It’s takes a village to raise a child. We’ve all heard this saying; it’s such a simple sentiment with such strong implications.

 

According to a 2016 policy brief from the National Education Association, “when schools, parents, families, and communities work together to support learning, students tend to earn higher grades, attend school more regularly, stay in school longer, and enroll in higher level programs.”

 

And this is what we want for our children. We want them to feel empowered to pursue their passions, to learn to soar.

 

At Liberty-Benton, we are grateful for the support our community shows our schools – from the businesses that provide spaces to showcase real-life applications for our learners to the organizations that offer their spaces to our staff for professional development; from the residents who show their support at the ballot to the grandparents and veterans who spend dedicated time with our students sharing their stories.

 

We are also grateful for our community’s participation in our master facilities planning. Earlier this month we held our first community presentation, in which attendees learned more about the district’s study of new facility options and potential funding offers from the state, asked questions and provided feedback. We are looking at our facilities now because our enrollment is steadily increasing and our buildings are older and need significant work to meet 21st century safety and learning standards; it’s work that far exceeds the district’s current budget.

 

Our school buildings belong to the community, which is why community involvement is critical to the success of this process. If you would like to get involved, please pick up a survey at any of the school front offices and fill it out. Our next community presentation is scheduled for December 5 at 6:30pm at the high school and I hope to see you there. Your voice is valuable.

 

American author Melody Beattie once said, “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” I think this statement perfectly captures the mentality we should embrace as a school district, as a community and as a country – an approach anchored in gratitude.

 

I wish you all peace for today and always, and I hope you are willing to go on this journey with us to create a vision for tomorrow for our schools.

 

Mark Kowalski

Superintendent

Liberty-Benton Local Schools