Re-Elect William Waalkes for Jenison School Board

11/06/2024

Good morning, everyone. If you have not heard, I was re-elected to the Jenison School Board yesterday. I am very happy about that and I look forward to being involved in the JPS district for 6 more years. Thank you to everyone who voted for me, shared my page, told their friends and put out yard signs. I picked most of those up last night but if I missed one let me know and I will come and get it. Thanks again for all the support...

Send a message to learn more

11/03/2024

I wanted to remind everyone to please get out and vote by this coming Tuesday. Please read the following FB post from my fellow JPS board member. Jen is a great current member of the Board and I would encourage you to choose her for the 2 year term. This is Jen's post from FB....Jen Postema
Sedpotonrsrvfiu0f33b :N1t63e1 m1701ha4lh810aMm1ecf0mo tP03 8 ·
Hello Jenison Friends! We are fortunate to have many great candidates running for the Jenison School Board this year! However, I know two candidates more than the others, William (Bill) Waalkes and Steve Kooy, and they would be great assets for the Jenison Board of Education!
I have known Bill Waalkes for over eight years. I have been working with him on the JPS Board of Education and the JHS Marching Band Equipment Crew. He has such a tender heart for the students and staff at JPS! Working on the JHS Marching Band Equipment Crew with Bill has shown me a soft side to him in how much he cares for the kids. He puts so much time and energy into ensuring every detail is covered and that the students have the best experience. The thrill of seeing such pride exude from him while he walks alongside the band or as he talks to others about the students and staff at JPS is contagious. While working with Bill on the Board of Education, he listens and reviews details and is mindful of making the right decisions for the district. It’s been a privilege working with Bill! He truly cares about Jenison Public Schools and only wants the best for the students and staff. Thank you, Bill Waalkes, for your many years of service and the devotion and allegiance you have for Jenison Public Schools!
You can learn more about Bill at:
Re-Elect William Waalkes for Jenison School Board
Facebook.com/waalkes4JPS

I have proudly served on the Jenison Public School Board for over 20 years and would love to continue supporting our incredible students and community. Please vote to re-elect William (Bill) Waalkes to the Jenison School Board!

10/21/2024

Good afternoon, everyone. I want to take a moment to once again ask for your support for me running for the Jenison School Board. I feel we need to do everything possible to give our students the best opportunity to succeed once they leave Jenison, whether that be the job market, the military, trade school or college. This has been my goal in my 20+ years on the Board. We also have to find the best educators we can and we need to keep them in Jenison once we find them. I feel that it is very important for a Board member to be visible at school and in the community. I have been volunteering at JPS for 30 years now. I am also very accessible at school events like sports and the arts. I believe we have to spend the money we receive in a fiscally conservative manner. Also, very important, is that I answer to the voters of the district...not to any political parties or political action groups. If these traits are important to you, please check out all the candidates on how active they are at JPS and are they running to represent you or some other group. Thank you.

Send a message to learn more

09/27/2024

Hello everyone. A little election update since it is less than 6 weeks till the November 5 election. Yesterday I put about 45 yard signs out asking people to vote for me. I have another 20-30 that I could put out. If any of you have a yard or know of a person who would take one until the election, that would be greatly appreciated. Just PM me or send me a text and I will get one to you. Please also ask people to consider voting for me. I understand a lot of absentee ballots went out this week so people are already voting Thank you very much.

Send a message to learn more

09/19/2024

I haven't posted on this page in 2 years now but will start again soon. I am running, once again, for the Jenison Public School Board. I will start to post some thoughts and endorsements over the next 6 weeks. Please share with anyone you know who lives in the Jenison School District. Thank you.

Send a message to learn more

05/05/2024

To all my FB family and friends who live in the Jenison School District. As a JPS grad, parent of 3 JPS grads and as a school board member, I just wanted to post that I am voting Yes on the JPS Bond Proposal this Tuesday, May 7. Our kids deserve top-notch facilities. Remember to vote 'Yes for JPS'. If anyone has any questions on this proposal, please feel free to send me a message. Thank you.

11/07/2022

11/01/2022

I want to talk a little about what we do as a Board in regards to planning for the future. As most of you probably know, JPS had Dr. Brandon Graham take over in July, 2021 as the 4th Supt. JPS has had in 51 years. One thing on his agenda and that of the Boards, was for him to have a Strategic Vision. The Admin group surveyed staff, parents, students and the Board of Ed to see what was important to them. These goals were all put into a Goals Dashboard and the process is discussed with the Board on a monthly basis. Some of the main areas to work on are 2022-2026 Strategic Vision, District Climate, Continuous Support for Improvement of Instruction, Resource Allocation and Cultivating Continuous Improvement. A few of the sub categories are increase parent involvement in schools, staff retention and collaboration, effective communications, engage community service, the Wildcat Way and to equip staff to respond to emergency situations. This process is not just something to say 'here, see what we are going to do' it is something that is being taken very seriously. This is something that I helped work on and I support totally.