GRAND HAVEN — Tensions arose between parents and school officials in Grand Haven last month after the district announced it will close Mary A. White Elementary School and transition it into a nature-based learning program beginning in the 2025-26 school year. 

On Feb. 20, Grand Haven Superintendent Kristin Perkowski announced in a district-wide email a plan to redistrict the boundaries for elementary school buildings to adapt to declining student enrollment and add more early childhood education opportunities to make the district more attractive to young families. 

Under that plan, Mary A. White Elementary will transition into an early learning center for the 2025-26 school year with a focus on nature-based learning programs. 

Students who currently attend Mary A. White will be relocated between three other Grand Haven elementaries:

• Rosy Mound Elementary will take students living west of Beacon Boulevard (US-31)
• Peach Plains Elementary will take students living on the north side of River Haven (Springbrook Drive and north, plus Oaktree)
• Robinson Elementary will take students on the south side of River Haven (Winding Creek Drive and south)

Perkowski told parents during a community meeting Feb. 24 that the district has lost 1,000 students over the past 10 years and that projections over the next five years will see an additional loss of 650 students over the next five years.

Hundreds of parents and staff who attended the meeting voiced opposition to the plan over what they described as a lack of transparency over the decision and that the district didn’t previously share data regarding the district’s funding and enrollment projections before making the move. 

Perkowski seemingly walked back the announcement on March 10, informing the district that the plan would need the approval of Grand Haven Area Public Schools Board. 

Parents, local officials and staff members spoke out again in opposition of the plan at the school board’s March 10 meeting at Lakeshore Middle School. 

Despite more than two hours of public comment in heavy opposition, the school board voted 5-2 to move forward with the plan.

The gathering was filled with tension and push back from community members. Current parents and faculty members wore “Mary A. White Proud” T-shirts and stood together behind Lisa Bell to come to the defense of their school.

“The decision was made outside of the district’s strategic planning process, closing the school would still be hard but at least it might feel purposeful if we could see how this step connects to a larger, well-thought-out strategy,” Bell said. “No such plan has been presented, no next steps, no long-term vision — just this one rushed decision.”

“Based on the responses that have been received so far, it's clear that this process has been rushed and has had a lack of transparency," said parent Nate Johnson during public comment. "A truly transparent process would have involved the community, teachers, administrators, long before this plan was released just weeks ago. The lack of planning makes for poor outcomes.”

School board members said they hoped the changes next year would generate more enrollment and opportunities for GHAPS to accumulate more funding and schooling opportunities for the district. 

Meanwhile, Holland Public Schools has also planned to make a similar move.

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Superintendent Nick Cassidy announced in February that the district will consolidate its elementary programs into three buildings and add an early childhood center by 2027.

The proposal would move Holland Language Academy into the Jefferson building to give the program more space, while the current HLA building will be converted into an early childhood learning center.

Elementary students not in HLA would be redistricted between a new Holland Heights school and West Elementary.

— Lilian Burton covers education for Ottawa News Network. Contact her at lburton@ottawanewsnetwork.org.