Why is East Grand Rapids different from Grand Rapids?

[suydam]

For comparison: Using 2005 millage rates a $200,000 primary residence will cost you $4415/year in property taxes if you're in EGR. The same house in Cascade township with Forrest Hills schools will cost $2978/year in property taxes. If the home is in Ada Township with Forrest Hills schools you'll pay $2878 in taxes.

Same house in GR with GR schools? $2893.

[michaelskis]

I asked a similar question on another Land Use Planning forum board about what can be done to help balance the notable difference, many of them said something that did not surprise me... Code Enforcement. People would be encouraged to call the City when there are maintenance or trash violations on their neighbor

[GRDadof3]

I asked a similar question on another Land Use Planning forum board about what can be done to help balance the notable difference, many of them said something that did not surprise me... Code Enforcement. People would be encouraged to call the City when there are maintenance or trash violations on their neighbor

[Veloise]

...

What will happen is an equilibrium point will be reached where absentee landlords will get sick of getting violation notices and start selling their houses. ...

[walker]

...What's more, EGR Is not ultra-high...it's GR-proper that has ultra-low taxes (especially if you compare it to Kalamazoo).

[Mark Miller]

For comparison: Using 2005 millage rates a $200,000 primary residence will cost you $4415/year in property taxes if you're in EGR. The same house in Cascade township with Forrest Hills schools will cost $2978/year in property taxes. If the home is in Ada Township with Forrest Hills schools you'll pay $2878 in taxes.

Same house in GR with GR schools? $2893.

[GRDadof3]

So the difference between GR and EGR for taxes on a $200,000 home is $1,552 per year. I have three kids, so for $507.00 per year, per kid, I have a decent school. The cost last year to send a single child to St. Andrews, AFTER the grants and scholarships, was about $490 per month.

The taxes really are not that high, when you look at what you are getting. At least they are somewhat comparable to private school tuition.

The biggest difference is that $200,000 home is going to be substantially less in EGR, in size and in character, than in GR.

It's also a good point that Walker makes about the income tax rate in GR, which should factor into the decision.

Relatively speaking, as Suydam mentions, other townships ( and other cities, nationwide), that have the ammenities similar to EGR have similar or higher taxes.

As you really think about this, just what in the hell are the citizens of GR getting for their taxes. At least in EGR, one can argue that they have the schools.

[suydam]

...yes, you can get a home for $200,000 in EGR. But what are you getting for that price? You can probably get a larger home and lot in Forest Hills, and you can definitely get a larger home in GR. I always keep my eyes out for listings under $200K in EGR, but I have seen very few (from pictures) in that price range that I would even want to go look at. They're either really small 2 or 3 Bedroom bungalows, on busy streets like Breton or Lake, or older contemporary ranch homes built in the 70's (next).

[Explorer55]

With all this talk about GRPS, what is the reality? I am sure many students must graduate from GR public schools. If they do, do they just get by? Do none go on to college, either 2 year or 4 year? Some must even go on to U of M or MSU. Do none or few go on to be law-abiding, tax paying, job holding adults? There have to be many success stories, or even "just" average life stories, for the kids going to and moving on from GRPS. Not all the kids or all the schools can be failures, however you might want to define that. "Success" probably has to do with the families they come from, the support they receive at home or in their neighborhood, or even their own intrinsic abilities and goals and ambitions. Some may find motiviation in sports or other extracurricular activities, or be mentored by a special teacher or a coach or a Big Brother/Big Sister. The problems of GRPS and other "inner city" schools is a societal problem, and running to the 'burbs isn't going to solve them, since today's "good schools" could be the "not so good schools" tomorrow and we all live in the same city, state, or country. In the metro area I live in, I've met many motivated, ambitious students who have and will go onto college and other productive activities who supposedly are from "bad" school districts. Some have been outstanding and have received college scholarships for academic excellence awarded through a statewide competition.

If you want to live in Grand Rapids and raise your kids there, then find a way to make it work. Others are doing just that without sending them to a parochial school. Btw, are there any "non-religious" private schools in GR?

[gr49503]

Btw, are there any "non-religious" private schools in GR?

[GRDadof3]

I don't think there are any private schools in GR that aren't faith based, with the exception of Stepping Stones Montessori. Although I would love something like Emerson School in Ann Arbor, the tuition is around 12k per year.

http://www.emerson-school.org/

[BigPlayJ]

We ended up settling for a 1950s two-story that was smaller than we wanted (1350 sq. ft) just to avoid buying something we didn't like the character of (think: 1970s ranch).

I'm neither rich (ha!), taxed to death or completely house-poor and my house cost about $200k 3 years ago (so it's probably worth the same or slightly less right now, given the market).

Thanks for the friendly responses and non-personal attacks. I always know this board will stay rational and appreciate the discussion.

[concretepoem]

the one thing I always thought EGR was lacking was park space. Other than the area around Reeds Lake, there is really only one other park in EGR near the East Beltline (Manhatten Rec Area), which doesn't really feel like an urban park. I guess Wilcox Park is fairly close to parts of EGR. Maybe there are others I'm missing?

[ericnmu]

When we got older, we'd cross the city line and go to Wilcox Park for illicit activities.

[concretepoem]

You must be talking about those bushes by Robinson.... I always stayed away from them when I was younger.

[michaelskis]

A friend of mine who came across this thread... and should really sign up (HINT HINT) sent me these two links regarding GRPS. I was not aware of these and once again I think that it shows that the school its self is not the issue.

STORY 1:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ss....xml&coll=6

City High again on top in Quiz Bowl

Monday, April 23, 2007By John TunisonThe Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- After a "dry spell" of more than a decade in state Quiz Bowl championships, the Grand Rapids City High team brought home the top trophy after a two-day competition.

The five-student team defeated Houghton on Saturday at Michigan State University to win first place in the Class C/D level.

"We were third place last year and second the year before that, but we've had a dry spell for more than 10 years with championships," said Wayne Bentley, City High's coach. City High won two state championships in the 1990s. The team includes Brian VanDuinen, Greg Ghering, Lauren Bootzin, Zoe Ashmead and Nate Egner. VanDuinen also was named to the all-state Quiz Bowl honorary team. "I've never had a student that could do things he could," Bentley said. "The breadth and depth of his knowledge is pretty amazing." VanDuinen, a senior, plans to attend the University of Michigan to study engineering

STORY 2:

http://www.creston904.com/news.php

Victory at 2007 Midwest Regional

Creston 904 displayed teamwork and sportsmanship during the 2007 Midwest Regional in which they were among the four teams who formed the victorious alliance.

Each member of 904 participated in the three-day event whether on the field, in the pits, or in the stands. Throughout the regional our students displayed great zeal while cheering for ours and other teams. The judges took notice, awarding Creston 904 the DaimlerChrysler Team Spirit Award.

We ranked low throughout the qualification rounds*despite our robot consistently performing well*ultimately ending in last place. For the finals, the seventh-place seated Wildstang, team 111, chose 904 to be a member of an elite alliance in the finals. Alongside Ravenotics, team 1710, and later The Mechanicats, team 1850, this alliance was able to advance beyond the quarterfinals and semi-finals to contend with an adequately skilled opposing alliance. After two tied matches there came a win for each alliance, then our alliance pulled through victorious in the end.

Finals Contender at 2007 West Michigan Regional

Creston 904 entered the West Michigan Regional with confidence, having just won the Midwest Regional event 2 weeks before. Knowing that the West Michigan Regional attracts tough competitors was seen as a challenge to Creston 904, a challenge to prove it was not just luck in Chicago but that their robot had a good design, great drivers, and was backed by tremendous team spirit. Throughout the preliminary rounds, this spirit shown through. As is the case with FIRST matches, there are high point matches and low point matches. Throughout them all Creston904 kept on loading the rings onto the rack, scoring well. The highlight of the prelims was when Creston 904 went head-to-head with its Midwest Regional alliance partner, Wildstang, and scored well, winning the match. Partnered with B.O.B, team 85, and the Killer Bees, team 33, the Creston 904 alliance placed well in the quarterfinals, but lost during the last match of the semi-finals. This was a great achievement for the alliance, even if it wasn't first place.

Back to Top

Tough Competitor at 2007 National Championship

On Wednesday, April 11th, the Grand Rapids Creston High School F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Team #904 set out for Atlanta, Georgia for the 2007 robotics national championship. This three-day event that involves over 20 countries from around the world is composed of over 300 teams. This makes nationals a 'best of the best' competition.

With the Midwest Regional win under their belts, smiles on their faces, and their Desire, Dedication, and Determination (D3), the team's spirits were high. At the competition, all of the competing teams are distributed into four divisions. Team #904 placed 37th out of 87 teams in their division, and nearly made it to the finals. Through match after match, D3 demonstrated gracious professionalism and good scoring. As the majority of teams who competed at nationals were regional winners, this was an impressive feat for an impressive team.

After the awards ceremonies on Saturday team 904 returned to Grand Rapids arriving on Sunday April 15th. With discussions of summer parades and robot demonstrations at public venues filling the air, the team agreed the competition season was a success but there was still more work to do to give back to the community and "share F.I.R.S.T."

F.I.R.S.T robotics is sponsored by many companies (including Coca Cola, NASA, GM, Motorola, Dematic, Utube and hundreds more) and supported by politicians (including Michigan Governor Jennifer Granhlom, U.S. Congressman Vernon Ehlers, and The President Of The United States George W. Bush). Check out our proud sponsors, whom we can never thank enough for making this experience possible.

[ModSquad]

I also wonder if the students who do well at GRPS will do better in life given that they have already had to deal with a lot of the issues that we see in the 'real world' regarding socioeconomic distribution, crime, and significant pressure.

[Veloise]

... "Mom and Dad, I just want to say thank you for sending me to OHHS and forcing me to deal with all I had to deal with there. I sit in social work classes all day and we discuss significant life affecting social issues like race, economics, welfare, and the role of family. When I hear all these kids around me who were raised in the terrarium of white middle calss schools spout off about issues they have no concept about I am very thankful. I believe I am better able to face the world because of attending OHHS."

...

[gvsusean]

Latest census projections are that by 2050 whites will be the minority in the US with Latinos being the majority population. This is the world our kids will be living in, are they being prepared for it?

[suydam]

i dont see how that is possible... right now there are about 45m latinos (15% of 300 million) and 180m caucasian (60%) that being said, i agree we need to be more ready for this world.

[sndmxr22]

After living and renting in GR for many years from college to my mid-twenties I moved my family of me, my wife and our 2 year old daughter to EGR. I'll tell you why. By the way, I also graduated from EGR in 1996. East Grand Rapids Public Schools have won academic achievement awards ever since I can remember. The crime rate is incredibly low. The property values are skyrocketing. Why wouldnt you want to live in EGR? People look out for eachother. We have very close walks to parks and athletic facilities. East Grand Rapids is simply a land-locked community consisting of upscale, professional and passionate people. In turn those qualities usually result in higher income, respect for their own property and a commitment to uphold the standards put in place fifty years ago.

[DJL3CDP]

A few years ago a friend of mine who is an inner city principal explained that in her school they were lucky to get students in class who had a good nights' sleep and a good meal let alone all of their homework completed. This started me thinking about my home community of EGR.

My sense is that the main thing that separates EGR schools from GRPS is that EGR has a higher percentage of parents willing (and/or able) to invest their time and energy and sometimes their money in their kids' education. This is not a value judgement but rather an observation. When one moves to EGR claiming that they've moved because the schools are better, in effect they are saying that they want to send their kids to a school system where the families invest proportionately more energy in education.

So, in EGR you have a set of features...some physical like Reeds Lake and Gaslight Village, and some less tangible like hyper involved parents. It is a package of both good and bad features. This package overall has higher demand than the set of goods and services offered in other areas. With more demand, the price goes up. This is why homes are more expensive. (Econ 101).

To live with this set of goods we make sacrifices. We pay higher taxes per $ of home value - 44 mils after homested. We pay more $$ for less house. We live in an area where parents are almost insane about their kids education (and social lives, and sports, and...) But, EGR is no better than any other area it is just a set of goods and services. If you value the set of goods and services EGR has, you take it for what it is worth and you pay the price. If not, you choose to go elsewhere and you still love your kids.

[GR Jackson]

After living and renting in GR for many years from college to my mid-twenties I moved my family of me, my wife and our 2 year old daughter to EGR. I'll tell you why. By the way, I also graduated from EGR in 1996. East Grand Rapids Public Schools have won academic achievement awards ever since I can remember. The crime rate is incredibly low. The property values are skyrocketing. Why wouldnt you want to live in EGR? People look out for eachother. We have very close walks to parks and athletic facilities. East Grand Rapids is simply a land-locked community consisting of upscale, professional and passionate people. In turn those qualities usually result in higher income, respect for their own property and a commitment to uphold the standards put in place fifty years ago.