The letter below is the monthly update from Crookston School District Superintendent Jeremy Olson.
Crookston Public Schools has worked very hard to accomplish specific goals this year as we work to become an even stronger district. Our purpose is to be continually improving in order to better serve our students, families, and community. Some of the goals that we have accomplished were out of necessity and some were a part of a larger vision for where Crookston Public Schools is going. We have given focus to this vision through the strategic planning process in the areas of communication, a culture of high expectations, relationships, and exceptional systems of support. As we look forward into the future, it is important to pause and reflect on what has been accomplished recently.
Strategic Planning: Community members and staff were invited to partake in a process to develop a new strategic plan which approved at the June 24 school board meeting and will be communicated to our community. This plan currently focuses on areas that the community and staff want to see improved at Crookston Public Schools. We are very thankful for the staff and community participation and hope to continue lines of communication as we set out to implement this plan over the next five years.
Preschool Offerings: Based on survey results sent out to parents earlier this year, we have added an all-day option for four-year-old Preschool starting next year in addition to our current half-day programming. This was done not only to be responsive to what we were hearing from parents but also as a means to work towards Kindergarten Readiness skills which are a component of our World’s Best Workforce plan. We believe and research supports that giving students a strong academic start helps students to be more successful.
Curriculum and Instruction: Our schools focused heavily on improving curriculum and instruction by identifying gaps in our curriculum both within a grade level and between grades. We have focused on the academic indicators that are set by grade level and subject area by groups of teachers at the state level. These indicators known as standards are crucially important to the success of our students academically.
Fiscal responsibility: As a district, we made about 420,000 dollars worth of reductions in expenses as a step towards balancing our budget in order to maintain fiscal responsibility. While this was a difficult series of decisions for the district, it was what was needed to be fiscally responsible.
Development of Partnerships: As a district, we have worked to develop stronger relationships with key partners. We have worked closely with the City of Crookston as we jointly worked on the Community Pool transition. We also have worked closely with our friends at the University of Minnesota Crookston who have helped us with our school marketing/branding and also delivered valuable programming to our kids such as the after-school Science Club at Highland Elementary School. We are very grateful to have such strong partners here in Crookston!
We have also been fortunate to have several student and school successes recently. Crookston High School was ranked 2nd in our area according to U.S. News and World Report ranking of MN High Schools. Coach Geffre was inducted into the MN Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Emma Borowicz and Noah Kiel qualified for state competition in Track. The CHS Envirothon competed at state level competition and the list continues.
I am proud of the students, staff, and community of Crookston. I am proud of the work that we have done this year and look forward to the work ahead of us as we begin to unpack our strategic plan. We are determined to foster a culture of high expectations for all and focus on excellence. Let’s continue to work to make Crookston Public Schools an exceptional place for kids and families!
