Central Lee Family,
Welcome back to the 2022-23 school year! We have had a great start to the year so far.
This month, I had the opportunity to attend an event with our administrative team and listen to a keynote speaker. The speaker's message was around the question: “What’s going well?” He encouraged us to take time each day to reflect on the good that is going on in our lives, our families, and/or our place of employment.
With that in mind, I would like to share some of the things that are going well here at Central Lee.
First, I’m pleased to share that we’re fully staffed for the 2022-23 school year. In today’s labor market, that’s a big deal! Schools across the country are scrambling to fill key teacher and staff positions. We were aggressive in hiring teachers last winter, and were also successful this summer recruiting numerous new bus drivers. While there are many factors to our success, none has been more critical than the great people we already have working for us. Our culture, thanks to the efforts of our staff, has made Central Lee a destination for educators in southeast Iowa.
Enrollment is also going well. We anticipate our total enrollment being up 15-20 students this year, simply based on the number of seniors who graduated last spring compared to the incoming kindergarten class. What we did not expect was for our open enrollment to spike this school year. Last year, we had 390 students who open enrolled into the district. This year, we anticipate around 425. If the district were to increase by 35 students, it would have a positive financial impact of $252,000 to our budget. This is additional money to add staffing and programming, while also providing necessary compensation increases to retain our high-quality staff.
Lastly, Central Lee remains the only school district in Lee County where all schools ranked highly on the Iowa School Performance Profile. This is due to our high academic achievement, student attendance, and results on the Student Conditions of Learning survey. As a parent, I am thankful for the opportunity to send my children to this school district. As a superintendent, I see the daily actions of our staff behind the scenes to improve the academic environment for all students.
Don’t get me wrong—we have some challenges to overcome and areas for growth. However, we have a tremendous number of good things happening in our school district. Our administrators, board, staff, and community must continue to work to ensure Central Lee remains a great destination for all students in the future.
Have a great school year!
Dr. Andy Crozier