Kicking off 2026

The School Board kicked off the 2026 calendar year at Monday’s Organizational Meeting and Work Session—and it’s an exciting time at GLPS. We are growing, and we are planning thoughtfully for the future.

We began with the unanimous election of our 2026 officers. Congratulations to President Ashley Kuykendoll, Vice President Toni Glasscoe, and Secretary Coban Holmes! I’m grateful for their leadership and willingness to serve.

With nearly 5,500 students, even with the addition of classrooms in recent years, we’re feeling capacity pressures. Since I joined the Board, the district implemented a long-term facilities management plan, and we’ve spent years carefully reviewing needs connected to the 2018 Bond. These conversations have taken place publicly at multiple board meetings, and all related materials are available on the district website.

That said, we also know there is *a lot* of information out there, and it can be hard to keep track of what it all means. Here’s the bottom line: we are nearing the end of the 2018 Bond, and unlike many districts, GLPS is growing—not declining. Responsible planning now is essential.

That’s why the Board voted to hire an architect and a construction management firm to help us develop a practical, realistic facilities plan that could be accomplished with a **zero-mill increase to taxpayers**. We're talking about bread-and-butter stuff like more classrooms, separate gyms for our growing elementary populations, and fixes to our high school science labs that haven't been touched in a **long** time. This step allows us to fully understand our options before any decisions are made.

Staying true to our commitment to transparency, the district went beyond the minimum requirements in this process. District leadership did a full Request for Proposals, with over a dozen companies responding. After a multi-round process that included reference checks, interviews, and more, we were able to approve architecture and construction management firms to start this process. (Information on the selection process is on the district website here: https://glcomets-cdn.fxbrt.com/.../01-12-2026_work...)

What happens next? The district will explore how a future zero-mill bond could work alongside sinking fund and capital project funds to address the projects identified in the district’s facilities management plan and discussed in recent board presentations.

If we are going to ask voters for approval, we must first have a clear, realistic, and fiscally responsible plan. That work is happening now. This community has long been a strong supporter of public education, and I believe that's a big reason why we're a growing district. The Board takes fiscal stewardship seriously.

Want to know more?

Facilities Management Plan: https://docs.google.com/.../1mCxcke.../pub

Current Facilities Needs: https://docs.google.com/.../1d52xwP8Qmbkd75rOmj8F.../edit...

Thank you to this community for supporting GLPS. As always, I’m #ProudToBeAComet