In 2025, the Grosse Pointe Public School System (GPPSS) passed a $120 million bond proposal, practically approving a huge improvement plan. South is funded by a mix of public, district-wide taxes, state-mandated aid and booster-organized fundraising across the community. Despite all of this, not all of that funding appears to be used in ways that directly benefit and impact the student body as a whole.

When looking into South’s spending, I notice that a lot of the school’s money gets funneled into areas like athletics, aesthetic campus upgrades and extracurriculars that only serve a small portion of the student body. While these programs surely have value, they might be overshadowing more pressing needs, such as classroom resources like school supplies, mental health support and overall comfort for the student body. I hear criticisms yearly about things such as the school’s central air conditioning system and how it could be improved with just some of the money that is put towards other things.

Students and teachers most directly feel the impacts of these choices, working and learning in classrooms with outdated textbooks and limited resources. When comparing the money spent on various arts and sporting events that don’t directly improve academic performance or student support, it’s clear that there is a large imbalance in what the school values most. Now, the issue isn’t the amount of funding South receives, whether from the state or community fundraisers, but rather how that money is distributed. In a time when academics are so challenging for every student, with the rigorous college application process and constant struggle of AP classes and exams, it would be nice to see a prioritization of the student body and their educational needs as a whole.

Now, this is all with full respect to the other organizations, such as the Mothers Club, which raises substantial funds to support programs at South. These fundraisers are often designated specifically for extracurricular activities, so they do not necessarily divert money from academic resources. But these organizations are not what I’m referring to when I talk about South’s funding; I’m talking about funding provided not by organizational groups.

I feel like there could be more mindful changes made in future years when it comes to South’s funding. Specifically, I believe that district administration should take more advice from students on what they find needs to change and be fixed around their school. We spend the majority of our time at school as students, and I feel like we should have more of a say in what is being implemented or improved at our school.