The Hastings Banner — Thursday, April 8, 2021 — Page 3MSU Extension, Blue Zones Activate, YMCA
of Barry County, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute,
the city of Hastings, Barry-Eaton District
Health Department, Barry County Great Start
Collaborative/Barry Intermediate School
District, Barry County Economic Development
Alliance, Barry County Master Gardeners’
Club, area schools and the community at
large.
- 2-percent wage and benefit increases for
department heads and non-union employees
for this year through 2025 and increase
employer contributions to their dental/optical/
hearing reimbursement account by $600 per
employee for this year, with an additional
$100 on top of the annual increase for each
subsequent year through 2025; and to replace
the current other post-employment benefits
retiree health program and retiree life insur-
ance benefit with MERS Individual Healthcare
Savings acounts with an employer contribu-
tion of $30 a month per employee.
The county recently ratified collective bar-
gaining agreements with the Correction
Officers unit, Correction Command unit, and
the Barry County Courthouse Employees
Association. The Deputies unit and Command
Officers unit are still in negotiations.- reauthorization of funds approved in the
2020 capital budget to pay $20,750 to S.A.
Morman & Co. from the building rehabilita-
tion fund for the replacement of the access
control system at the jail. - authorizing the replacement and repair of
the historic courthouse parking lot for
$150,000, along with maintenance and repair
of the Barry-Eaton District Health Department
parking lot for $60,000 and the sheriff’s
department parking lot for $177,000.
Hastings superintendent looks to past
experience to accomplish future goals
Sophie Bates
Staff Writer
In the spring of 1995, Matt Goebel — then
19 — packed up his college dorm room at
Michigan State University and moved home
for the summer, dissatisfied by the first year
of his computer programming major.
Upon returning to Hesperia, where his
father, James Goebel, was the superintendent
of Hesperia Community Schools and his
mother, Virgiline Goebel, was a hospice nurse
— Goebel reflected on his freshman year.
One thing had become clear during the
previous year of computer programming
classes: He didn’t like computer programming.
“After that first year of really doing a lot of
coding — a lot of sitting behind a computer
— I just felt like it was not the right career
path for me,” he said.
For Goebel, one of four siblings, returning
home meant being surrounded by teachers.
“My father was in education. My
grandfather was in education. I have aunts
and uncles that are all in education. My
sister’s a teacher,” Goebel said. “Education
was always a big expectation in our family.”
As he contemplated changing his major, he
considered education as an alternative,
looking to his dad as an example. That’s when
his father’s leadership as a superintendent
became one of the most influential forces in
Goebel’s life, inspiring his professional career.
“My dad has had a great impact on me in
my life,” Goebel said. “[He taught me] about
how to do the right thing; how to treat people
appropriately.”
Goebel’s mother had a similar impact,
teaching him about kindness and compassion
through her work.
“My mom was a nurse — also a very
giving profession,” Goebel said. “My mom
has a strong influence on me as well — more
the caring and treating people with kindness,
especially when they’re going through crisis.”
And both parents instilled in Goebel,
Hastings’ newly appointed superintendent of
schools, the value of community service.
“Early on in my life, my parents expected
us to volunteer for charitable organizations or
nonprofits,” Goebel said. “It was kind of just
an expectation for my parents to always give
back to the community in which I live.”
So, after unpacking from his first year of
college, Goebel decided to volunteer in a
fourth-grade classroom and was able to work
with students with disabilities. Instead of
feeling disheartened by a lackluster freshman
year of computer programming, he felt newly
energized and excited. Spending time in that
fourth-grade classroom made him feel on fire.
He had found his calling.
Goebel’s experience with the students was
so impactful, he decided to transfer to Grand
Valley State University and change his major
to education and psychology, with a focus on
special education and helping students with
emotional and cognitive impairments.
“I really felt like working with students
with disabilities was rewarding. ... It was
really cool to see the transformation of a lot of
my kids, not just academically, but socially,”
he said. “I’ve always loved working with
students with disabilities, and I’ve always felt
like it was very rewarding. So, there’s always
a very soft spot in my heart for students with
disabilities, even now as a superintendent.
“That was kind of the reason why I got into
education in the first place.”
Goebel graduated from GVSU with a
bachelor’s degree in psychology and special
education in 2001.
He began his career at Grandville High
School, teaching students with learning
disabilities. In addition to his teaching
position, Goebel coached high school football
and was a member of the school improvement
committee.
His involvement caught the attention of
Grandville High School’s then-Principal
Randy Morris. Morris told Goebel he thought
he would succeed as a principal and
encouraged Goebel to pursue a role in school
administration.
So Goebel returned to GVSU and earned a
master’s degree in educational leadership in
2003; he returned in 2009 to earn an
educational specialist degree.
In 2007, after six years at Grandville High
School, Goebel was hired as an assistant
principal at Orchard View High School in
Muskegon. Three years later, he became the
principal of Orchard View Elementary,
serving in the position for three years before
coming to Hastings.
He was hired in Hastings as director of
curriculum and instruction in 2013 and then,
in 2015, he transitioned into the role of
assistant superintendent of achievement,
overseeing curriculum development and
design within the district.
This past November, when former
superintendent Dan Remenap announced his
departure, Goebel became interim
superintendent.
And, on March 15, the Hastings Board of
Education announced its decision to hire
Goebel as superintendent.
During his time in education, Goebel has
worked in human resources, special education,
contract negotiation, student intervention,
district finances and more. Having a variety
of roles in education, he said, provided him
with diverse experiences, knowledge and
skills from which to draw.
“I have been able to have leadership roles
at each level, which has really prepared me
for the superintendency. I’ve had leadership
roles at the high school, middle school and
elementary levels — that was a primary one.
I’ve also had classroom experience as a
teacher, so I can really connect with teachers
in the classrooms,” Goebel said. “I also have
the experience of having special education
training. So, our students with disabilities, I
have the ability to connect and understand the
needs of students that have those specific
needs. And then, at the central office, I’ve
been able to work with state and federal
grants and finances, building budgets and
understanding how to be fiscally responsible
for our taxpayers.”
Goebel also volunteers in the Hastings
community.
Currently, he is in his second year as board
president of the Barry County United Way
and he serves on the board of the Family
Support Center of Barry County. He also
recently finished a term as president of the
Hastings Kiwanis Club.
It’s important to Goebel to model his
parents’ values of community service for his
students and staff.
“My leadership style is a very servant-
leadership style,” he said. “And I always felt
like, in a leadership role, I could make a much
bigger difference – whether it was the
classroom or a building or a district or even
the community. And that’s why I’ve beenintentionally taking on leadership roles with
the Barry County United Way, with Kiwanis.
“I always think that a stronger community
is a community that has a strong partnership
with schools because the community itself is
a model for those children.”
With his new role just beginning, Goebel is
looking toward the future with some goals in
mind. These goals align with the district’s
strategic plan, which was adopted by the
board of education to guide Goebel and the
entire district into the future.
The plan prioritizes five areas: Operations
— such as facility maintenance and funding,
communications and community engagement,
personnel and leadership, academics and
programming, and learning environment and
culture.
Goebel’s first goal — which coincides with
the operations prioritization in the district’s
strategic plan — is passing a $21.9 million
bond proposal for district infrastructure
improvements in the Aug. 3 election.
The proposal would see the current millage
rate in Hastings, 6.9 mills, decrease by one-
tenth of a mill to 6.8 mills until the 2026-
school year, when the rate would begin falling
off.
Without passage of the bond, the millage
rate will drop to 6 mills after this year.
Over the past several months, Goebel has
partnered with representatives from Wolgast
Corp. and BMA architects to identify the
district’s infrastructure needs and create a
plan to address them.
If approved, the school district plan is to
invest the funds raised by the bonds into air
quality improvement, buses, student
technology, security, energy upgrades, student
equipment and classroom furnishings.
Funds from the bond also would be used
for roof and window replacements, asbestos
removal, bathroom renovations, updated
playground equipment, remodeling of the
high school media center and locker rooms
and more.
“I think it’s very important we maintain and
sustain the facilities of the community,”
Goebel said. “I think public schools are our
community’s greatest assets. We’re providing
education and inspiration for our students of
the future. And so we need to make sure that
we sustain and maintain those facilities.”
Another goal for Goebel pertains to
academics and programming, specifically
preparing students for successful careers after
school. He intends to bring an initiative called
“What’s Your Plan” into the district and the
community.
The program is designed to fit any
individual to help them set and achieve their
goals, whether it’s a kindergartner who has
the goal of learning letter sounds or a senior
who wants to pursue a college education.
“‘What’s Your Plan’ will be very career-
focused. And so it’s really an initiative that
will help students and staff develop goals,
measurable goals, to find out what do they
want to do. What’s their plan?” Goebel said.
“The ‘What’s Your Plan’ initiative can fit
every single person.”
The program would initially be implemented
at the high school and trickle down to the
middle school and elementary buildings,
before eventually opening up to the entire
community, he said.
Goebel’s goals also include creating a plan
to upgrade student and teacher technology
and planning summer school to assist studentswith achievement gaps.
He said he hopes to accomplish his goals
by engaging collaboratively with the entire
district, relying on his leadership to
accommodate the individual needs of each
district building, staff member and student.
“I really try to serve the needs of our staff
and our community and our students. I try to
do that through a lot of different ways to makesure that I’m making connections with all of
those people because people, you know, are
different,” Goebel said. “Every individual is
unique.
“It is essential to have a team approach
while putting this plan into action, and I plan
on using collaboration to move our district
forward.”Main page 3
Barry County Commodity Food Distribution Schedule
In an effort to reduce transportation costs for our clients, we will be distributing
CSFP food eight months out of the year. During some months clients will receive
food for two months. See schedule below.October 20 , 20 20 CSFP for Oct. & Nov.
November 1 7 , 20 20 TEFAP & CSFP for Dec.
January 19 , 202 1 CSFP for Jan. & Feb.
February 1 6 , 202 1 TEFAP & CSFP for MarchCSFP & April & May
TEFAP & CSFP for JuneCSFP for July & Aug.
April 2 0 , 202 1
May 1 8 , 202 1July 2 0 , 202 1
August 1 7 , 202 1 TEFAP & CSFP for Sept.
Remember, CSFP is
for income qualifying
seniors, while TEFAP is for
income-qualifying families,
individuals, and seniors
Time: 10:00am-noon
Location:
Thorn Apple Valley Church
2750 S MI-43 Hwy
Hastings, MIQuestions? or Visit us at http://www.caascm.org
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
To recertify, please bring your photo ID and proof of
income for everyone in your home to the distribution
during the expiration month that is listed on your card.Matt Goebel and his wife, Amy, pose for a family portrait with their children, Emma,
12; Brendan, 15; Ty, 12; and Maddie, 11.commitment to help with funeral and burial
expenses that many families did not antici-
pate.”
Girrbach Funeral Home will send out let-
ters to families they have worked with who
may be able to benefit from the funding,
Office Manager Sandy Billingsley said.
Billingsley said she believes about 12 families
who had funeral services through Girrbach
may be eligible.
One woman she spoke with may be able to
recoup $2,000 that was not covered by insur-
ance for her mother’s funeral, Billingsley
said.
Funeral staff said the pandemic also has
made it tough for families trying to plan
funeral services.
“I’ve been doing this almost 30 years, and
I’ve never seen anything like this,” said
Daniels, who has experienced these challeng-
es himself, since his wife’s father and stepfa-
ther both died of COVID-19 last year.
Many funeral homes have started holding
services outdoors to accommodate more visi-
tors, but that wasn’t possible during the win-
ter.
With legal caps on the number of people
who can attend a service, families were forced
to decide who would be able to come to a
funeral.
Some family members disagreed with each
other on how their funerals should be handled
in the midst of COVID-19.
“This has ripped families right down the
center,” Daniels said.
Many families postponed the services until
the situation changes.
“I would say the majority of our families
are in a holding pattern,” he said.
“I’ve got a handful of people that have been
waiting over a year for their service,”
Billingsley said.
Daniels said he was impressed by the level
of financial support FEMA would provide to
families.
The $9,000 maximum amount would be
more than adequate to cover basic funeral
costs, he said. “I feel like that’s a very, very
generous number.”
Billingsley encouraged people to check the
FEMA website and look at all the aspects of
funerals that are covered under the funding.
Even if their funeral is covered by insur-
ance, other details, such as burial plots, mark-
ers and headstones can still be paid for by
FEMA.
FEMA will start accepting applications
over the phone at 1 (844) 684-6333 on
Monday, April 12. Online applications will
not be accepted.
They encouraged people to reach out to
their local funeral homes if they need helpwith the application.
But Billingsley also warned people to
beware of scams. FEMA has already received
reports of scammers contacting people and
offering to register them for assistance, then
attempting to get the funding for themselves.
Applicants should be sure to call FEMA;
and not to trust someone who calls them
before they have reached out to FEMA direct-
ly themselves.
Application requirements include:
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen,
non-citizen national or qualified alien who
incurred funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020,
for a death attributed to COVID-19, which
occurred in the United States.
An applicant may apply for multiple
deceased individuals. The assistance is limit-
ed to a maximum financial amount of $9,
per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per
application.
Applicants will need the following infor-
mation:- An official death certificate that attri-
butes the death to COVID-19 and shows that
the death occurred in the United States. The
death certificate must indicate the death “may
have been caused by” or “was likely the result
of” COVID-19 or COVID-19-like symptoms.
Similar phrases that indicate a high likelihood
of COVID-19 are considered sufficient attri-
bution. - Funeral expense documents (receipts,
funeral home contract, etc.) that include the
applicant’s name, the deceased individual’s
name, the amount of funeral expenses and
dates that funeral expenses were incurred. - Proof of funds received from other
sources specifically to help pay for funeral
costs. This funeral assistance may not dupli-
cate other benefits received from burial or
funeral insurance, financial assistance
received from voluntary agencies, federal/
state/local/tribal/territorial government pro-
grams or agencies or other sources.
More information is available at fema.gov/
disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assis-
tance.
The meeting space in Leason Sharpe Hall at the Barry Community Enrichment Center allows for social distancing during the
commissioners’ Committee of the Whole session.
“I’ve got a handful of
people that have been
waiting over a year for
their service.”Sandy Billingsley,
Girrbach Funeral Home
Office ManagerFUNERALS, continued from page 1
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