Dear Thompson Community:
This year, Thompson School District is putting the finishing touches on projects that were designed and created as a result of the 2018 Bond program. On behalf of our students, families and staff, I want to say thank you to our entire community for entrusting us with the funding that was needed to complete these improvements.
In addition to the replacement of roofs, flooring and other maintenance-related items, we were able to create several exciting new opportunities for our families. These projects include the Riverview PK-8 campus in the eastern portion of the district, the conversion of Van Buren Elementary School into a new Ferguson High School building and Thompson Career Campus, the renovation of Stansberry Elementary School into the district’s Early Childhood Education at Stansberry campus, and the consolidation of Mary Blair Elementary, Monroe Elementary and Conrad Ball Middle School into the newly renovated Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball campus.
Thanks to careful utilization of bond premium and earned interest, along with grant support and other mechanisms, we were able to transform the $149 million bond into over $208 million in project work across the district. As a result, not only were we able to complete every task that we had promised to voters, we were also able to finish several more needed projects. None of this exciting work would have been possible without your amazing support. We are tremendously grateful!
While we accomplished many great things with the 2018 bond funding, we also know there is much more work to be done in order to provide each student with the excellent education and support that they deserve. Over the past two years, staff members have been working with our long-range Master Plan Committee and Board of Education to determine our district needs for the next ten-plus years. The community-driven committee has evaluated district needs for deferred maintenance, growth, safety and classroom enhancements.
As part of this process, we are working hard to solicit feedback from our community members on the needs that they see in our schools and how they might best be addressed. A public survey consultant has been retained by the district to help us understand the position of our community. Later this month, we will be launching an online survey focused on our public schools and potential ballot measures for this November. The survey will remain open for two weeks with an anticipated closure date of Monday, April 8.
We greatly value your opinion and we urge you to participate in the survey even if you do not have a student attending school within the district. Please make your voice heard! There will be three ways to participate in the survey:
- Visit the district website at tsd.org and click the survey link. This link will be made available later this month once the survey launches.
- Some community residents will receive a text message inviting them to participate in the survey. The text message will have the school district logo and a message inviting them to participate.
- A group of residents will also receive an email communication from the district with a link to complete the survey.
Answers to the survey are strictly anonymous and confidential. The information that is gathered, along with feedback received during a series of upcoming community forums, will be instrumental for our staff and the Board of Education as options are considered. We look forward to your valuable feedback as we plan for the future of our schools!
Thank you, as always, for your support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District