April is here:

            The month of April is upon us and it is hard to figure out where the school year has gone.  This is the last full month of school and it seems like the days continue to fly by faster and faster each month.  The month of April is full of events as there are very few blank days on the school calendar.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate to get some of the activities in on time. 

            Dr. Randy Watson visited our district at the end of March.  Dr. Watson is the Kansas Commissioner of Education.  He has been traveling around Kansas to talk with school leaders about how things are going in their district and asking what we might need.  He was also very complimentary of our ratings on graduation rates, effectiveness rates and ACT scores.  We are certainly sitting toward the top of the state in these areas.  We discussed the various reasons why we have been so successful.  I told him that I feel we have good teachers, good students, good parents and a supportive community.  All of those factors have a part in any successful school district.  I also talked with him about the work ethic of our kids.  We benefit from having a strong work ethic in our community which means students grow up with parents who expect them to put forth effort and work hard.  Our students benefit from this when teachers and parents push them to do their best and have high expectations for them.  Mr. Watson was very impressed with what we have done here and looks forward to seeing what our changes over the next few years might bring. 

            The state legislature is working on a new school finance plan.  The Kansas Supreme Court ruled earlier in the school year that the legislature would have to come up with a new plan by April 30^th.  If they do not come up with a new plan that pleases the courts, several things may take place.  The legislature could call for a special summer session to continue working out a new plan or the courts could end up closing schools down until an agreement on a new plan is reached.  I am hoping that the legislature is able to come up with a plan by April 30^th that the court can approve and then we don’t have to worry about any kind of a shut down. 

            As we head into the final few weeks of school, please continue to check on your student’s grades.  If you have any questions, please contact the teacher as soon as possible.