May 5, 2023
Good afternoon Bulldog Country. As we enter the final leg of the 2022-23 school year, I thought I would use the 4th Quarter Superintendent Newsletter as an opportunity to respond to some of the survey responses that were submitted in conjunction with our Annual School Improvement Parent Survey. The responses to the survey questions will be used to drive the goal setting process for the 2023-24 school year.
As a school district, we are dedicated to the cause of challenging the status quo and implementing positive change in the best interests of our students. We very much appreciate those that took the time to respond to the survey. As parents, you bring a different perspective to the table that we value.
Comment: The gym. Obviously it needs replaced.
Response: While we have not yet secured the funding to close the $600,000 funding gap for the gym project, we are committed to finding a way to see this project through. We are brainstorming options and hope to have a plan in place at some point this summer. We have transitioned to a 2-phase approach to the construction project with phase 1 being the classrooms and phase 2 being the gym. Phase 1 is scheduled to start on June 5. Phase 2 will follow as soon as the funding is secured. Stay tuned for updates.
Comment: If new gym is constructed, what use will the old gym serve during school day? Any sort of multipurpose room use or is long range plan that it is there just to help with practice schedules after school hours?
Response: On days when PE cannot be outside due to weather, the gym is booked nearly all day long. That means indoor recess and PreK gross motor time is held in the classrooms which is less than ideal. Having a second gym would give us the flexibility of taking the students to a gym on indoor recess days instead of playing in the classrooms. An open gym would also give us the flexibility of conducting science experiments in the gym instead of in the hallway or simply giving our teachers a bigger space free of classroom furniture to spread out and engage in hands-on activities. As our school continues to grow, a second gym would allow us to split PE classes to make them more manageable. If the need were to arise in the future, the original gym could eventually be transformed into classrooms. From the school’s perspective, there would be many benefits to having a second gym.
Comment: The undereducated GES school board has an unhealthy fixation on expanding the GES sports profile and for what? Some middle school trophy in a tiny division. STEAM programs are more inclusive and this entire community benefits from emphasizing academics. Instead your Dunning Kruger-infected school board wants to overfund competitive sports thereby excluding many of your students and alienating their parents. Crowd fund the gym with an online or local donation program if it means that much to this town. For now, I plan to put at least one of my children in the private school so he can learn something besides sports ball.
Response: From my perspective as an educator and the superintendent of this school district, I couldn’t be more proud of the work of our Board of Education. The GES Board of Education led us through the pandemic, one of the most challenging times in the history of public education. When making decisions, they put kids first. They challenge us to continue growing and improving as a school district. They empower us as educators by trusting us to do what we feel as professionals is best for the community children, and they respect the work that we do. Despite being a small school district with limited resources, we offer many programs and services that set our school district apart from others. The GES Board of Education has played a huge role in making our school district what it is today. We have a lot to be proud of at GES.
We do appreciate the concern for the education of our students and the desire to see an emphasis on academics. We would like to assure you that we are committed to providing a well-rounded education that includes opportunities for academic, artistic, athletic, and personal development. Our approach is to provide a variety of programs and activities that appeal to different students' interests and abilities.
We recognize that competitive sports may not be for everyone, and we strive to offer a range of options for students to explore and develop their talents. Our sports programs have been successful in promoting teamwork, leadership, discipline, and other valuable skills, which benefit students in all areas of life.
Regarding the comment on STEAM programs, we agree that these are important areas of study, and we are interested in expanding our offerings in these areas. We are currently a member of the Rural School STEM Initiative and partnered with The University of Texas San Antonio this year to provide our junior high students with a virtual learning experience on the topic of drones. Our goal is to purchase a drone this summer and utilize the technology to promote STEM education. By integrating drone technology into our science classes, we aim to give our students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology. We believe that this will not only help our students learn important STEAM concepts but also spark their curiosity and creativity. We are excited about the possibilities that drone technology presents, and we look forward to exploring its potential to benefit our students and community.
To fully realize the potential of a STEAM program, it is essential that we have qualified personnel to oversee and guide the program.We have advertised for a STEAM position in the recent past and have not gotten any interest. That is where the challenge lies. If you know of someone in the surrounding area interested in leading an elementary STEAM Program, please encourage that individual to reach out to the school. In the meantime, we will continue to advertise for the position and look for opportunities to partner with local groups and organizations in the STEAM field.
Comment: I think a program for gifted students is needed. GES wastes too much money on sports and the underachievers. Stimulate your advanced learners instead of dragging them down with mediocrity.
Response: We appreciate the concern for the education of our advanced learners. We are committed to providing all students with a high-quality education that meets their individual needs. If a parent feels like their child’s academic needs are not being met at GES, we ask that the parent communicate that concern with us. Our goal is to work collaboratively with parents to ensure that each child receives the education they deserve. We believe that by working together, we can create a supportive learning environment that fosters academic growth, personal development, and success for all of our students.
We do offer advanced ELA and Math courses for our 8th grade students and will continue to seek out opportunities to challenge all learners.
Comment: I am always reading that the school is underfunded and it makes me wonder where the money is going. If we are so underfunded then how about we cut out all sporting activities to save money. This will kill 2 birds with 1 stone as we would not need a new gym if we cut out all sports. If we want to build a gym, then how about we charge everyone $100 dollars for a ticket to get in to see our future NBA/WNBA stars perform. If the Germantown community really wants a new gym, why do these people not step up with a generous donation to pay for the facility. No need to answer as I can honestly answer the last question myself. I know this does not meet the narrative, but if a new gym is built, where is the extra funding Going to come from for the upkeep of the new facility. If we are underfunded now, how are we going to pay to keep the lights on in the new facility.
Response: We would like to assure our families that our school district operates within a budget that is carefully managed to support the needs of our students and staff. The budget has been tight for the entirety of my 13 year career as superintendent. Paying the monthly bills is not the issue. The issue is funding larger projects that cannot be supported by an underfunded budget.
Where district finances are concerned, we feel compelled to share that per the most recent data available on the ISBE website for FY21, out of 851 school districts statewide, the average operational expense per pupil per district was $16,028.65. The GES #60 operational expense per pupil was $7,771.78, almost 52% lower than the state average. That put our district at the 3rd lowest operational expense per pupil out of 851 school districts. This indicates that we are a fiscally responsible school district.
In addition, every Illinoi School District is given a percent of adequacy rating. For fiscal year 2022, our district’s percent of adequacy rating was 71%. This means that GES #60 was underfunded by 29% which equates to $800,000. Imagine what we could achieve with the proper funding and resources to support our students' education. We are committed to advocating for our district's fair share of funding and resources so that we can continue to provide the highest quality education for our students.
Regarding the suggestion to cut all sporting activities, we believe that athletics play an important role in the development of our students. We have no aspirations to develop future professional athletes. Instead, our focus is on promoting healthy lifestyles and providing opportunities for personal growth through sports. We recognize that sports can help students develop valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship that will serve them well throughout their lives. We also understand the importance of physical activity in promoting overall health and well-being. From the school district’s perspective, with sports programs comes countless stressors and headaches. Despite the challenges that come with sports, we continue to advocate for them because we believe that cutting athletic programs would be a disservice to our students and our school community as a whole resulting in more harm than good.
Comment: I have some concerns about the cafeteria size and how to provide lunch to the growing number of students in a timely fashion at an appropriate lunchtime.
Response: Where the cafeteria is concerned, we do have adequate space. We can comfortably sit 120 students in the cafeteria at one time. This year, the largest number of students we have in the cafeteria at one time to eat lunch is 71 students. Length of lunch is such a balancing act. Some kids eat slow while many eat fast. Keeping the students in the cafeteria too long tends to result in chaos while not enough time may make a child feel rushed. I would suggest that if a child has mentioned at home that they need more time to eat, please let us know, and we will work to come up with a solution.
Comment: I would like to see the school be updated.
Response: We are always open to ideas on how we can improve our facilities. Some of the improvements we have made over the past 5 years include: paint cafeteria and replace cafeteria tables, transition computer lab into a classroom, update door security system, replace phone system, install water bottle fillers, install video monitoring system inside and outside, install LED marquee, install new fiber internet line and switches, paint the gym, install new sound system in the gym, install new window shades in the gym, replace roof and rooftop units on the 2000 addition to the building, and replace flooring in several classrooms. This summer we will be starting construction on 2 additional classrooms. We will also be making upgrades to our fire alarm system and installing a new IP clock system and PA system.
Please know we have a prioritized list of building projects that we would like to complete. The ability to carry out these projects relies on securing funding. The County School Facilities Sales Tax was a potential funding source for future projects, but that initiative was voted down.
Comment: I am concerned about teacher burnout with keeping up with all the standards within a reasonable budget. We need enthusiastic teachers to continue keeping school a positive place. We also need enough staff to maintain the student to teacher ratios.
Response: As a district, we are also concerned about educator burnout. The demands of the job have grown exponentially over the years. We have worked hard over the years to build a positive climate and culture. Steps we have taken to support the social-emotional needs of our staff and prevent burnout include:
provide social work services to students and staff 2 days a week.
arrange for the district’s full time sub to cover for teachers as needed, so they can work on crossing items off their neverending Teacher To-Do List.
allow for comfy attire every day of the week. It’s amazing how much this small gesture means to the GES staffers.
sponsor quarterly faculty/staff potlucks.
shower staffers with surprise treats and hand-written notes of appreciation throughout the school year.
facilitate Feel Good Fridays and HOUSE meetings which serve to build connections between and among all members of the school community.
trust in them as professionals and give them the freedom to get creative and think outside the box.
respect their expertise and give them a voice in the operations of the school.
promote a “Keep It Real’ motto that serves to help with setting boundaries and finding a work-life balance.
In addition to the many little things we do to make GES a great place to work, we have made a committed effort to improve salaries and benefits. While there is still work to be done, progress has been made.
Right now, despite all of the challenges we face, I feel the culture of the building is the best it has been in my 13 year career as district superintendent. We have BIG plans to implement positive change next school year, and the GES staff is pumped about it.
Comment: I would like to see us look into a before and after care program. This could be a source of income for the school. With the daycare shortages in our area, this could help families and generate revenue for the school. I would like to see us trial it out for a year to see how it goes.
Response: While I understand that other bigger school districts offer before and after school programs, and it would prove beneficial for the families that take advantage of it, we are currently not prepared to take on that challenge for a multitude of reasons. Space, staffing, and the sheer magnitude of the responsibility are just a few. While we recognize the benefits of a before and after care program, we need to balance the potential benefits against the practical realities of our existing resources and staffing limitations. We will continue to explore options for supporting families in our community, but at this time, we are unable to commit to starting a before and after care program.
Comment: My thoughts are if we continue to emphasize education, we could lower the child poverty rate for this school to less than 19 percent that was reported last year.
Response: We share your concern for the child poverty rate in our school district and are committed to doing everything we can to support our students and their families. While education is certainly a critical component in addressing poverty, it is important to recognize that poverty is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach. We will continue to work with community partners and stakeholders to identify and implement strategies that can help to address poverty and support our students.
When it comes to the education of our students, we are proud of the fact that in 2022, the district earned the summative designation of Exemplary by the Illinois State Board of Education for being in the highest performing 10% of schools in the state of Illinois. We contend that this achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students, teachers, and staff, as well as the support of our families and community. However, we recognize that there is always room for improvement, and we are committed to building on this success by continuing to provide high-quality education.
Comment: I would like to see a consolidation of communication. I love getting information about what is happening at school but with 3 kids with all of the different teachers I have to follow like 5 apps for school communication. It gets confusing. There are at least 2 school newsletters weekly plus the individual class newsletters. I struggle trying to find the needed information through all of the apps and newsletters.
Response: We understand that managing communication from multiple sources can be challenging and confusing for parents. We will take this feedback into consideration as we evaluate our current communication systems and look for ways to streamline and consolidate our communications to make it easier for parents to stay informed. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with specific suggestions or feedback on how we can improve in this area.
Comment: I would love to see more parent involvement opportunities at the school/classroom. Is there an active PTA?
Response: We appreciate and encourage parent involvement at GES. The work of the PTA got sidetracked due to the pandemic. Now that the pandemic is behind us, the PTA has plans to come back bigger and better during the 2023-24 school year. Please reach out to Danielle Ribbing at dguilliams24@gmail.com if you are interested in getting involved in the PTA.
Comment: How the larger classes in the upcoming grades will be handled. Also, I would like to see bussing at the west end of town (especially for Siblings Daycare).
Response: We are committed to doing what is best for kids and will continue to split classes when there is a need. Not every class has the same make-up, so there is no ‘magic number’ when a split goes into effect. Factors that are taken into consideration include the number of students in each class along with the academic, behavioral, and social emotional needs of the students. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that each student receives a quality education and has the support they need to succeed. We will continue to monitor class sizes and make adjustments as necessary to meet the needs of our students.
Districts are required to provide bus transportation to/from areas 1.5 miles or greater from the school and areas determined to be hazardous per IDOT guidelines. The west end of town does not fall in either of those categories, thus the reason for no bus transportation. Unfortunately, we do not have the human or financial resources to offer door to door services to all of our families. We wish we could.
Comment: More character education built in. Similar comment: I'd love to see some sort of program implemented that focuses on mental health and self-esteem/confidence. I'm not sure where to start, but I would be willing to help however I can.
Response: We believe in the importance of character education and social emotional learning (SEL), and we plan to put an increased focus on both during the 2023-24 school year. We currently have monthly HOUSE meetings that focus on character education. Next school year district wide we will be starting each school day with a 30 minute SEL lesson as we will be fully implementing the Second Step SEL Program. This program serves to help students build social-emotional skills, like nurturing positive relationships, managing emotions, and setting goals, so they can thrive in school and in life. In addition, we also plan to start a Bulldog Breakfast Club at GES. The Bulldog Breakfast Club is designed to support the social and emotional learning needs of students in 4th through 8th grade. This program will provide a safe and welcoming space for students to gather before school on Fridays to enjoy a healthy breakfast while engaging in activities and discussions focused on building strong relationships and developing social-emotional skills. The Bulldog Breakfast Club will aim to empower students with the tools they need to navigate complex social situations, manage their emotions, and develop a positive self-image.
Comment: I really enjoyed attending the SEL night and would like to see more programs involving both parents and children.
Response: At this time, we are planning to host 2 SEL Family Nights during the 2023-24 school year, September 21 and February 29. Mark your calendar.
Comment: I’m concerned that my children’s preparedness for high school may be changing because there was no elements testing in science and no health unit in PE this year. Those are both things that my older children had mastered before high school and this gave them a leg up on their peers.
Response: We reached out to the local high schools about the question pertaining to the elements testing, and they indicated that memorizing the periodic chart does not need to be a focus of our time and energy at the junior high level. In high school, the students will get to use the periodic table for all aspects of chemistry. Over time, they naturally memorize the elements as a result of repetition. The high schools suggested we focus on how the periodic table functions, what the information on the table actually tells us, the connection between energy levels, valence electrons, and placement on the periodic table.
While health was addressed in our PE curriculum this year, we most definitely see the need to expand upon it and will be working to improve upon that for the 2023-24 school year.
Comment: Would like to see a 3 day afternoon pre-k program brought back. TK is great but is just for that 4 year old sector as well as we felt for our kids who had no daycare type routine prior to school, that the 3 day in afternoon to 5 days in morning to 5 days all day was a good transition and we worry now on some going to nothing straight to 5 days/wk & taking long time to adjust.
Response: While our school district is growing, we are at an awkward stage where we are not quite big enough to offer a PreK for All Program, an afternoon tuition-based program, and a TK Program. If we see that we have the numbers to offer all 3, we will most definitely plan to do so.
As we continue on our mission to take GES from good to great, we are committed to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. We believe that this requires a focus on both academic excellence and the development of the whole child. To that end, we are exploring new and innovative ways to enhance our curriculum. We are also working to provide more resources and support for students' social and emotional well-being, recognizing that this is a critical aspect of their overall development. In all of our efforts, we are guided by our commitment to our students and our belief in their potential. With the support of our families and community, we are confident that we can continue to build on the strong foundation we have established and take GES to new heights of excellence.
Thank you for partnering with us on this journey.
With warmest regards,
Robin