LCSD Superintendent Update: Back to School!
Dear LCSD Families, Staff and Partners:
Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! I hope this finds you all having had a wonderful summer. I know I enjoyed a slightly quieter pace, as well as time with family, friends and our animals in the mountains. And now it’s time to get back to school!
This year, you will receive an update from me every month. The purpose of these updates is to keep you informed about the work we are doing in LCSD and how you can be involved. The update will be organized around what we call our “big rocks.” These are the major initiatives that we are tackling this year.
Back to School Headlines (scroll to learn more!)
- Improving Student Outcomes – Welcome back to school! We can’t wait to see you tomorrow for conferences!
- Strategic Plan – Learn about our community-driven planning process
- School Consolidation – Planning for next steps
- Cell Phone Policy – Don’t forget! New expectations go into effect on 8/11
- Calendar Committee – Launch and next steps
- Other Committees – Join the District Accountability or Finance Committee this year
Back to School Updates
Improving Student Outcomes: We are excited to welcome our families back to school! If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for an Orientation Conference with your child’s teachers. These take place tomorrow, August 6, from 10am-6pm. School starts August 11 and every day counts! Student learning is directly tied to attendance. We want to see every student every day!
Strategic Plan: This fall, we are launching a community-driven strategic planning process to help guide our priorities and investments in the years ahead. We want to ensure every student is thriving—and that means listening to the ideas, hopes, and experiences of our families, staff, students, and community. Watch for the launch of the survey, and an invitation to participate in a focus group in September!
School Consolidation: In the summer of 2026, we will consolidate our school campuses from four to three. In September, the Board of Education will be making final decisions about grade configurations and locations. Stay tuned for more info in the September update!
Cell Phone Policy: In June, the Board approved a new cell phone policy to improve learning environments for student learning. These new rules go into effect on the first day of school, August 11. Review the parent-friendly updated expectations, and learn how to contact your student at school: Cell Phone Overviews
Calendar Committee: The calendar committee is underway! We have lots of people who have signed up to be a part of this work. The committee will make recommendations to the Board for the 2026-27 calendar in October 2025. Stay tuned for how to have your voice heard!
Other Committees: Want to be a part of our work this year? The District Accountability and Finance Committees are both accepting applications for new members. Want to check out a meeting first? Email Kate to learn about how to visit the DAC or Jim to learn how to visit the Finance Committee. Learn more and apply: DAC Application | Finance Committee Application
If you made it this far, you probably agree that we’re not letting any grass grow under our feet this year! We’re leaning in and tackling the important and, yes, hard work to make sure that our district and our students are thriving in the years to come. We can’t wait to partner with you this year!
See you soon,
Kate
Kate Bartlett
LCSD Superintendent
