September 5, 2023
The week has arrived at last….the week where we welcome back our students to our buildings after prepping for this week all summer long! The amount of work that goes into planning each and every return to school in the fall is simply amazing. The custodial and maintenance staff have taken on projects and deep cleaning with a very limited time frame, and we are so grateful for their hard work each and every year!
I’ve said a couple of times already this summer that this year feels a little “different”. I can’t put my finger on just one thing that feels different, but I sense an energy and level of positivity this year that I haven’t felt in quite a few years. I hope that feeling stays with us all year long as we know that schools are tasked with many items to cover in a short nine month period. We are now in our second year of both an updated math curriculum K-12 and new Special Education curriculum, and this year will be using an updated Science curriculum for grades 6-9 to match the updated standards, with the remaining grades to receive an updated Science curriculum next year.
While, as educators, we always love to focus on the curriculum, instruction, and relationships for/with our students, we here at BEA are now faced with some additional projects that can no longer be delayed….our facilities. Last year, we had a couple projects that could no longer wait to be completed, but unfortunately, the cost of those projects far exceeded our state funding that is dedicated to facility maintenance. As such, it is time to look at the state of our facilities and our project needs.
To begin this process, we put together a Community Task Force consisting of people from all five of our district communities. These people included parents of students, community members with no students in the school, elected officials, staff, and board members. This group heard facility updates from ISG and financial updates from Baird, both of whom are experts in their fields and work closely with schools around the state. From there, the Community Task Force held discussions about some different options for moving forward. The next step per this group is to survey our full community about the different options.
That survey will be coming to your mailboxes this week as we begin to gather input from all our district households. The survey will arrive in the form of a postcard that will have a QR code that can be scanned from a tablet or mobile device. If you prefer to complete the survey via laptop or desktop computer, you can find the survey posted on our website as well. If you simply prefer to complete a paper copy of the survey, please do not hesitate to contact any of our school offices and we would be happy to mail you a paper copy of the survey.
Your input via this survey is not only greatly appreciated, but also incredibly vital to our decision making as we look to provide the best possible education, facilities, and community partnerships at Blue Earth Area Schools. We thank you all, and are looking forward to a fantastic 2023-2024 school year. Go Bucs!