- Maize Unified School District 266
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OneMa1ze stretching, growing with big initiatives ahead
Like one of our students trying on his jeans from last school year and finding them a bit tight and two inches too short, back-to-school time reminds us just how far we already have come.
Whether it’s longer pants or more daring dreams, back-to-school time is a time to think bigger, and we at Maize USD 266 are doing just that.
We are expanding our Capturing Kids Hearts character education program, further instilling in our older students the important lessons about respect and responsibility, which we have showcased in our elementary schools for years.
It’s time to think bigger.
We are developing and enforcing better safety practices, including how we allow visitors into our schools and conduct safety drills.
We are encouraging our employees and community to become civically engaged and participate in elections and political discourse, choosing leaders who will think bigger, too.
We are finding ourselves out from under the burden of a state budget crisis that restricted our growth, allowing us to develop and expand programs and initiatives we could not nurture in recent years. We are adding staff members and improving the way we support students’ mental health needs.
Thanks to Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson and our shared vision for the success of each student, we have reprioritized the importance of standardized tests. We are emphasizing soft skills and education that prepares our students for college and careers that may not even exist right now. We are adding opportunities to partner with the businesses through maize:connect and our Maize Career Academy. Our goal is to enhance our students’ education without sacrificing the rigor and high standards you expect of Maize Schools.
We are planning bigger.
As our enrollment increases, we are planning for future space needs in our elementary and middle schools, even as we wrap up our $70.7 million bond issue voters passed in June 2015. Three years later, we are finding that we soon will be pinched for space yet again. I mentioned in my July Connections message that our district has added more than 300 students in the past 18 months and recent new enrollments show that trend continuing. Just like the pants from last year that are becoming more snug, space in some of our schools is a bit tight again, too. In coming months, we will form a committee to evaluate options for new or expanded schools.
Our strategic plan will help us focus on how to accomplish our shared dreams with new goals to grow our learning, our relationships, and our opportunities.
We are eager to think bigger with you this school year and can’t wait to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chad Higgins, Superintendent of Schools
chiggins@usd266.com