Kent ISD superintendent’s philosophy: ‘lead with kindness’

In his 30 years in public education, Dr. Ron Gorman has served as a teacher, principal, K-12 administrator and now as superintendent of Kent ISD. In this episode of “Study Hall,” Dr. Gorman talks about his evolution from an indifferent student at Godfrey-Lee Public Schools to overseeing nearly 100,000 students in Kent County, the vast array of Kent ISD’s programs and the funding challenges districts face in the coming school year.

For more great stories about the changes and challenges of school districts in West Michigan, check out our website, School News Network.org. And if you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying! 

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Well, hello everyone. Welcome to Study Hall from School News Network, your window into the public schools of Kent County, Michigan. I am your host, Charlie Honey, and along with our Supersound guy, Max Wickland, we are here today with Dr. Ron Gorman, superintendent of Kent ISD, and longtime educator in West Michigan. Dr. Gorman is the lead administrator of an intermediate school district serving just under 100,000 students in 20 local public school districts, as well as charter schools and Kent ISD's own programs. Kent ISD is one of 56 intermediate school districts in Michigan, which provide services to about 1.5 million students in more than 500 public school districts. ISDs are multifaceted agencies that help students receive valuable educational services that their own districts can't necessarily or easily provide, and they support local districts with everything from finances to technology to teacher training. Dr. Gorman was named Kent ISD Superintendent in 2024, succeeding the retiring Ron Kayler. In 2022, Dr. Gorman had been hired as assistant superintendent of instructional services for Kent ISD after serving for 25 years at Grand Rapids Public Schools. At GRPS, he was a classroom teacher and principal, pre-K-12 administrator, and interim superintendent for the 2019-20 school year. Dr. Gorman holds a bachelor's degree from Aquinas College, a master's in educational leadership from Michigan State University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Western Michigan University. Dr. Gorman lives in Grand Rapids with his wife, Melissa, and their two children who are still in public schools. And he's a huge Detroit Lions fan. 100%. Welcome, Ron.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Yeah. It's great to have you here. So I kind of given the overview of your professional background, but I'm really interested in your personal background, how you got into education. Why you became an educator, and I understand your personal background begins in Scotland across the sea.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Trevor Burrus, Jr. It does, yes.

From Scotland To West Michigan

SPEAKER_01 2:19

So uh in 1979, my my mom and I moved uh from Glasgow, Scotland to Wyoming, Michigan. And uh we had some family members who came here before us uh for better opportunities. Uh many of my family members worked at Steel Case and and other factories around town. I attended the Godfrey Lee Public Schools uh first grade and until I graduated, of course, so the entire time. We moved around uh a few times throughout that journey. Uh after high school, um quite frankly, I wasn't I wasn't college-bound, uh, but I gave Grand Rapids Community College a try. My first go-around, I wasn't successful. And so uh I joined the Army. I signed up for eight years in the U.S. Army Reserves, so uh went to basic training in AIT, advanced individual training. And while I was in basic training, I had a lot of time to think, and I was really thinking about what the next move would be for me. And even though I didn't do well in school, especially in my high school years, I always felt very comfortable in a school. And so I said, you know what, I might want to be an elementary or a middle school teacher. So when I uh got out of uh basic training, AIT, and I was uh just had my monthly responsibilities and my annual responsibilities with the military, I gave uh GRCC a try once again and was successful. Uh after that, transferred to Aquinas College, and my student teaching placement at Aquinas College was in the Grand Rapids Public Schools at Brookside Elementary. I was a uh fall student teacher, and many times it's difficult for a fall student teacher to land a job uh around the holidays, but I was very fortunate, and I landed a job at Eastern Elementary as a second grade teacher. Quite frankly, that wasn't on the bingo card to be uh a second grade teacher, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience. And after that, I kind of matriculated my way through uh Grand Rapids Public in various roles. My first leadership position was a middle school athletic director, and then I moved to an assistant principal and athletic director at uh Grand Rapids uh Central High School. And then after that was uh provided some principalship opportunities, and I would say the one of which I'm most proud is being Creston High School's principal. It's an incredibly rewarding position.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Trevor Burrus Creston being where City High is now. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Where City High is now, same building. I just absolutely uh loved everything about Crest and uh loved being a high school principal, quite frankly. Um my mentor, Teresa Weatherall Neal, uh, called me one day after year four at Creston and asked to uh talk to me about quite frankly my future. And I went into her office on what must have been her first or second day as interim superintendent, and she showed me an organizational chart and pointed to all the high schools and said, I'd like you to be the executive director of high schools and alternative education. And so I was fortunate enough to serve under Theresa Weatherall Neal for gosh, maybe six or seven years as an executive director of uh high schools, and then uh moved on to assistant superintendent of the district. Uh and then uh it was uh the the plan to uh possibly be Teresa Weatherall Neal's successor. And uh at that time I had two small children, and it was probably one of the most difficult things I had to say to Teresa is uh maybe I'll pass this time. Uh the district went on a national search and decided uh that you know they may need to do another search, and I was approached by the board president at the time and said, hey, would you step up for a year and be our interim

Leadership Journey Through GRPS

SPEAKER_01 6:30

superintendent? And as much as the district uh did for me, has done for me in my life, I said, absolutely I'll step up for a year. Uh the year I stepped up, uh things were going wonderfully until March, and uh the pandemic hit. So my claim to fame is uh I didn't we didn't have a snow day that year, but I'm the superintendent who called off the most days in uh GRPS history. What we thought was going to be a couple of weeks around spring break turned out to be a very long time.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

It's quite a mark of distinction.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Aaron Powell Yes. Yeah. It turned out to be a very long time. But uh so yes, after the pandemic, um I went back to uh deputy superintendent role for a couple of years supporting uh Dr. Roby. I had a wonderful time uh supporting her work, and then uh was encouraged to apply at Ken ISD for an assistant superintendent position uh in instructional services. Ron Kalar, of course, another mentor I have that you referenced, uh worked worked with him uh that first year and the second year, you know, he uh he took some time off and uh he said, I'm going to need you to step in and take on some superintendent responsibilities. That was my my second year uh here, and then at the end of the year, uh would you consider being Ron Kayler's successor? And uh telling you what, I but I was ready at that time. And you know, it this is the end of technically the end of year two, even though it's around three years with with Ron being absent a little bit, but it's a wonderful place to work. And I've been here four years. So twenty-five years in Grand Rapids, uh now four years at Ken ISD going into year thirty.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Aaron Ross Powell So a real you you know education from top to bottom, you really do. I do.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Yeah, I've had many, many positions in education. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

Yes. And uh your your wife Melissa is a special education. Yeah. So you guys are fully into education. Now, as I understand

Two Educators Who Changed Everything

SPEAKER_00 8:40

it, Dr. Garmin, there was a moment in was it high school when things were not going so well for you, but somebody stepped in and made a difference for you educationally.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Aaron Ross Powell You know that there are two individuals who made a difference in my life, um, one of whom is a gentleman who is still an athletic director in the Wyoming Public Schools. His name is Ted Holloran, Coach Ted Holloran. Coach Holloran uh must he must have close to 40 years in education now. But I was walking down an alley in the Godfrey Lee neighborhood uh when I was, gosh, I must have been 16 or 17 years of age, and he pulled up next to me and he said, uh I I need you to he called me Stormman. I don't even know why I'm sharing that on the podcast, but Stormman and Gorman, right? So he called me Stormman. I was five feet nothing and probably weighed about 120 pounds, and he said, I want you to play football for me. And it was really one of the one of the only times I can remember where he specifically, you know, targeted me and said, Hey, I want I want you to be on the team. Yeah. And I have a starting position for you. And I think I kind of blew him off a little bit. And then when I was on the team, every single day I thought, oh, this is the day I'm going to lose my starting position. This is the day I'm going to and it never happened. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

What was your starting position?

SPEAKER_01 10:08

I played defensive back. I was incredibly slow and and we didn't have a whole lot of folks to choose from. We were a very small back then. But an adult saying, hey, I want you to do this, and you're going to have a starting position. And all the seniors would give a speech at the end of the year, and that's something that I brought up, that this adult saw me in the summer, just walking down the street, made a commitment to me that I would be on the team, that I would be a starter, and played every single game. And just the the the teamwork, right, that he was a person of his word and had faith in me. Another gentleman, um, his name is Pete Foote, he was my uh Spanish teacher at Godfrey Lee. He also went on to be the principal when I left. And again, um there was a senior project where we had to select one essay out of two choices to write. And because I wasn't an exemplar in high school and it was getting down to the wire, I stayed up all night and wrote two essays. So I get to school the next day and Mr. Foote's asking for the essay, and I'm like, Well, which one do you want here? And he's like, You only needed to write one, and I wrote two. And he bent over and got in my ear and said, You need to go to college. And again, these are these are two situations where where adults, both of whom I held in high regard, said things to me that stuck. Even though my high school experience wasn't fantastic. These are two folks who I'm like, when when these gentlemen say something, it means something. So I'm going to follow through. And that's how important teachers are. Sometimes we can say things that maybe out of frustration it will send the wrong message to a student. And other times, these may just be throwaway comments to a teenager and they stick with that teenager. And every single time I get the opportunity to say who's had influence on your life. You know, who are the professionals? I reference Ted Holler and N. P. Foot. I always do it. And uh many of the lessons that they taught me, I hope that I've paid forward uh to students throughout the years. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 12:42

Yeah. I mean it took you a while to get to laying on education, but certainly it sounds like they were a turning point for you in terms of motivation.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

100%. You know, my my my mother, uh you know, single mom, you know, you know, remarried uh when I was a teenager. Uh you know, I remember her coming home from the factory, you know, arms bruised up, just you know, working so hard for, you know, 10 hours, 11 hours, and uh always ensuring that I have er had everything that I needed. And uh, you know, she would say things to me like the time is always right to do what's right, uh and don't put off uh don't put off uh something for tomorrow that you can do today. Just these little lessons. It's amazing that you you run with these things. So there have been some folks who've had some influence, but those are some of the professionals. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

So how do you see your influence and your role as superintendent of of an intermediate school district that encompasses 20 schools, almost 100,000 students, and many, many

Culture Building And Kind Leadership

SPEAKER_00 13:46

teachers. What what what do you see as your main role here?

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Aaron Powell My hope, first and foremost, is to be a culture builder. I've I've had situations in my career, not many, but a c a few, where I bel I believe folks have taken on leadership roles and and they think they've arrived. And they think it's all about them. And I'm so against that. But uh I love collaboration. Uh I love hearing what everyone has to say before we make a decision. Now are there times when you need to make a decision on the spot? Absolutely. Um there's severe weather or there's a snow day. You don't really have time to connect with, you know, 15 colleagues. Now, there are opportunities to connect with the with technology, with our local superintendents to see what everyone's doing, but these are not uh long drawn-out problems. They need to be solved relatively quickly.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Like a snow day.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Like a snow day, like right before 5.30 a.m. because we need to determine if the buses are going out for the day. But in most with most other things, I really appreciate collaboration, I appreciate defined autonomy, uh. Defined autonomy from the wonderful board that I get to serve, and ensuring that those who report to me have defined autonomy. I think most people do not leave positions because of compensation. I believe it's incredibly important. And I believe teachers and educators should should be compensated well. I think people leave organizations because they don't feel valued in organizations. Because people don't ask, what do you think? Um, I used to say to people uh in my previous district who would say, Ron, man, I've got so much stuff on my plate right now, and I'm being pulled in so many directions. And at times I would flippantly say it's when people stop asking you to do things you should be worried. Right? And so I strive every day to be kind to people. But I I never want people to come to Ken ISD and be treated poorly or have a bad experience here. Um you you won't see me yelling at people. That's not what I do. And and I I hope that we have folks within our organization and I truly believe we do, that lead with kindness. I've said it at some board meetings. I want people who are kind, I want people who are competent, I want people who are collaborative. And not in a not kind in a fake, superficial way. Like you're truly being kind. I mean seeing someone come to the door and their hands are full, walk out there and open the door for them. So these simple things that we need to get back to. Now that being said, um even though I'm a collaborator, there are times as a superintendent where the buck stops with you. And those folks who sometimes come to board meeting and make public comment, um, there are others in that meeting who can be observers and say, wow, this is kind of a wild board meeting. But at the end of the day, the the superintendent is the person that the community's talking to. I know they're talking to the board, but you know, after that meeting, I need to share with the board, hey, this person came up, they had an issue with this, let me tell you what we're doing to resolve it, in many instances being as proactive as possible. So maybe they don't have to go up and give public comment because those issues have already been resolved. But you know, the public has a right to speak their minds, but there are some situations where the buck stops with the superintendent, and I'm fine with that.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Aaron Ross Powell Well, speaking of bucks stopping, you've got a large organization. Can you give me a ballpark of like budget and employees?

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Sure, sure,

Budget Size And Staff Scale

SPEAKER_01 17:57

sure. So uh shy of $500 million. Okay. Uh-the budget. Most of the funds that we receive, of course, go directly back to those we serve. The local districts. Local districts, thank you. Career and Technical Education Fund is one of the largest, special education is one of the largest, and again, those funds go back to our local district. Uh the numbers move a little bit. Last time I looked at an organizational chart, I think we have just shy of 1,500 employees. Okay. That's amazing sometimes. When I look at that number, I'm like, wow, 1,500 employees. My first second grade class had 23 students. And at 23 years of age, that seemed like a lot of students. And now you look and around 1,500 employees.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Now I'm not sure that I don't know how widely understood it is, what a an intermediate district is, what it does. We can say that your campus is on the East Belt line in Sure Knapp Street, we can say that much to start with. But what would you say are some of the most important functions and departments and programs that you provide?

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Sure.

What Kent ISD Actually Provides

SPEAKER_01 19:14

At times we can be the best kept secret. Explaining to someone what you do and where you work can be challenging at times, especially if you're not in the education space. At times I'll describe it as you have your local school districts, right? Your Grand Rapids Publics, your Grandvilles, your Byron Centers, Godwin, et cetera. Then you also have your intermediate school districts that support those districts. And then you have the Department of Education, right? So you kind of have your locals, you have your intermediate school districts, and then the Department of Education. The State Department. So when I'm explaining, I try to explain it that way. At the end of the day, though, we we provide uh supports. And what are those supports? We provide uh supports to our students with disabilities. So what makes us a little different is not only are we supporting special ed programming in local districts from a consultant perspective, but we also on our campus serve uh center-based special education programs. We uh support career and technical education. We have a tech center which supports 3,000 students, and we're we're building uh a new tech center because the waiting list can m go from 500 to 1,500 at times, where students want to engage in CTE, but there just aren't seats. And so we're we are expanding that. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

And they're learning things like construction and culinary arts.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Culinary, the health field. Yeah. That's booming right now. That's where the the waiting list uh is the largest. I think about the support that we provide our teachers. So professional learning. I mean, the this place can be booming at times with our fantastic consultants uh teaching teachers, so to speak. So that's one uh major aspect of the thing.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Things like math instruction, literacy, and section. STAM instruction, all these different things.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

I would say the folks uh I work closest to are the the 20 superintendents, um and also many of our charter school leaders as well. But our twenty local superintendents uh you know we we help facilitate every superintendent meeting in the county. I see th those individuals as being my customers, right? When when I think like what does your district need? How can we support your district? Sometimes it's um you know, Ron, we need some math support. Other times it's We would like uh support for this program. Are there any other program are there any other schools that are doing something comparable? Maybe we can partner. The scope of the work is significant. It's a lot. And we haven't talked about the early childhood space. I was just going to bring it up. The early childhood space. I mean, we're so we have early childhood programming in all of our school districts, but we also have early childhood programming in sometimes like mom and pop shops, like you're driving around your neighborhood and you see an early childhood center. More than likely we're supporting that, maybe from a from a guidance perspective, funding perspective. So our reach is significant. In many instances, you're probably getting if you're a a school-aged family, you're getting support, you may be getting support from Ken ISD, and you may not even know it, right? You know, we were very thankful to the taxpayers for the enhancement millage that passed this year, which you know about over $350 extra will go to each student.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

And that was a renewal, correct? Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

That was a renewal. And that's pretty significant. I mean, that's funding that schools would not have, and Ken ISD took the lead with that, working with our superintendents to ensure that passed. So we have uh significant reach, but what I like about it is I get to experience every single school district, and there aren't many people who can say that. Usually you experience your classroom, your high school experience. In this job, I can go to an assembly at Granville or Wyoming where they're uh honoring students who are just phenomenal uh with their behavior, with academics. I can go to something in Cedar Springs where they are being recognized for reading proficiency. I mean, I'm all over the place, and it's absolutely wonderful. Yeah. It's an experience that most folks don't have. Yeah. And it's amazing. The superintendent's like, come on over, check out this event, or check out that event. That's the beautiful part of the job.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: And that's a fun part of being a reporter on a lot of people. You know better than anyone, yes, absolutely. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: You've got all kinds of schools and all kinds of communities. Um let's not neglect the uh let's not neglect the uh special education component of the center programming that you provide, the uh Lincoln Center, Lincoln School for quite dis you know disabled students. Yes. Right.

Center-Based Special Education Realities

SPEAKER_01 24:46

It's amazing the type of adult support that our most vulnerable students uh need and receive every single day in our programs. There are times where a teacher can't leave the side of a student all day. If I think of my experiences as a secondary teacher, there was an hour a day where I had a prep hour. There was uh a 30-minute duty-free lunch. And we have adults in our center-based special education programs who are side by side with students who have uh significant cognitive impairments, they're there with them all day. And um our teachers wouldn't have it any other way. If if you haven't experienced center-based special education, uh you have to you have to see it. It's it's amazing the supports that we provide. And it's amazing how much our families appreciate the supports that we provide. I just had the opportunity to go to all of these center-based program graduation ceremonies. And many of the students are 26 years of age, so they're leaving programming. It's a really bittersweet moment. It's it's wonderful that a student has matriculated through schooling, but it's also sad that many of the supports that we've been providing are no longer there. So the the families are happy, but when they leave that ceremony, they'll no longer have those supports. And that's really sad because I know how significant the supports are, and I know how much our families appreciate the support that we provide.

Funding Pressures And Enrollment Declines

SPEAKER_00 26:38

You mentioned the State, and of course, you um funding comes down from the State, some funding comes down from the Federal Government. Talk about what the funding picture looks like for you and for our districts coming up, especially from the State budget. Sure. What are you looking at?

SPEAKER_01 26:57

So it seems as though there's going to be an increase in funding. We don't know what that is just yet, but there's some proposals, you know, a few hundred dollars in addition. I do know that many of our districts are tightening their belts right now because there was a time coming out of the pandemic where fund balances were pretty large, there was lots of funding coming into schools that they didn't have in quite some time. But uh those COVID funds have been spent now, and with some of the enrollment challenges that we are facing in our region, but we're also facing them at the state level, we're facing them at the national level, really attributed to low birth rates, there are less students, so if there are less students, there are less dollars. Because the dollars are tied to the students. Staffing is needed. So we're finding that superintendents are having to make some very challenging decisions right now as it relates to staffing reductions. And there was a period of time where they weren't doing that, and that's a switch. I mean, if someone's just entering the profession right after the pandemic, they're probably not accustomed to some of these cost-cutting measures that have to happen. And so I know with my colleagues that's done with sensitivity. Um I know they're they're trying their best to address it through attrition, but in some instances they have to make some very difficult decisions because they just don't have the students that they had before.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

Trevor Burrus, Jr. So student enrollment's going down, even though it sounds like state per pupil funding may be going up, you're getting fewer students, so therefore fewer revenue funds come in that way, plus the COVID funds going away. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Correct. Those things combined mean some financial challenges for our districts. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Well, yes, and and financial challenges for employees as well, with health care costs going up. So even if a teacher receives a little more or is thinking they'll receive a little more in their paycheck, sometimes they're not receiving that much as a result of other costs uh going up. So it's uh I still think uh that uh teaching is the most rewarding profession in the world. I do. I'm so glad. And I can't believe I'm in year 30 in education. I'm so glad. But at the end of the day, um it can be a very challenging profession. An incredibly challenging profession. Um there was a time when um health care coverage was provided for our educators. Um there was a time when the retirement system was better for our educators. There was a time where there wasn't as much professional learning, and professional learning is a good thing. Uh but there there's a lot on our educators' plates, and teaching is still incredibly challenging, incredibly rewarding, and I'll underscore that, but also incredibly challenging.

Science Of Reading And LETRS

unknown 30:22

Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

Well, when you talk about teacher training, um of course literacy scores are a major concern nationwide, not just here. Um talk about the literacy training that's going on for teachers in Kent County. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 30:37

Well, there is a there's a big movement around literacy, a big movement in something called the science of reading, which is uh uh a heavily phonics-based form of reading instruction. Um many people have heard of letters training. Most educators in Michigan are getting trained in letters.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

That's like an acronym, L-A-T-R-S, I think. Aaron Ross Powell Yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

LETTER stands for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling. Aaron Ross Powell Much of this stems from the some of the great work that's being done in Mississippi. So in Mississippi there's something called uh the Mississippi Miracle, where their uh literacy test scores were not very good. And as a result of some coordinated efforts in literacy instruction, Mississippi is doing quite well in third-grade reading. When we talk about that coordinated effort, is all teachers are receiving the same professional learning. So what Mississippi found is that letters has been the best way to teach teachers the science of reading. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:51

So letters is a science of reading curriculum, correct?

SPEAKER_01 31:54

Or Letters is more of a it's the it's not a curriculum like open page one or look at this standard. It's a way of teaching a methodology, more of a methodology than a set of standards or a textbook. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Right. In Mississippi, there were there was funding allocated specifically for literacy. The Chancellor of Mississippi at that time came from another state and wanted to ensure that everyone in the State Department was trained in this methodology. So when they went out into local districts, everyone's getting the same thing. It's being done with fidelity. In Michigan, I think we're we're trying to get there. Trevor Burrus, Jr. The state is pushing it. We have to get there. One issue is letters training is incredibly time-consuming. And so and it's taking educators about two years to get through. So when is that going to take place? Well, it'll have to take place in the evenings, uh, take place on weekends, it can take place in the summer, because we can't take educators away from their classrooms for a two-year training. So those are some of the hurdles. But when I think of some educators who I hold in high regard, principal leaders, they're sharing with me the letters training, the training we've received in the science of reading is the best training that we've received as long as we've been in education. And that's pretty significant when some of the leaders out there are sharing this.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

So when you talk about teachers and the challenges of being a teacher these days, and you've got now the enrollment trend with the lower birth rate, some districts maybe have I know they don't want to cut teachers, some districts may have to reduce their teaching staff.

Teacher Pathways And Uplifting Educators

SPEAKER_00 33:50

You at the same time you have teacher development programs, uh. West Michigan Teacher Collaborative, the Teacher Academy. Why are those important in the light of what's happening enrollment-wise?

SPEAKER_01 34:00

Well, schools of education have been struggling to get candidates in recent years, and we're just now starting to see a shift where schools of education are now having better enrollment than they had. Ums that create pathways like the West Michigan Teacher Collaborative that we have here at Ken ISD. Umgether is another program that's at the statewide level. These programs are providing financial support for individuals who want to go into education, but especially West Michigan Teacher Collaborative in our shop, it's providing professional learning as well. So in many instances, the folks that we're looking at are folks who are already working in schools, have relationships with students, have relationships with those community members, and then we're breaking down barriers with the help of the state to fund their educational experience. So we address the salaries, or we talked a little bit about teacher compensation. The salaries are not where they need to be. So if I'm thinking about a career pathway, am I going to take on sometimes $100,000 worth of student loan debt to go into a career which may start me at $50,000? I'm probably less likely to do that. But now that there are some financial incentives where, gosh, if I could get college paid for, I really wanted to be a teacher, this is going to help me get over that barrier that I once had. So I think it's the financial support as well as the professional learning, as well as these are folks who are already in Kent County serving kids, who have a track record of serving kids. For whatever reason, something happened in their lives where they couldn't get over either that financial hurdle or that professional hurdle. And now they're landing in our schools. And if you want to go to a fantastic culminating ceremony, go to the event where the West Michigan Teacher Collaborative teachers have fulfilled the requirements of their programs. I would have any one of these folks in front of my own children any day. They're incredibly they still think they can change the world. Right? A twenty when you're when you're twenty-two and you're twenty-three and you've got your first classroom, you know, speaking from my own personal experience, you feel like you can change the world. And that's what I see in these new educators that are coming out of these uh pathway programs.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

Aaron Ross Powell So very exciting to see highly motivated teachers going into the profession despite all the challenges.

SPEAKER_01 36:57

Aaron Ross Powell Despite all the challenges. And and we as shame on us uh as a society when we don't hold teachers in high regard. When we say negative things about teachers, uh when we post things on social media about this experience or that experience, and and we may not have all the information. We should be lifting up our teachers. The the Pete Foots, the Teddy Holleran. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for those two individuals. I would not be here. We need to lift up our teachers. Um one thing that made me smile, uh one of one of my good friends, uh Aaron Rusey, he's a principal over at Union High School. For uh Teacher Appreciation Week, they had so many community partners make their teachers feel like a million bucks that week with breakfast at this place, lunch at this place, uh discounts here, discounts there. They had so many people just lifting up our teachers and making them feel good. Now I'm not saying we can do that every single week, but it'd be nice if that was more than one week a year.

Final Thanks And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_00 38:13

Trevor Burrus Well, I think that's a fabulous note to end on. Um is there anything else you would wanted to address that we haven't gotten to? Because we've got a lot going on here.

SPEAKER_01 38:21

Well, you know what? I'm I'm just uh incredibly thankful that you reached out to me to do this. Um if I can leave with anything, I just want to underscore uh how important teachers are, and I'm glad we I'm glad we ended with that. Uh all of our almost 100,000 students in Kent County uh deserve the very best teachers. And uh I think we have them here in Kent County, but let's continue to uplift them.

SPEAKER_00 38:48

100 percent. Well, thanks a lot, Dr. Gorman, for coming on. You're a busy guy, I really appreciate it. Thanks for joining us, listeners, and make sure to tune into our next study hall podcast, uh, where you're gonna find out a lot uh going on in our schools, K-12 schools in Kent County, Michigan. And uh in the meantime, please do your homework and keep those pencils nice and sharp. Take care.