“F—–g dumpster fire” and “Wicked Witch of the West” were both quoted to describe the Grosse Pointe Public School System (GPPSS) district and employees in the newly released 74 page report the school board voted to release in late February. Regardless of the core reason why the report was produced, the report does not reflect well on GPPSS. Aside from the multiple words having to be redacted due to profanity when referring to GPPSS employees, larger problems within the district were addressed that have grown to be deeply concerning to us at The Tower.
From the first day of school in kindergarten, we were taught to treat everyone from our peers to elders with respect. No matter the background, wealth or position, those adults are ones that all students look up to as role models. In recent years, from tuning into one school board meeting, anyone can understand that the demeanor of conversations between board members in a public forum are not those that students on the playgrounds should model their disagreements off of.
When being elected to the board and when taking administrative positions, those individuals should understand that there will be disagreements, and they should know how to navigate them in a professional manner. What the public has seen in past years has reflected a board that does not know how to work collaboratively. We at The Tower are calling for board members to work civilly together to make decisions that are in the best interest of the community and student body.
It is easy to compare our local school board to the national stage. Americans are deeply politically divided, arguably more than ever, but they can agree on the state of political discourse. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2023, 84 percent of Americans believe that political discussions have become less respectful. This statistic is reflected at the local level, with polarizing actions and language used at the school board.
With being sworn in at the start of the 2025 year, we at The Tower are calling for the new board to reflect on the language and contents of the report to move forward as a community. History is taught so it doesn’t repeat, just as reflecting on the report will be a crucial process for the community to grow in future. The language and implications used to describe board members are those that should not be repeated in the future.
We at The Tower believe that the school board should be an institution where decisions are made and problems solved in a respectful manner. Trustees should not be polarizing figures in the community, but should bring the community together. Trustees should not represent one end of the district, but should represent every student from Defer to Mason. Trustees should treat each other with respect when addressing each other, administrators and the community.
In the current political climate of the world, it can be difficult to remember our similarities. No matter your political opinions, we are more alike than different. Grosse Pointers enjoy the same schools, the same elementary school choir recitals, the same high school sporting events, the list goes on. While conversations centered around the budget at the board level are a necessity for the well-being of our schools, we must recognize that all community and board members should have the same goal: to do what is best for the students of GPPSS.
