Grand Rapids Public Schools is hosting a meeting Wednesday night and Friday morning to discuss Governor Rick Snyder’s state budget proposal. The district would face a $25 million budget shortfall if lawmakers approve Snyder’s budget.
Snyder is asking lawmakers to approve cutting $470 per student for all public school districts. That’s roughly a 4% cut from what the state sent them last year.
Grand Rapids Schools spokesman John Helmholdt says that big of a cut would impact students in the classroom.
“Everything is going to be on the table. We’ve made $70 million in budget cuts over the last decade and the proposed cut this year is twice as large as the previously largest cut in that decade.”
Helmholdt says parents will find out what’s in Governor Snyder’s budget, how it’ll affect GRPS and what they can do to help stop the cuts from being so drastic.
The meetings are set for Wednesday, March 9 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm at Union High School’s IMC and Friday, March 11 from 11:00am to 1:00pm at the Administration Building auditorium.
