Superintendent Dr. Steve McCammon

Dear Community,

It is my pleasure to welcome our students, staff, parents, and community to the 2008-2009 school year. We are proud to continue year nine of the excellent work that has evolved in our district with the National Standard Bearer Network. We truly believe that this work is having a very positive impact and is continuing to push the levels of excellence in teaching and learning to unprecedented heights in our district. In fact, as we break down this year’s WASL results, we are seeing more and more significant impact on student achievement with our focus on designing engaging lessons around those concepts with which our students consistently struggle.

I thank you for taking the time to visit our award winning web site. Please take the time to visit our WOW Refrigerator (click to view) and see examples of the most important aspect of our school district which is the student work itself. I would also urge you to visit the school sites and read the building school improvement plans (click to view). These documents will allow you to become very informed about the actual plans that each school has put in place to improve student learning in our district. Also of great use are the events and athletics calendars (click to view). which are intended to keep our community informed about opportunities to become even more involved in the great things that are happening around the district. This year we have added a district blog (click here to view) in order to allow you to give feedback and affirmation to our students and staff about the great work that they are doing in our schools.

We are very excited about the coming school year. We are striving to become even better and continue to need your support and input to ascend to ever-higher levels. We will recommit our promise to you this school year of continuing to build quality programs while operating in a fiscally responsible manner. This coming year we will implement the sixth and final year of the technology levy that the community was so supportive in providing. This continues to be a time of great challenge financially as we are certainly impacted by the sluggish economy which is coupled with a gap of funding from the state with regard to transportation and special education. As I have mentioned in my communications to you last spring and early summer, we will be experiencing a slight rise in class sizes but are moving staff around to accommodate the best learning environment that we can with existing staffing. We are pleased however, to maintain a solid fund balance (district savings account) of 3% or right at one million dollars in order to ensure that the district remains financially strong.

Finally, we will be celebrating new faces in leadership positions this year as well. Once again, we have downsized in our administrative ranks and the shuffle has moved some existing administrators into new positions as well. Mr. Kevin Alfano will be the principal at Endeavour Elementary this year. Mr. Jim Snider has moved to CJHS and will serve as the Dean of Students there. Ms. Marti Shefveland will serve in a brand new role as an Associate Administrator at Surprise Lake Middle School. Mr. Kevin Johnson has become our new Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Career and Technical Education and Ms. Marlyne Johnson is our new Director of Career and Technical Education. Finally, Ms. Damian Jenkins, who became our Director of Transportation in the middle of last year, will begin her first entire year in this role.

I look forward to seeing several of you at one of our many activities this fall and throughout the school year. Thank you again for your steadfast support of our important efforts in Fife School District.

Dr. Stephen McCammon,
Superintendent