Letter: What Happened to Decorum?

"We need a change."

To the Editor

I write this personal statement today as a parent and a community member. These are my views and they may not reflect the views of my colleagues on the Grant Public Schools Board of Education (BOE) or the NCRESA BOE.

For those that don’t know me, my name is Rob Schuitema and I have been a trustee on the Grant BOE since January of 2021. I am also the Vice President on the Board of Education at Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency (NC RESA). I am a graduate of Grant High School, class of 1991 and come from a family that has strong ties to the Grant school district. My father, Jim Schuitema, taught in the middle school for 36 years, my mother, Linda Schuitema worked in the district for over 25 years and have two family members currently working in the school. Unfortunately one left the district recently. We have dedicated our lives to this district. My oldest child graduated in 2023 as a Valedictorian and was Homecoming Queen. My youngest daughter is in High school and active with drama, choir, cross country and is a representative from GPS on the Fremont Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Committee.  We love this school. We have given our lives to this district and wouldn’t have it any other way. That being said, it has been a challenging time for me and my family for the last 18 months, as it has for the entire community and the district that serves it.

What has transpired over the last year and a half is nothing less than shameful. The actions of board members have led to record high legal fees, a culture of misinformation and distrust, an exodus of key staff members and a feeling of disorder and chaos. I have spent that time trying to reason with my fellow board members, especially President Ken Thorne, Vice President Rachal Gort, Treasurer Sabrina Veltkamp-Blok and trustee Richard Vance. I have been stonewalled at every attempt. Each day passes by and I wonder what will happen next. Will there be a surprise investigation? Will there be a surprise addition to an agenda item? What past action will they deem unfit and decide is invalid? Who will they throw under the bus this time, not in person, but through their personal facebook posts? Will they stall on voting for initiatives they don’t like and push through the ones that suit them without warning? Who will they allow to disparage staff, students, fellow community members? It has been never ending and has taken its toll on our community as a whole. Their actions have made our district and town a laughing stock across the state and beyond. 

I keep asking myself, when will they produce any actions that benefit the district? Especially the staff and students. When will they look to the future of this district instead of being stuck in the past. When will they put an emphasis on initiating our strategic plan? But each passing month, there is no action to improve our district. Only to tear it down. They ran out our superintendent with a disorganized and woefully incomplete investigation costing the district thousands of dollars. They went after administrators who were doing their jobs and left them out to dry when reports were made public. They have attacked staff and students, referring to them as farm animals, satanists, groomers, liars and “sick” while claiming to be “protecting the children” and promoting “parental rights”. The lack of professionalism and compassion shown over the last year and a half has been deplorable. I feel horrible for the students, guardians, and staff who feel like this district is not an inviting place because of these actions. 

This makes me think, what happened to decorum in public office? Maybe it’s more like what happened to decorum in general? I have asked myself that question a lot lately and I still don’t have an answer but I do have some opinions. Now, some of you reading this may be shaking your head, feeling that I have been guilty of a lack of decorum as well. I can’t deny that I have from time to time over the last 18 months gotten pretty heated with my viewpoints, but I always try my best to not let my emotions get the best of me. For the most part, I have been able to do that. On a few occasions, I have not and for that I apologize. It has been very challenging to remain professional in the face of such unprofessionalism and chaos. What I haven’t done is instigate the argument, I have only responded to their questionable actions. I have challenged and I have questioned their actions. What I have been trying to accomplish is a conversation but they have chosen conflict. 

I have seen some of the most heinous acts of discrimination, homophobia, and bullying by adults and it makes me sick! I’ve seen board member Rachal Gort attack a student over her artwork and demand the removal of “girl with cap wearing a Muslim head wrap” in the Child and Adolescent Health Center (CAHC) mural. Ms. Gort also indicated she felt the source of the entire problem was the CAHC and that they should be eliminated. She has attacked staff and students, and continuously pushes her agenda on social media. 

I also received emails from Richard Vance promoting racist and homophobic videos and literature while telling the board we needed to protect the children from these “evils permeating our hallways”. Mr. Vance also sent a condemning email to former superintendent Zuver demonizing him for referring to a statistic of white male superintendents in the country. This was his response: “Nearly 75 percent of the NBA is dark color with 16 percent being white. Meanwhile, only 13% of the U.S. population is black. The NBA is based on merit and ability. Should we lobby for more white men on NBA teams? Absurd!” This behavior has not only been demonstrated by trustee Vance, but by his wife Dorinda. Mrs. Vance expressed her displeasure by sending a letter accusing the school of “sodomizing” children by allowing any LGBTQ+ representation in the district.This lack of decorum has no place anywhere, let alone public education.

In addition to these things stated above, Rachal Gort and Richard Vance worked with a former Grant Employee to create the Concerned Parents Coalition of Michigan”. This Political Action Committee (PAC) seems to have been created specifically to campaign for Rachal and Richard while demonizing the citizens that stood up to their surprise decision to terminate the contract with the CAHC. The recall group's goal was to hold these board members responsible for their actions on June 19, 2023. Instead this PAC claims to want to “Protect the Children” while including photos of two Grant High School students in their propaganda. One of these minors is in fact my daughter. I expected to be targeted by these extremists, but to bully my daughter is inexcusable. 

But I’m not surprised. The rise of extremist behavior and bigoted rhetoric has been going on for quite some time and has been amplified over the last few years. They are part of a larger national movement to suppress the rights of individuals while feeding the masses lies about curriculum and school initiatives. The lack of decorum surrounds these groups so much that they have been labeled as “extremist” organizations. I have heard the same false claims spewn by these extremist groups repeated over my entire term, by board members and many of the same people leading the smear campaign against the recall initiative and the candidates challenging them. It appears that the goal is not to uplift students and the district but instead to dismantle public education in an attempt to build it in their own likeness. They fail to realize that in a small district, tearing down the community to this degree will only destroy what past generations have built and drive people away. 

We need a change. Our district and community need to start healing and I am afraid that cannot happen with the current board. This is why I fully endorse candidates Mindy Conely and Lindsay Mahlich and will be voting for them on May 7th. Both candidates have repeatedly demonstrated their passion and commitment for Grant Public Schools and the betterment of students, staff and the community overall. They bring compassion, professionalism and an unbiased commitment to long term success in our district. They, unlike the recalled board members, continuously look for ways to improve the district, focusing on moving forward, not focusing on the past or stalling any progress the school can accomplish. Both have been in positions of leadership and have sat on boards before, including Lindsay leading the Grant Christian School as Board President and Mindy sitting on the regional AYSO Board. They pay attention to the bylaws. They recognize the importance of fiscal responsibility and have the skills to lead with transparency and accountability. I implore you to vote on May 7 for representation that provides a positive roadmap to success. Vote for decency and respect. Most importantly, vote for decorum, our district and our community depend on it. Vote Mindy Conley and Lindsay Mahlich for GPS

Sincerely,

Rob Schuitema
Trustee, Grant Public Schools Board of Education
Grant Resident and Concerned Parent

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