Hello Raider Families,

This is a fast-paced time of year for staff, students and families in Hastings Public Schools. Thank you for supporting your students as we start the last month of the school year.

Along with other updates and information, I have also used this space to talk about our budget realities for more than a year now. In about two months the School Board will have enough data from community engagement efforts, a public opinion survey and the outcome of the legislative session to make a decision that proactively addresses our budget before it becomes a crisis.

There are four things I would like you to know about our situation in Hastings Public Schools:

1. Strong schools = strong community. We have excellent schools, committed students, dedicated staff, highly engaged parents/caregivers, and a generous community.
2. The Hastings Public School District continues to proactively adjust our finances.
3. Inflation, declining revenues, and an expiring operating levy are driving factors that will continue to negatively impact our financial situation beyond any internal adjustments.
4. A district Levy Referendum worth approximately $3 million annually will expire, if not renewed in November, and the school board is gauging the feasibility of increasing the levy.

Over the next month, I will provide more detail about each of these items so that you know more about our situation.

Strong Schools = Strong Community

In a survey last summer, 92% of our community agrees that strong public schools are directly linked to the well-being of our community. We’re a geographically large school district, encompassing five communities, seven townships and 170 square miles. Our dedicated team of 569 staff members serves more than 4,000 students each day at six sites. Community members last summer told us schools are doing well and that makes the community better. 65% of our community gave us a grade of A or B - nationally, 44% of community members give their local district an A or B grade, on average.

Last year, in our Strong Schools:

• 76% of secondary students passed all of their classes
• 649 credits were recovered at the high school
• Under 10% chronic absences
• 70% of elementary students were reading at grade level

Our students exceeded state averages on:

• ACT college entrance exam (a 22.4 average score).
• State MCA test scores began movement in a position direction once we were back to in person learning.
• Graduation rate (95.6%).

Students are at the heart of all we do, and students are responding because we have dedicated staff, highly engaged parents/caregivers, and a generous community.

Bob McDowell, Ed.D.