Celebrating Success: Williamston Community Schools Year-In-Review and Upcoming Bond Proposal

As we near the end of an incredibly productive school year, Dr. Christopher Lewis and Dr. Adam Spina took a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of Williamston Community Schools and to discuss future opportunities that will further enhance our district. Here’s a comprehensive wrap-up of the discussion from Dr. Lewis's recent podcast episode on the Hornet Hive.

Overview: A Year of Success

2023–2024 has been a year filled with remarkable achievements for Williamston Community Schools. From academic awards to comprehensive plans for future development, the community has continued to foster an environment of excellence. Dr. Spina emphasized how the consistent top rankings for both high school and middle school, according to data from the Michigan Department of Education, speak volumes about the dedication and hard work from students, parents, and faculty. “We’re proud to be the top-rated district in our county, and this is something everyone in our community should take pride in,” said Dr. Spina.

Upcoming Bond Proposal

Continuous Improvement One of the critical topics discussed was the upcoming bond on the ballot in August. The bond aims to address ongoing facilities and equipment issues that have been identified over two years of detailed analysis. “We’ve conducted a comprehensive facilities assessment and gathered community feedback through surveys, and the results were overwhelmingly supportive,” shared Dr. Spina.

The bond, a $38.5 million investment, will cover numerous projects without altering current tax rates. These include the redesigning of traffic patterns for better safety, construction of modern classrooms and new gyms, and installation of outdoor restrooms. It will also upgrade HVAC systems and rebuild the only public tennis courts in Williamston.

“We understand that safety is paramount. The traffic redesign alone will mitigate long-standing safety concerns. We’re also planning significant improvements in our educational facilities to enrich the learning environment for our students,” Dr. Spina explained.

Celebrating the Class of 2024

As the school year concludes, Williamston Community Schools will bid farewell to the Class of 2024. With 144 seniors graduating, this class has continually excelled, maintaining top academic ratings every year at the high school. “Their determination and the support of their teachers and parents have been instrumental to their success. We’re excited to see the future accomplishments of this incredible group,” Dr. Spina noted.

Honoring Our Retirees

The end of the school year is also a time to acknowledge the dedication and contributions of our retirees. This year, several valued staff members will be moving on, including Julie Monette, Marion Shear, Robin Monette, Phil Berlientes, Joe Rasmus, and Gail Cobb. “The wisdom and commitment of our retirees have left an indelible mark on the district. We wish them the very best in their future endeavors,” stated Dr. Spina.

 

Highlights and Accolades The district has also celebrated noteworthy awards and recognitions:

• Williamston Middle School ranked as the top middle school in Ingham County according to state data.
• Recognition from the College Board Awards, including the Advanced Placement Female Diversity Award for Computer Science and being named to the Advanced Placement Honor Roll.
• Achieving rewards school status across all participating schools.
• Academic All-State recognition for 10 sports teams.

Faculty members also earned significant awards, such as Cassandra Eberhard’s regional Teacher of the Year recognition, Becky Dierling being a finalist for a national teaching award, Steve Kersten’s induction into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and Lindsay Bolas recognized as Educator of the Year by the Greater Lansing United Nations Association.

“It’s essential to acknowledge these successes don’t happen in isolation. They are a result of a collaborative and supportive community,” said Dr. Spina.

Moving Forward: Stay Connected

As Dr. Lewis concluded the conversation, he reminded listeners of the importance of staying informed and engaged with the district’s future plans. He encouraged everyone to visit the Williamston Community Schools website to find more information on the bond and other district initiatives.

“Whether you have children in the schools or are simply a proud member of this community, your involvement matters. Stay engaged, ask questions, and be an active participant as we continue to strive for excellence,” Dr. Lewis urged.

In closing, as we celebrate the end of an academic year filled with accomplishments, we also look forward to the significant opportunities on the horizon that promise to make Williamston Community Schools an even better place for our students.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:20]:
Welcome back to the Hornet Hive. I'm your host, Doctor. Christopher Lewis. One of the members of the Williamston Community Schools Board of Education, Really excited to have you back again this week. It's been a busy year and I have loved being able to talk with you about the amazing things that are happening within our district. And as you know, I've been trying to share and introduce you to a ton of people within the district that you may or may not know, but also, we've got great opportunities to be able to connect with Doctor. Spina. And I love it when Doctor.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:51]:
Spina and I can reconnect and talk about the things that are happening in the district. And today we get to do just that. So I'm excited to be able to talk to him about the end of the school year and a number of other things that are happening. Doctor. Spina, thanks so much for being here again this week.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:01:05]:
Hi, Chris. As you mentioned, it's been a busy year, but also a really successful one. And looking forward to sharing a little bit about not only this year in review and and some of the accomplishments our students and staff in our district have achieved but also some very significant opportunities ahead of us here in the near future for both the school district and community.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:24]:
Well, speaking about the near future and some significant opportunities, we do have a bond that is going to be on the ballot in August. The board just approved the language just in the last month for that to be put onto the ballot for August. So all of you should be starting to hear about things, seeing things, and we wanna make sure that you're informed about what this bond is all about. I guess, 1st and foremost, Adam, why don't you talk to us a little bit about this, the bond, what it is, what it isn't, and what is it gonna be used to be able to do for the district?

Dr. Adam Spina [00:02:02]:
Thank you. So the bond has been culmination, I guess, as we're getting to this point closer to the election where voters will consider it on August 6, 2024, so a couple of months from now. It's really the combination of 2 years of work. We have, long standing and very well known facilities and equipment issues within the district. And so we know that at some point, sooner rather than later, we needed to address these. And so it really started about 2 years ago with analysis of our fiscal situation, our debt status, and the overall financial health of the school district. And that homework, so to speak, drove us to move forward over the last summer with request for proposals process and bringing in partners to support us with a potential bond approval and consideration that included a construction management firm and architects. And so from there, we really want to validate the facility shortcomings that we are aware of and and most community members I believe are aware of as well.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:03:03]:
A comprehensive facilities assessment was done looking at all facets of existing district facilities from equipment to the buildings to technology, and then we had a community survey, that we sent out over the winter proposing items that were at the very top of what that facility list had formed us of and also in many cases actually pretty much all cases, what we already knew to be those facility deficiencies. The community was very supportive, the feedback we got from that survey was both supportive and validated those items and really allowed us to continue with the process. But one of the things we also became aware of is that the need for the district was more than twice what is often referred to as a 0 mil bond proposal would generate for the district. Community steering committee, cross section of to be made, we brought in a community, steering committee, cross section of the community to come in and and make some tough decisions, based on continued analysis of the facilities and our fiscal situation. And then they came up with the the final list that, then the Board of Education approved and will appear as the focus areas on the August 6th ballot. So a lot of work went into this, and it's exciting now to bring forward that work to the community for consideration. So on our website, there's, on the district homepage at gowcs.net, there is a construction head icon right at the very top of the page. If you click on that, it'll provide a lot of information on the bond, what it includes, some charts and graphs to take a look at as well.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:04:37]:
But the main focus of the bond, and again, hopefully at this point, not much of this is a surprise because we're gonna continue to try to focus on communicating what the main efforts of this will be. But some of the highlights include the redesigning of traffic patterns to have efficient and safe ways to get children to school, moves kids away from the buses, moves cars out of the gravel unpaid dirt turnaround loop that dead ends into the river. So it'll help parents get to work on time, pick up their students more efficiently, but most importantly, one of the main reasons we've really prioritized this bond is it's gonna remove a lot of safety issues. We've had a number of close calls over the year over the years. I think anybody that stood out there and observed the traffic will be able to testify that that is a significant concern. And so the only way we can fix that is to build our way out of it, and that is really the intent here because we've tried everything else. I've been personally working on trying to solve that, come up with solutions for over a decade, and there just is no other way to fix it. Some other issues, construction of larger modern classrooms for grades 3, 4, and 5, you know, Explorer Elementary.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:05:40]:
Those that are familiar with the building know they have that very odd pizza slice configuration of classrooms and what's commonly referred to as the circle. So we would add, brand new large classrooms conducive for large upper elementary age students in grades 3, 4, and 5, and then essentially got what is now called the circle which currently houses 4th 5th grade in many of our area related curriculum or art classes and turn that into a build to suit learning spaces for arts, STEAM, and music with a couple additional classrooms in that location. I would also include the construction of a full size gymnasium at Explorer Elementary and expansion of the elementary kitchen. That's extremely important because we do not have the facilities right now to prepare legitimately nutritious and fresh meals for our elementary students, and it also creates a log jam. If you've ever been able to watch breakfast or lunch, you'll notice that the one serving line we have is completely overwhelmed. It causes us to have to stretch lunch service from 10:40 in the morning to almost 2 o'clock in the afternoon. So you have little guys eating lunch at 10:40 in the morning. This would allow us to potentially consolidate that and make for a much more efficient and nutritious meal experience at our elementary campus.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:06:52]:
One of the pieces of feedback we received from the community survey were parents and community members asking for outdoor accessible restrooms at the elementary campus. I think, again, community members know if you go out back behind the elementary campus spring and fall time, there are literally 100 of children and parents out there for youth sports, and so trying to find a way where we can have those outdoor accessible restrooms. It also makes the building safer during the school day because children don't have to come back in through the locked doors to use the restroom. They'll have those facilities right out there. A couple other items I'll mention too, HVAC upgrades throughout the district that has continued that was and continues to be a focus, modernizing our HVAC systems across all of our buildings. The high school, but very similar to the elementary, a little bit less as extensive, but the safety and traffic ability of the high school drop off and pick up situation in the parking lots. I'm sure, folks who have walked parked in the high school parking lot and then tried to navigate the crosswalks, which don't really lead anywhere, you often will dead end into a median. So kind of fixing that whole configuration and making that more safe for guests, students, and staff to that building.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:07:58]:
Our tennis court facility, again, something that, I think most community members are aware of. They're also the only tennis courts in all of Williamston for community use. Those are, sinking just due to the situation with the foundation underneath the tennis courts and they're not repairable. So we've we've spent a lot of of taxpayer money trying to patch them over the last many years, and it's just gotten to the point now where it can no longer be patched. As soon as we resurface them, they instantly start cracking as the courts sink into the ground. And in order to be able to maintain a tennis program and obviously provide community members a place to play tennis, that entire facility needs to be rebuilt literally from the ground. Our softball facility, softball team by the way having a phenomenal year this year, just qualified for the area invitational tournament. But that facility, unfortunately, the way it's constructed, it doesn't have access to water.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:08:50]:
It doesn't have an adequate press box, and it doesn't have adequate drainage, which causes the field to flood when it rains, and so the kids lose a lot of games because they can't play because of the lack of drainage. So while it's not at the very top of the list, making sure that our softball team, has an appropriate facility, allows them to play their games is a priority in the spawn. So if you kinda scroll down through the list of items, you'll see that towards the bottom. Band instruments, most of our band instruments are 20 to 30 years old, and they just need to be replaced every so often, and we only have the capital to do that through a bond. And so, we have award winning bands at both our middle and high school and this investment will allow them to continue to excel in music. And then there's some other things that might not be as exciting, but they are just very important. Replacing a lot of the original flooring from our buildings, installing new lockers, especially at our middle school where those are in a non repairable state, in some cases non usable, and those definitely are need of complete replacement. And then student furniture, just throughout the district.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:09:52]:
We have a lot of old broken furniture that's still being used in classrooms and just replacing that with up to date contemporary furniture that's appropriate for our students. So that's a lot of stuff, but the nice thing is that all this can be done and it's a $38,500,000 investment that the community would consider, but all this can be accomplished without having to change tax rates from where they currently are. So like I started with, this is commonly referred to as a 0 mil bond proposal. And if you'd like to see more information, we have charts that outline what the debt analysis looks like for that, list the locations of these items that we're gonna be focusing on and what those include for your review at the website at gowcs dotnet.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:10:36]:
Now, Adam, when they get to the gowcs.net, sometimes you can get lost on a website. So where functionally should they be looking on the website to be able to find that specific information?

Dr. Adam Spina [00:10:48]:
So when you open up the homepage, it is right at the top. Can't miss it. There's a construction hat icon with the block w on it. We've put it on not only in the district homepage, but every school's homepage. If you click on that, it'll take you right to the bond site with all that information.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:11:02]:
There's gonna be a lot more information that's going to be shared. As Adam talked about, all of these projects are really important in our district. And you might, in your mind, have thoughts of, well, why not this or why not that there was a committee as Adam was referring to of individuals that were brought together to prioritize this list based on the amount of money that this bond would allow for our district to be able to bring in. And so it is important for you to be able to ask your questions, be informed, Go to this website, find out more information, reach out, ask questions because we want to make sure that you are informed as you go to the ballot in August as you prepare for voting on this important issue. Now, Adam, we are getting to the end of the school year, which means that we have a group of seniors getting ready to graduate here very soon. Tell me a little bit more about this graduating class and what should we know about them?

Dr. Adam Spina [00:12:00]:
We're really proud of the class of 2024. One interesting tidbit on them as was the case with the class of 2023. They have been the top rated high school according to data from the Michigan Department of Education every year that they've been enrolled at our high school in our county. And so that's a tremendous accomplishment. I think it speaks highly to their collective success, their determination, as well as the support of their parents, the community, and obviously the invaluable instruction and support that they receive from our our teachers and staff. But that is, something really to be proud of And we anticipate graduating a 144 seniors this year, and as always, greatly look forward to shaking their hand as they walk across the stage and learning more about all the incredible things they're gonna accomplish post high school. So congratulations to the class of 2024. We wish you the the best of luck in your future endeavors and obviously please stay in touch. We, want to celebrate your future successes with you.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:01]:
Also, as we finish up a school year, we have to say farewell to some of our retirees. And we have some individuals that are going to be retiring at the end of the year that have been within our district for quite a few years combined. Adam, do you wanna say anything about our retirees this year?

Dr. Adam Spina [00:13:18]:
There's always so much to celebrate at the end of the school year, but at the same token, every year we inevitably have to say goodbye of sorts. I mean our staff will stay in touch and just like our graduating seniors, we always look forward to kinda hearing what lies ahead of our retirees and their next chapter. But, obviously, they're immeasurable contributions to the district. Their experience and knowledge and the relationships that have been developed over their time here are are hard to say goodbye to at the end of the year. But we have, as always, a very distinguished group of retirees this year. Julie Monette who I think most folks will know as our instructional coach, multi tiered systems of support coach at Discovery Elementary and has been instrumental to many of the initiatives that have taken place in that building over the years. Marion Shear, who's been a pair professional throughout the district and I had the great pleasure of co teaching with back in the day when I taught social studies at the middle school here. Robin Monette has been a paraprofessional and, most recently, bus driver in the district and person who I know many people in the community have strong lasting relationships with.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:14:25]:
Phil Briliantes is most recently, I think, is most well known for being a mathematics teacher at our middle school, but Phil also taught at Discovery for many years and we look forward to wishing him well as he retires this year. Joe Rasmus, math teacher at our high school, also known for being the faculty advisor of the Math and Science Academy, and has done some really great things to modernize and keep that program relevant and focused. I actually just attended the most recent Math and Science Academy showcase and the things that the students are producing under his guidance is outstanding to say the least. And Gail Cobb, long time 3rd grade teacher at Explorer Elementary, an incredible educator who I had the privilege of working with for several years when I was the principal at Explore and a first class person, first class educator. So all these folks, we will truly miss them and wish them well and look forward to celebrating their time at WCS here as the year concludes.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:25]:
The end of the year is also a great time to be able to just reflect. And you mentioned at the very beginning that we've had a very productive, but also very successful year as a school district. And not everyone that's listening knows about all the successes, but can you give me a little bit of an end of the year wrap up for the success that we have found in our district this year?

Dr. Adam Spina [00:15:47]:
So I always like to say that here in in Williamston, a relatively small community, we really have this long standing exemplar of how public education should look and how it can be successful. And oftentimes, I think sometimes that success is taken for granted because it's been so long standing, but I think it's always good to remind folks in our community of the great things are taking place here and of course which is possible through their support as well. So just a couple of highlights from this year, you know, I already mentioned with the seniors that the high school has continued to remain at the top rated district in the county. Our middle school was also rated as the top middle school in the county this past year according to data from the Department of Education. Likewise, every school that participates in the state assessment program earns an a for academic achievement and proficiency, and we're listed as reward schools by the Department of Ed. That's the highest possible rating for a school in Michigan. We also received 2 college board awards of note that I'll mention, the 2023 advanced placement female diversity award for Computer Science. It's the 2nd time the district has won that award and we were also named to the Advanced Placement Honor Roll and that's the 5th time the district has received that award.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:16:56]:
One of the things I know athletics is huge in Williamston and the community really rallies around our student athletes, but that goes hand in hand with academics. And so despite all the various championships and accolades that our athletic teams win, one thing that our community might not know is that we had 10 teams this year that were academic all state, and that doesn't count spring sports which are currently have not concluded yet. So that's really impressive to have 10 academic all state teams in addition to their accomplishments on the playing field as well. A couple faculty awards I do want to point out because all these successes don't happen without great people. So Cassandra Eberhard, a social studies teacher at her middle school was the regional teacher of the year and a finalist for Michigan teacher of the year. Becky Durling, who is a Young 5 teacher at Discovery Elementary, is a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. So that's a national level recognition and we look forward to seeing how she does in the selection process at the national level, which hopefully will be determined this summer. Steve Kersten, who is a mathematics and robotics teacher at the high school, but also well known as a football coach, our head football coach will be inducted this June into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Dr. Adam Spina [00:18:11]:
And Lindsay Bolas, who is a social studies teacher at the high school was named the Greater Lansing United Nations Association Educator of the Year. So and we have a lot of other just phenomenal accomplishments by our faculty, but those are 4 that I wanted to point out just due to the level of recognition that, they've earned over this past school year. So a lot of great things. We'll continue to put new stories up on the website throughout the summer and going into the fall about the different things happening, the different accomplishments in the district. But those are just some of the highlights that I wanted to mention as the 23, 24 school year comes to a close.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:44]:
Well, definitely really exciting and kudos to all of the staff within our district for all the hard work that have brought all of these accolades to our district. You know, it is so important for us to be able to continue offering a high quality education to our kids. And all of these accolades just play into that, but they it really comes back down to the education that our kids get and they are getting a high quality education, which is amazing. As always, Doctor. Espinha, thank you for being here. Thank you for all that you do for our district to be able to provide our kids with that high quality education, but also to lead our district, in a positive direction. I encourage everyone today to continue to reach out, to continue to communicate, to keep connected to our district. Whether you still have kids in the district or not, it is amazing to see all of the great things that are happening within our schools and go to the Williamston Community Schools website to see some of these articles that Dr. Spina was mentioning. But I just encourage you that if you've got questions, concerns, anything that you have, reach out, ask questions, bring those things up because we want to hear from you. We will be talking to you again in the future on the next Hornet Hive. I thank you for being here today and wish you all the best.