Superintendent’s Corner
District Administrator Mike Endreas
Big changes, no problem
If you have ever been involved with a school system and the inner workings of one, there is always a feel for the climate and culture of the school. This feeling is hard to describe but you know when you’re in it. Each year there is always a different feel. All summer I was excited about the start of the school year just to finally read the last page of the mystery novel and reveal the feel for the year.
My excitement was based on how our staff will look considering we hired 24 new (to the district) teachers, four paraprofessionals, two food service workers, a new elementary school counselor and a new elementary principal, as well. Changeover is one thing, but this was crazy. I am extremely excited about the energy and welcoming atmosphere that has been our feeling for this school year.
Our new staff are melding in nicely with our current staff. Changes have been received well and have gone smoothly. I chalk this up to the outstanding leadership of Mr. Gorst and Mr. Ikert.
At the school board level, they have worked hard to create initiatives to lead our district. It is nice to have a group of people who care about kids representing our community in the direction of our school. The formal document of initiatives can be found on our webpage in the school board area, but to give you the “Readers Digest version”, the board is looking to promote opportunities for students along with the preparation to create good community members. With the passing of the referendum, we have added a Spanish teacher, reinstated our Business Ed program, provided social/emotional support through an additional counselor, along with remedial support with our new math interventionist. The board has set expectations to find a balance between providing these opportunities while being fiscally responsible. We have a great deal to be thankful for and feel strongly about the work we are doing while prioritizing communicating our story to others.
The board also has been in collaborative discussions with the Village of Spencer Board about the possibility of creating a shared position of a School Resource Officer. During the school year, this person would be assigned to the school district, leaving summer relief help for the village. I think the main takeaway from this is the discussion phase. There is a great deal of devil in the details to make this happen and, in all honesty, it may not work out, but the assurance that the leaders of our community are working together is definitely a positive. Please stay in the loop with the happenings of our district through our Facebook page and our school website. We hope to delve into the Instagram world as well as we are trying to communicate in areas with the best success.
I appreciate our community and the never ending support for our kids. It has been a great start to the school year and I look for this to continue throughout the year.
