Hello Dolphin Community,

I hope this message finds everyone well and enjoying the last few weeks of summer. We are putting the finishing touches on cleaning and preparations at the schools in preparation for the students' return in September. We are also finishing up some of our major projects, including this one depicted here at our high school which included a complete repair/refurbishment to the "Lagoon" at the D-Y High School. This, and other facilities projects that occurred this summer, are all part of our newly developed capital plan (Strategic Objective #3) to ensure that we have strong, healthy, operational buildings to support our students now and into the future. On a related note, a quick update on the M.E. Small project. Over the summer, we secured an Owner's Project Manager (OPM) which is required by MSBA (the state) and works for the school district throughout the process to ensure the owner's interests are being protected. Our next step, which will be happening this fall, is to request bid proposals for a Designer to lead the Feasibility Study and then select the Designer who will conduct the study. More to come on this.

Parents and guardians should anticipate receiving bus route information by August 28, 2026. As you will remember this year, the District implemented a new transportation request process. Early in May, a districtwide ParentSquare message was sent explaining the new process and asking families to complete a transportation form for each student who would need bus transportation for the 2026–2027 school year. Families were asked to submit their forms by June 25 to allow the District sufficient time to develop routes before the start of school. Weekly reminders were also sent to families who had not yet completed the transportation form.

As a result of this new process and the information gathered through the transportation survey, families should anticipate some significant changes to bus stops and routes this year. The District is using the survey responses to design more efficient routes and introduce cluster stops, where appropriate. Our goal is to create balanced routes that allow us to transport students safely, efficiently, and effectively while keeping ride times as reasonable as possible. We are also looking to ensure we get busses to school on time which has been a consistent challenge since my arrival as superintendent.

For families that did not request a stop or that need to make changes, we have a new process for requesting a stop or stop change. Please follow this link to learn about the new process.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Marc J. Smith, Ed.D

Superintendent