Menomonie Schools ending the year

This is the final School Crossings memo from Superintendent Joe Zydowsky for this school year. 

SDMA Update 5-24-23

Dear SDMA Families and Staff,

The end of the 2022-2023 school year is right around the corner........only six more student days left. Thank you to all families, faculty, and staff members for what has been a very successful school year in the SDMA. Graduation will be held at Menomonie High School this Sunday, May 28, beginning at 2:00 pm.  Congratulations and best wishes to all of this year's graduates!

As we begin to wrap up the school year, here are some important items for your information:

• Last Day of School- the last day of the 2022-2023 school year is next Friday, June 2. Any building-level specifics for the last day of school will be shared by the building principals.
• Summer School- online summer school registration is closed, but late enrollment for Sessions 1 & 2 will be held Tuesday, May 30 - Thursday, June 8. Paper enrollment can be completed in person 7:30 am - 4:30 pm at the SDMA Administrative Service Center, 215 Pine Avenue E. Summer courses available for late enrollment are limited and are based on seat availability.
• Summer Hours- summer hours in the SDMA will begin the week of June 5, during which the district office will be open Monday-Thursday from 7:30 am- 4:30 pm. Most district employees will be working longer days from Monday-Thursday and most district facilities will be "unoccupied" on Fridays during the summer. This not only saves energy and expenses for the school district, but it also encourages year-round employees to take some well-deserved time off. 
• Broadband Survey- The Dunn County Broadband Taskforce is asking for your participation on a survey about broadband access. The survey will help identify areas in Dunn County that are lacking affordable high speed internet. The results of this survey will help Dunn County, the State of Wisconsin, and the Federal Government to direct funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to meet the needs of the residents of Dunn County. A link to the survey can be found at https://co.dunn.wi.us/broadband. 
• 2023-2024 School Year- The first day of classes for the 2023-2024 school year will be Tuesday, August 29. Information about the Meet & Greet Day on August 28 will be shared in a Back-to-School Newsletter this summer. Here is a link to the 2023-2024 district calendar.
• State Budget- Now is a critical time for school districts as the state legislature begins to wrap up the biennial budget writing process. Despite a state budget surplus of $7 billion, local legislators have not been able to share anything to inspire confidence that the state will provide enough funding for schools to fill the hole created by the use of pandemic relief funds and high inflation. This 30-minute video from the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials does a great job explaining school funding and why school districts across Wisconsin are facing budget shortfalls. If you don't have time to watch the entire video, perhaps you could try this link which begins at the 26-minute mark and focuses on key K-12 funding priorities for next year.
• SDMA Budget- unfortunately, the SDMA is not immune to budget problems at the state level. Despite our school district's remarkable work to run efficient operations and plan for the future, the SDMA could be facing a significant budget deficit over the next biennium. The school board and administrative team have already been discussing contingency plans to ensure the continuation of comprehensive programming for the 2023-2024 school year, but discussions about the budget and the possibility of a referendum in the spring of 2024 will continue over the summer.

It is going to be a busy summer in the school district office. Please feel free to stop in or schedule a time to meet if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for the school district.

Yours truly,

Joe Zydowsky