Copyright M Live Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids Public Schools has finally agreed on its calendar for the 2025-26 school year after months of contract negotiations with its teachers’ union. The district also reached four tentative agreements with the union that include a new sick day donation program for teachers and established procedures for filling vacant positions, GRPS announced Wednesday, Oct. 29. The district’s last three-year contract with the teachers union expired on June 30, but GRPS and the GREA are still negotiating teacher salary increases. That means teachers are currently working under the same pay rates as last year. However, Grand Rapids Education Association (GREA) President Matt Marlow said they’re making good progress now that the state has finalized its own education budget, which included a 4.6% hike in per-pupil funding for districts across the state. “We put pen on paper last night, which is a very positive thing,” Marlow told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press on Wednesday. “However, we’ve got a lot of work to do still.” Marlow and GRPS both declined to share the current salary proposal that is being considered by both parties. GRPS said it is currently considering a proposal that was presented by a mediator in an effort to bring both parties to an agreement. In August, GRPS proposed a 4.5% average salary increase for teachers, representing a $4 million investment by the district. In a counter proposal, the union asked for a 13.9% raise. The 2025-26 school calendar approved this week includes three fewer contractual workdays for teachers. Here are the key dates parents need to know for this school year: Oct. 31: Half Day Nov. 4: No School (Election Day) Nov. 26-28: No School (Thanksgiving break) Dec. 17-19: Half Day (Exams) Dec. 22-Jan. 2: No School (Winter Break) Jan. 19: No School (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) Feb. 16-17: No School (Mid-Winter Break) April 3-10: No School (Spring Break) May 25: No School (Memorial Day) June 1-2: Half Day (Exams) June 3: Half Day (Last Day of School) The tentative agreements were reached Tuesday night by GRPS and the union, but they still need to be approved by GREA’s members, Marlow said. Each tentative agreement must be approved by a majority vote. GRPS agreed to coordinate a sick day donation program, where union employees who cannot work due to a disability can obtain additional paid leave time to avoid financial hardship. The district has also agreed to use the its human resources department to administer GREA dues deductions from union employees’ paychecks if they “opt in” to dues deduction. GRPS said it is considering a proposal from GREA to count teachers’ professional development days toward the 180 instructional days required of teachers under Michigan law. The district said it will establish a committee to explore the idea for the 2026-27 school year. “GRPS recognizes the importance of professional development but also believes that maximizing instructional time is key to scholar growth,” the district said of the proposal in a news release. Both GRPS and GREA have agreed to a procedure for assigning teachers and filling vacant positions.
