It hardly seems possible that Thanksgiving is past and the holidays are upon us. Events have moved quickly since my arrival in July and we are moving forward to develop the best possible plans for Reed Custer Schools to move into the future. You may have read in the Braidwood Journal recently that we did not have a great year on the annual testing called for by No Child Left Behind requirements. Reed Custer has traditionally done well on those tests and a few misses caused us to not meet Annual Yearly Progress this past year. Let me assure you that all steps are being pursued to avoid that happening again.

In times when budgets must be cut and each dollar has to be watched carefully to be sure it is necessary for the education of our children it is more of a challenge to improve the education we provide. We are all determined to continue that improvement in coming years even in the face of the cuts we now must make. Teachers are dedicated to improving their professional practice and continue to seek higher standards of excellence in themselves and in their students. Administrators are providing the support needed for teachers to make a difference in the classroom. Our non-certified staff is working harder to cover tasks recently covered by more people. Everyone is working to do more with less.

We know that as parents and community members you, too, are trying to do more with less. We know you are supporting our students in every way you can and we appreciate the many many volunteers who support parent and booster groups and the Reed Custer Educational Foundation to make possible those things the district cannot afford in this economy. Your generosity in time and financial support is appreciated. Parents, when it is hard to make ends meet at home, we know it is harder to take time to spend with your children and to help them with homework or simply provide them the space to focus on studying and learning. We appreciate your efforts too and hope that we can all work together to continue to improve the fine tradition of Reed Custer Schools. Pride in what we do to provide that education to our students is something that no amount of money can buy and will sustain us through times that challenge us.