Building Lansing's Future!

Each week we will share district news and offerings.

Update from

Superintendent Shuldiner

Dear Lansing School District Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. Welcome to Fall! The weather outside is getting chilly, it is getting darker earlier, and it is time to start turning on the heat in our buildings. As you can imagine, heating all of our buildings is a difficult job, especially with so many older and inefficient boilers. As we start on our bond work, building brand new schools, we will be able to create a much more environmentally friendly and healthier school system. The windows will be better insulated. The HVAC systems will be modern, and the general layout will be better for kids and the environment. We are so thankful for your support as we passed the bond, with over 71% voting for it! This bond will really change our district for the better.

However, we still have over 20 buildings that are decades out of date. It is our hope, over the next five years, to try to upgrade many of our schools, using better lighting, better boilers, and better controls. We are also looking at creating our own energy with solar power and possibly geothermal heating and cooling. We need to be good stewards of your tax dollars. If there are ways to offset costs, we will certainly look into it. Last week we had a very productive meeting with a Lansing City official as well as energy experts. The Lansing School District is lucky that we have almost 1000 acres of land when you add up all of our holdings. We look forward to working with each of our school communities to see what is possible to reduce our energy costs as well as become more environmentally friendly. It is still very early in the process, but I am cautiously optimistic that we will be able to create at least some of our own power in the next few years.

Additionally, as you all know, the school district still owns buildings that are not at full capacity. Some are half empty and underutilized, and some are vacant. Over the next few years, we will be taking stock of all our facilities to think about creative and productive ways to transform our district into a world-class education system. Sadly, previously, when the district emptied buildings and sold them, they continued to sit like sore thumbs in our community. Many were sold off to folks that never got around to doing anything with them. I have to commend the current school board for finding a great partner for the Otto school. Within months of transferring the title, the new owners started to do rehab. I look forward to seeing their continuing process. It is not just about selling our empty buildings; it is about finding the right partner and purchaser.

As we start to think about better usage of our land and our buildings, I would love to hear from the community as to what you would like us to do with it. For instance, last week, I visited the old Northwestern School. The district took down the building years ago but still owns the land. It is just a grass field. What do you think we should do with it? Should the district think about building housing? Should we create a solar field to help offset our electric bills? Should we turn it into a farm and grow fruits and vegetables for our families? For any of these projects to go well, we want the community to be a part of them. The school district is strong when the community is strong.

I look forward to hearing from you all as we, together, make this district better.

Thank you so much for all of your incredible support of our district. Together, we will do great things for the children of Lansing.

Benjamin Shuldiner, Superintendent

Lansing School District

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Meet Our Featured Student!

Miya Gilkie

Everett High School

Miya Gilkie is an upstanding Senior at Everett High School. She participates in multiple extracurricular activities such as volleyball, basketball, softball, and Dance Company. In addition, she is a member of Senior Council and enjoys volunteering in her spare time. Miya works hard to keep good grades and manage stress during the school year.

She is known by students and staff as a role model, a leader, and a classy young lady who is always happy and uplifting. When asked about her best quality, Miya replied, “I always strive to be a helping hand, not just for my friends but for ANYONE in need.” After graduation, Miya plans to attend college and major in Psychology.

Staff Feature of the Week

Dorcas Shumake

Lansing Learning Hub

For over 20 years Dorcas Shumake has had the distinct privilege to work with students and the community as she has served in several different capacities within the K-12 setting.

Dorcas has committed herself to equipping young people with tools that will empower them to be successful on their journey and break the devastating cycles and impacts of trauma and build resilience.

She believes that when you build relationships with a young person and treat them with dignity and respect, it changes their hearts; and that, in the end, changes their lives.

Lansing School District to Receive $14.9M Grant

The Lansing School District has been selected to receive a $14.9 million magnet grant from the Department of Education. The new funding will provide support for the creation of a new four year career technical education (CTE) high school at Hill as well as a K-12 environmental educational track. The grant will also provide support to Wexford's K-8 Montessori program.

CTE programming at Hill is currently only available to 11th and 12th grade students who are bussed in for their CTE programs and then taken back to their home schools for the rest of their classes. The new funding will expand the programming through 9th grade, and round it out with math, history, and science which means that our students will be able to be immersed in CTE for their entire high school career. "The attendance at CTE is remarkable, they have been coming and they have been enjoying it," says CTE Director Nicole Millsap.

Forest View Elementary will be receiving funds to back up an environmental science focus that principal Emily Brown has been developing with her staff for the last decade. Students starting the environmental track at Forest View, will go to North next, which will also be receiving funds to continue the track through the middle years. Students pursuing the environmental track will finish at the Ebersole Environmental Center, our nearly 200 acre educational center located in Wayland, MI.

Wexford was previously grant funded, but the funding ran out and the school has been sustaining since. Principal Liz Bishop plans to use the new funds to train teachers, add additional learning materials, and add instructional assistance for each classroom. "Wexford students will grow in a Montessori way and be very successful and do an amazing job," said Bishop.

To see the press conference in its entirety including thoughts from Superintendent Shuldiner, check out the video below.

Four Board of Education Seats Up for Election

There are many important issues to vote on in the upcoming election, including three six-year-term seats and one partial term unopposed seat on the Lansing School District Board of Education. To read about the candidates in their own words, check out this article from the Lansing State Journal.

Attwood New Tech Elementary

Is on Facebook - Are You?

Attwood New Tech Elementary Principal Sharon Hampton-Madyun posts a weekly newsletter on her school's Facebook page. From school policies about cell phones and large back packs, to important dates, and requests for volunteers, her newsletter serves as a one stop shop for all tiger news! Give them a follow today.