that there needs to be a lot of community input and work on the plan. He said that two potential cons are possible "brain drain" with most ambitious students going to the theme schools and that there is a possible problem with requiring students to cross gang lines.

Lenear: The district must do things differently and this plan will improve the status quo. He said that it will increase engagement in the schools, attract new students, and increase achievement. She said it will also help students have a more clear career path.

Gietzen: Four high schools haven't met standards for years and they need to change. The small schools offer more variety and better programs. She said that there may be negatives with transportation, but that she would rather have GRPS do it than have it pushed onto the district.

Griffin: This is an idea that is long in coming and it could help attract students to the district. However, he is frustrated that teachers have not been very involved. He said that GRPS needs to take its time with this and he is currently unsure that the community is involved. It is essential that there is wide involvement to avoid revisiting it in five years.