Grand Rapids — Plans to move Alger Middle School students to the Ottawa Hills High School campus, and to renovate Alger into a new home for Brookside Elementary, have been pushed back as a result of tweaks to the “Reimagine GRPS With Us!” facilities master plan.
In December, GRPS announced that the Board of Education had approved changes to the plan, which serves as a roadmap for consolidation and realignment efforts following the 2023 bond.
The relocation of Alger students to Ottawa Hills, originally slated for the 2025-26 school year, will be postponed until 2026-27. Alger’s conversion into an elementary school will also be delayed, with Brookside students now expected to make the move in 2027-28.
Luke Stier, director of communications at GRPS, said the change came at the recommendation of school leaders who’ve seen positive changes at the schools due to new or relaunched programming. The district wants to give students from both schools more time to flourish prior to the merger.
“(We’ve been) listening to our leaders at Ottawa Hills and Alger saying, ‘Hey, we’re headed in the right direction here. Let’s continue another year of the work that we’re doing at both of those schools, so we feel we’re really in the best spot to bring those communities together,’” Stier said. “When we get feedback … we want to listen and make sure that we’re all on the same page and moving in the right direction together.”
The new timeline will push up two other projects on the master plan. Renovations at Kent Hills Elementary School, including bathroom improvements and lighting upgrades, will now be completed in 2026. The improvements were initially planned for 2027.
Stier said Kent Hills has seen a huge influx of students since the closure of East Leonard Elementary, and that the district is excited to see renovations at the building come to fruition sooner than expected.
Also coming a year ahead of schedule in 2026 are renovations to the performing arts center at City High Middle School.
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