Welcome back for the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. I would like to offer a special welcome to the new and returning faculty and staff members. I am very excited about you joining us. The first of any school year is a wonderful time. It is a time filled with new faces, new challenges, and new ideas. We know that students will have summer experiences and adventures still fresh in their minds. What other professions have such a cycle of renewal and rejuvenation?

Our theme for this year is “Improving the Butler County Schools Customer Service Department.” We have to realize who our “customers” are and what they need to make their educational journey one of success. We want every facility to be welcoming to each and every person who comes through the doors. It will be our goal to become more focused on educating the whole child by building strong positive relationships with students and parents. We will work harder to connect with all of our students. We must truly understand what they need, think, and feel. Connecting with students is different than communicating with students. Connecting is a deeper, more genuine relationship. Connecting applies to all relationships in the school environment. All of our faculty and staff members can make these connections that will support and sustain learning for all of our children.

We are happy about a new math initiative at our elementary schools. This program focuses on improving the thinking process. Students will be able apply concepts by using problem solving strategies at a much higher level. We believe that once the program is in place, our middle school and high school will see great improvements in the way students master math concepts. We have also begin work on improving our reading instruction at the middle school and high school levels. We know that it is irresponsible of us as educators to expect students to do their best in social studies, science, and even math when they are having difficulty reading the material. We know how important the ACT exam is at the high school level. We will continue implementing strategies that will enable our students to score at a higher level in regards to the ACT so that every student will be better prepared for any post secondary school that they choose. 

All of our facilities look great! Our custodial staffs and our maintenance department have done a terrific job this summer.   I want to update the community on our three construction projects that are currently underway. Our new baseball/softball facility is located in the industrial park and can be accessed off of Gardner-Camp Lane. It is an awesome facility that will not only be great for our students but will benefit the community as well. This project is set to be completed the first week of August. The field house project is located on the high school campus. It is set to be complete in September. We anticipate this building will be used by many groups within our school community. The band, ROTC, and all athletic programs are just a few that will be able to practice their drills inside a climate controlled facility. The bus garage is the last of the projects. It is going to be relocated to a wing of the academic complex. Our bus mechanics do a fantastic job and I am so glad that they are going to have a state-of-the-art facility. This renovation is set to be complete by the end of July. All of these projects will provide great opportunities for all of our students. They will also be beneficial for our community as a whole. I invite everyone to make plans in the near future to visit each of these facilities. I believe you will be impressed and proud of each of them.

On behalf of the Board of Education and all of the faculty and staff of the Butler County School System, I want to say “Thank You” for the opportunity to work with your children. I can assure you that every child matters to me.   It is our job to work as hard as we possibly can to make this year a successful one for each and every student. Let me sum up my philosophy with this—People work better at the “speed of life” than they do at the “speed of light!” We need to take the time and provide the time for students to reflect, think, and see the big picture. We do not need to lose the slow, open conversations where new ideas are born.

 I look forward to seeing and meeting with everyone throughout this upcoming school year. If I, or anyone in my office can help you with anything at all, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. 

Scott Howard, Superintendent

Butler County Schools