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Superintendent's Newsletter

      

 

    Dr. Mike Simpson, Superintendent

 

Most of my time in education has been spent at the high school level or as a district wide administrator.
During that time. I’ve learned that the time between prom and graduation, regardless of how many
days, goes by in the blink of an eye. On Friday, May 19 th , at the Lazy E Arena, we will celebrate the Class
of 2023. It is hard for me to grasp this class was in the 2 nd grade when I became the Superintendent of
Guthrie Public Schools.
I wanted to update the community on the progress of the planned construction project at Cotteral
Elementary. During a routine survey in preparation for construction, it was determined that 20 th street
was never formally closed and there are utilities that run through the right of way that would be a part
of 20 th street if it were actually present. Essentially, we have utilities that run through the playground
which will need to be relocated before construction can begin. The relocation process has begun and
will occur this summer. Additionally, the Board of Education approved my recommendation to seek a
new construction manager for the project. We will begin that process immediately. Given the need to
relocate utilities before we can begin construction, it is likely the search for a new construction manager
will not delay the project significantly. The greatest concern about this project is the highly volatile
climate with regard to construction costs. We have used ESSER funding for all eligible projects which
were promised as a part of the 2019 bond issue. This strategy has allowed us to have additional funds
for the Cotteral project from the original budget for 2019, given the crazy inflation we have seen in the
construction industry. We know time is of the essence on this project. Currently, over 800 new homes
have been platted to be built inside the city limits of Guthrie. Many more are planned in rural Logan
County and inside the boundary of our school district. This has led to overcrowding at some of our
elementary schools. While all of these homes won’t be built tomorrow and not all will have children
that attend our district, we expect the growth in enrollment to continue. Completion of the Cotteral
project will provide much needed relief. We believe this is a good problem for our community and
school district.
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I strongly believe that all staff make up our teaching staff. I
never downplay the role of the many support staff and administrators who make a difference in our
student’s day at school. All who serve our students are educators. Sadly, the recent political vitriol has
provided a podium for incendiary comments about educators. I’ve heard from an elected education
official that organizations formed to represent the interests of educators are similar to terrorist
organizations. When I heard these remarks, as an educator, I wanted to apologize to any and all
members of our community who lost loved ones at the hands of true terrorists in events such as the
Murrah Bombing. It is beyond disappointing that an elected official would make such a reference and
also share his opinions with members of our state legislature. All political rhetoric aside, we will
continue to do what we do best which is care for our students as if they were our own. It is obvious this
community truly appreciates the work our educators do every day. Thank you educators for the
difference you make in the lives of our students.

            

Previous Newsletters:

 

September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013  
April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013  
November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 April 2014 May 2014 August 2014  
October 2014 December 2014 January 2015 March 2015 April 2015 June 2015 July 2015  
August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 January 2016 March 2016 April 2016  
June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 February 2017  
May 2017 August 2017 November 2017 February 2018 April 2018 August 2018 October 2018  
December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 May 2019 July 2019 September 2019  
December 2019 March 2020 April 01, 2020 April 2020 August 2020 October 2020

November 2020

 
May 2021 August 2021 October 2021 December 2021 March 2022 May 16, 2022 May 27, 2022

 

September 26, 2022 January 2023