Superintendent's Message
From the Desk of Roger Thelen
Superintendent of Central Montcalm Public School
Dear Community Member:
The 2006-2007 school year was an exciting year filled with much success. Our students excelled in the classroom and in their cocurricular programs.
This success is possible due to our high quality staff and the support and collaboration with our families and community.
Honors nights, where we recognize this success, are one of our highlights each year. This year dozens of awards and thousands of dollars in
scholarships were awarded. We also had staff members recognized for their work at the State and Federal level. All of this success makes me very
proud to be your superintendent
During the year we continued the implementation of PowerSchool, a program designed to assist teachers with keeping track of student grades and
attendance. This powerful tool also allows parents access to this information about their child, at any time via the internet. Eventually, all parents
will be able to access this important information regarding their child, thus, improving the very important link between parents and their school.
Improving teaching and learning is always Central Montcalm’s highest priority. During this year, we continued with our ongoing process of curriculum
review, alignment, and the upgrading of textbooks, technology, and other teaching materials. This work, combined with a focused staff development
program and hardworking students resulted in all Central Montcalm schools achieving the Federal AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) standard.
As we reflect on the past year and look to the future there is great concern about the lack of stable state funding for education. For the past five years
there has been very little increase in state funding despite a more than 30% increase in State retirement costs. Other costs like fuel and insurance
have also risen dramatically. In this same time, there have also been midyear executive orders funding cuts, creating even greater instability.
During these lean years, we have used a portion of our fund balance and made other reductions and adjustments to maintain programs and class sizes.
Going forward, this will be difficult to do. We are committed, however, to continue to analyze every area for cost savings or revenue increases.
Through it all we remain focused on our learners and our vision, “a learning community where all people strive for continuous improvement in
everything they do.” Thanks again for your support!
Sincerely,
Roger A. Thelen, Superintendent
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