Members of the strategic plan working group viewing a screen that lists the strengths of the district, and the following text : 2025 Strategic Plan, Creating a Vision for the Future of GHAPS

Survey:  GHAPS Mission, Values, and Tagline

During the strategic planning process, it became clear to our leadership team that our mission, values, and tagline would benefit from a refresh with new insights from our stakeholders.

Over the past year, GHAPS has heard from thousands of community members – including students, teachers, parents, and other staff – who have shared their experiences with GHAPS, hopes for the future, and opportunities for us to improve. The district's leadership team took what they learned from those surveys, site visits, and listening sessions to develop draft language and is seeking community input through this survey.

The survey asks you to vote on the terms and statements that best capture the district we aspire to be, based on the following criteria:

  • Mission: The “why” — What’s our core purpose?
  • Values: The “how” — What principles guide our behavior and decisions?
  • Tagline: A memorable and inspiring reflection of the district's core values and goals.

We will use the results of this survey to develop final language, which we will present to the Board for approval at the June 16 School Board Meeting.

2025 Strategic Planning Initiative

Grand Haven Area Public Schools has begun the process of developing a new district strategic plan. Through this process, we will establish new vision statements and goals that will guide our priorities and shape the educational experience for students and families over the next decade and beyond. 

After reviewing extensive data and survey responses, a Strategic Plan Working Group identified three key themes that will drive the Strategic Plan's objectives and initiatives moving forward:

  • Rigorous, Relevant and Engaging Learning. 
  • Financial Responsibility & Sustainability. 
  • Communication, Transparency, and Trust. 

The final plan will be presented during the June 16 GHAPS School Board Meeting, which will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Education Service Center, located at 1415 S. Beechtree St.

To learn more about the group's progress each month, refer to the Planning Timeline section below.

Listening & Learning

During the first half of the 2024-2025 school year, we laid the foundation for this work by gathering feedback from staff, students, families, and the community, including:

  • Development of a Capital Projects Committee

  • Stakeholder workshops: more than 75 community members and 50 staff members representing every school participated.

  • Coffee & Connect Community Sessions: 8 sessions were held throughout the community, offering an opportunity to meet face-to-face with the superintendent.

  • High School Student Survey: More than 1,000 students completed the survey.

  • Superintendent Advisory Council: Formed in November at Grand Haven High School, Central High School, and Lakeshore Middle School to gather more in-depth student input.

  • "On the Road" Staff Meetings: Superintendent Perkowski presented the findings from the workshop sessions, community input sessions, and student survey during morning staff meetings at each GHAPS school and remained in each building to answer questions for the remainder of the school day.

Thank you to everyone who completed our staff, student, family, and community input surveys–altogether, we had more than 1,600 responses! 

Planning Timeline

January

  • Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting 1: A Strategic Plan Working Group was formed to provide valuable insights and serve as a sounding board to help shape a long-term plan that is focused on student learning outcomes and reflects the needs and aspirations of our entire community. Learn more about the Strategic Plan Working Group.


February

  • Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting 2–Data Review: The Strategic Plan Working Group spent time reviewing data, including input from the community engagement sessions and student survey, as well as enrollment trends, achievement data, and more. The group then worked to identify district strengths and challenges based on the data they reviewed.


March

  • Staff Survey: Our annual Staff Perception and Climate Surveys were distributed to all GHAPS staff, with three open-ended questions added to gather input on the strategic planning process.   
  • Parent Survey: Parents and other caregivers were sent a survey in order to better understand district priorities based on family perspectives.
  • Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting 3–Themes & Goals: Building on the data the working group reviewed at the last strategic planning meeting, they began refining the themes that will serve as the pillars and eventual goals of the strategic plan. The group also examined root causes of the challenges identified during the February meeting and which of those root causes represent the highest priorities and greatest opportunities for improvement.

April

  • Community Survey: The district launched a community-wide survey to gain further insights about the strengths and challenges facing the district.
  • Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting 4–Goal Statements: After reviewing additional data and exploring the themes that will anchor the strategic plan, the Strategic Plan Working Group broke out into groups to brainstorm and prioritize potential initiatives that will enable GHAPS to advance the three themes listed below:
    • Rigorous, Relevant and Engaging Learning. We empower every student to thrive in an ever-evolving world by providing relevant, rigorous, and engaging learning experiences that spark curiosity, foster critical thinking, and prepare them for a successful future.
    • Financial Responsibility & Sustainability. We manage our resources responsibly to meet the needs of our students, staff,  schools, and broader community today, while planning carefully to ensure long-term stability.
    • Communication, Transparency, and Trust. We are a beacon of pride in our community, fostering trust through transparency, open communication, and genuine collaboration.

May

  • Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting 5 – Communication & Monitoring: The group reviewed and refined the draft initiatives and objectives from April's meeting, helping to clarify the "big rocks" of the strategic priorities and ensuring the objectives are actionable and measurable.
  • Each group then participated in a storytelling activity, helping each group member view the plan through the lens of a student’s experience. These stories helped bring the plan to life and reminded us why this work is so important.
  • The meeting concluded with stakeholder mapping, identifying key messages and outreach strategies to engage students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the broader GHAPS community in the roll-out of the Strategic Plan.

June

  • Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting 6–Reviewing the Plan: Before presenting the district's final Strategic Plan to the Board of Education, the group will review the plan and continue discussing how the plan will be monitored and communicated moving forward.

Questions?

As we continue to collect and analyze data, there will be more opportunities for surveys, superintendent engagement sessions, and focus groups. However, if you have a question or comment you would like to submit for the Strategic Plan Working Group's consideration, please complete our questions and comments submission form.