Yesterday I joined students and staff at Leon Heights Elementary School to celebrate their selection as a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School. This is a big deal for the school and for our district. Nationwide just 329 schools received this award, which recognizes high academic performance.

Like all of our campuses, the team at Leon Heights is working everyday to prepare our students to excel in tomorrow's world. This award is a much-deserved recognition of their dedication and commitment.

There's an interesting fact about Leon Heights. When the campus was built in 1956, the cafeteria was designed to be big enough to host a citywide meeting, and the Belton Rotary Club has used the cafeteria to host their annual pancake supper for the past 60 years.

The cafeteria might not be big enough for a citywide meeting anymore, but the idea that our schools serve to bring the community together is still a big part of who we are. As our school board president says, "our schools, our community."

We're still growing today. In fact, Belton ISD is classified as a "fast-growth school district." We added about 3,500 students over the last decade, and we're projected to add a similar number over the next ten years. That means that our elementary schools will be at or near capacity in 2019, our middle schools in 2020, and our high schools in 2021. 

To address the facilities needs that come with fast growth, our school board has adopted the "Roadmap to BISD 2025." This plan is the result of three years of study and extensive input from parents, educators and other community members. It calls for building a new elementary school to open in 2019 and a new comprehensive high school that will open in 2021. It would also repurpose Bhs9, which is currently part of the Belton High School campus, to serve as a middle school again.

We still have many decisions to make including where the new elementary school will be located and what size the new high school will be. We also need to ask voters for their approval to issue bonds to pay for the construction of the new schools.

Our school district has been here before. We're blessed to live in a community that supports our kids, and with your support, we've been able to successfully manage our fast growth.

Along the way, we have multiplied, not divided, our shared sense of community and the opportunities for our students. This prestigious national award is evidence of that.

Sincerely,

Susan Kincannon, Ed.D.

Superintendent

 

It is always exciting to see our Big Red Community come together. As we remembered 9/11 our schools joined with our partners in the military and first responders to honor those who serve. Our BHS Cheerleaders are once again joining with our community in raising money to support breast cancer research. Last week our entire community was caught up in the wonderful opportunity to celebrate a very special Belton Tiger as Tannor Yearwood scored a touchdown. This week we celebrated Leon Heights Elementary School being named a National Blue Ribbon School. We have much to celebrate, and as we come together we grow as a community and we teach our children to be active and contributing citizens.

 

One of our great partners, the Belton Educational Enrichment Foundation (BEEF) provides a wonderful opportunity for our community to support our teachers and students with grants and scholarships. The annual Red Carpet Event is a major fundraiser for BEEF and is a fun way for us to come together in support of our schools. Please join us!

 

Great things are happening throughout our community, with lots of enthusiasm for our kids and our schools. We encourage you to find ways to get involved in school activities and join us in celebrating the successes of our kids and our schools.

 

Thank you for your support of our students, our schools and our community.  Together we are making a difference!