To begin this month, I’d like to congratulate the fall sports teams and coaches on their seasons. I know that many of the players put in a lot of hard work in the weight room in preparation to represent us this past fall and it showed. As a former coach, I hesitate to put limitations on athletes, but I believe each of our teams experienced moments of “punching above their weight.” The first round MNAC Volleyball game and our football victory over Pleasanton in the first round of the playoffs, are great illustrations of “why we play the game.” And with a good group of younger athletes coming up, there is plenty to be excited about, if they continue to prepare well.
On October 16th, a group of ten community leaders met with representatives of Communities For Kids (C4K) to explore ways in which C4K might assist our us with childcare in the future. C4K’s vision as presented on their website is “Communities for Kids will lead national efforts to ensure that communities, primarily rural areas, can grow and prosper by strengthening and sustaining a quality early childhood care and education infrastructure.” Their mission is to “partner with communities to prioritize the expansion and enhancement of quality early childhood care and education by identifying and addressing each community’s unique strengths and needs.” As reported previously, C4K was very instrumental in assisting the community of Thedford with their childcare center. Due to Logan County being 1 of 9 Nebraska counties without a licensed childcare facility, we would be a priority for assistance. As for next steps we have completed an application for assistance with C4K, which will help our community organize and plan to secure all the necessary components of a community based childcare facility. In the meantime, we would very much like to identify more patrons who would like to assist with this cause, and in particular a professional childcare practitioner who would be excited to help in the planning and implementation part of the project. Interested individuals can contact me that the school by phone (308-636-2252) or by email (brian.redinger@stapletonschools.org).
On October 22nd, Mr. Chance Connell, Stapleton Public School Board Member, and myself attended a Senator roundtable sponsored by Educational Service Unit #16 and the UNL Extension Center. The roundtable consisted of 3 focus groups led by District 42 – Mike Jacobson (Representative of Stapleton Public School Patrons as well as others), District 44 - Senator Teresa Ibach, and the State Commissioner of Education – Brian Maher. If you have followed the state legislature as of late, it seems quite evident that their respect and support for “local control” of public schools has declined significantly, as they have passed an inordinate amount legislation significantly impacting local schools, on a variety of issues that would typically and more efficiently be governed by your duly elected local school boards. During conversation, Senator Jacobson remarked that he was receiving concerns from his constituents regarding inflated property taxes. When asked if he thought there was a disconnect between the public and their local school boards, due to these concerns not being voiced at our local school board meetings, he alluded that some of his constituents were not finding satisfaction with their boards. He was informed that we had not received such feedback at our local board meetings. I believe that the board members and the patrons of Stapleton Public Schools do indeed value local control. And to that end, I invite patrons to take advantage of my open-door policy at any time they have concerns, financial or otherwise, regarding the administration of your school. In addition, I would also encourage our patrons to speak with your elected representatives on the school board.