On June 18, the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education approved next year’s budget for their district. MLive reports that although the 2012-2013 budget includes $9 million in cuts due to decreased enrollment, board members voted to allocate $990,000 to hire 11 more teachers to support increased arts education.
These additional teachers will facilitate full-year—as opposed to semester-long—art and music instruction for the district’s elementary school students.
In addition to the financial boost, students in Grand Rapids schools have also received attention from celebrities this month.
On June 14, students from City and Creston high schools in Grand Rapids accompanied the British-American rock band Foreigner on stage at the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park Amphitheater singing their hit, “I Wanna Know What Love Is.”