Report card on MSD, from an outgoing board member
Dear Editor,
Eight years ago electors sent me to serve on the School Board for Meeker School District RE-1. With respect for public opinion, here’s a final report card. What happened in the District over the past eight years, and where does it stand?
Board representation changed from one election to the next, and Board members offered a variety of perspectives. Discussions have been productive and always respectful. It has been a pleasure to work with all members of the Board past and present.
District Administration is outstanding. Our Superintendent and District officers pay careful attention to detail and provide exceptional leadership with clear channels of communication to District staff and to our community.
Our principals, teachers, coaches and support staff deserve deep respect. Every day they help kids learn and grow, whether by providing a good meal, a bus ride to school, clean rooms and hallways, challenging lessons or extra counseling. Our teachers met the exceptional challenges of the pandemic and carried on with new tools in difficult circumstances. They care for kids in every way, and I would attest they are all saints.
As in every District across the State, education funding remains insufficient to meet all needs. The District continues to spend down its reserves, and for good reason. Students graduate. They need the best education we can offer them now, not later. Through careful management by our Administration, District financial reserves are holding out far longer than anticipated. Eventually, however, the State will have to figure out proper school funding or the District will have to seek increased local revenue.
Attracting and retaining good teachers has become much more difficult. There is a nationwide teacher shortage. The Meeker District has raised salaries, improved compensation for extra duties, and enhanced teachers’ voices in District decisions. All those measures have, hopefully, made the Meeker School District a more attractive teaching environment. Incipient plans look promising to foster our own graduates and town residents to become teachers.
Curriculum decisions are generally well-vetted and well-implemented. The District has adopted new curriculum to address advances in and challenges from advancing technologies, and our vocational and technical programs are going strong. New state mandates for social studies curriculum have been implemented with appropriate consideration for community values.
The District offers an exceptional variety of opportunities for our students, and they excel in service organizations, sports, drama, music, art, and history competitions, to name but a few of the activities available to them. Thanks to all the above, the Meeker School District has been awarded Accreditation with Distinction for five of the past eight years.
Did I mention, too, that generous community support enabled the District to build a new high school and bus garages and improve infrastructure in existing buildings? District facilities will serve the community well for many years to come.
Public education remains the foundation of our democracy. The Meeker community can be proud that our schools provide the necessary skills and knowledge to help our children become well-informed, productive citizens. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this endeavor.
Dr. Bob Dorsett, Meeker
