Superintendent’s Message

     Welcome to Spring! As I write this update, we are down to 37 days of school left. It seems like yesterday that we were welcoming all of you to the 2025-2026 school year, and yet, we are finishing up the year in the next few months.

     We are currently gearing up for our annual SBAC state assessment testing in grades 3-8. Students will be tested in English Language Arts and Math and 5^th and 8^th graders will also be tested in Science.  In the past, our test scores have not been what we have hoped for, but this year I am optimistic that we will see improved testing data in all grade levels. Our teachers in both buildings have really been focusing on teaching the state standards with a keen focus on those standards that students really need to get a grasp on. Writing prompts are always a challenge, but our ELA teachers have been preparing students all year to improve their writing skills in a variety of topics. Comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary have been a focus in our reading programs. Math concepts in not only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but in geometric figures and algebraic expression have been a priority with our math teachers.

     Science concepts and the scientific method are key components in the NextGen Science assessment. Support staff in both buildings are providing support to our students and have been doing so all year.  Although the SBAC testing is a measurement of what students know and are able to demonstrate, it is one moment in time on one particular day that the students are tested. Our staff does an excellent job of helping prepare students by giving them guidelines such as getting a good night’s sleep the night before testing, limiting screen time, practicing good nutrition, drinking plenty of water, and limiting the stress levels that sometimes students experience with high stakes testing. Overall, I believe our students are well prepared for state testing and we will see improved results later this spring and summer.

     Our district office staff is working on preparing our 2026-2027 budget. We have received our allocations from the state and federal departments of education. We also know what our levy allocation will be for next year. We have “rolled over” current staffing for next year and have looked at budgeting for some additional staff support in each building. Our goal is to present our budget to our school board in June for adoption.  We have a number of teaching and support staff openings and hope to have those filled before leaving for the summer.

     In June, we will be promoting our 8^th grade students and saying goodbye to about 90 students who will be moving on to high school. The middle school administration and office staff will be providing more information on the promotion festivities.

     As always, thank you for your continued support of the staff and students at Pioneer. This is a great school district that not only provides strong academic programs for all students, but provides a caring, compassionate, and nurturing educational environment. I encourage you to reach out to your child’s teachers to see how they are doing and also, feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments about our school district.