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The Anchor Bay School District is beginning the new year with a “very promising” outlook, the superintendent recently said.
Despite lingering challenges, things are looking up, as the district has been released from state financial supervision, and enrollment has exceeded projections, Superintendent Phil Jankowski said. Planning for upcoming bond projects is also set to kick into high gear following voter approval of a $169.3 million bond issue this past fall.
Jankowski, who has been serving as superintendent since July 2021, said one of his main goals this year is to help students get back on track after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional plans for the coming months include updating security procedures and revamping curriculum and academic programs.
Students returned from the holiday break Jan. 3. Schools will close Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as well as Feb. 17 to 20 for mid-winter break. An organizational meeting of the Anchor Bay School District Board of Education is scheduled for Jan. 25.
As 2023 kicked off, The Voice posed a handful of questions to the superintendent, seeking details about the district’s plans for the new year. Here’s what Jankowski had to say about what’s ahead for the Anchor Bay School District.
Q: How is the forecast looking for the district in 2023?
A: The forecast for the district is very promising. We are excited that our enrollment exceeded our projections this year and that we were able to finally be released from state financial supervision. Our fund balance is moving in the right direction, we have settled long-term contracts with all of our bargaining units, and with the recent passage of the bond, we are poised to do some really good things for the Anchor Bay community.
Q: As superintendent, what are your main goals for the new year?
A: The main goals for this year are to help get students back on track after the disruption of the pandemic the past few years and to begin implementing our recently adopted strategic plan which centers around incorporating more career and college preparatory education in an integrated manner so that students will be as best prepared for the future as possible.
Q: What activities related to the recently approved bond are expected to take place?
A: We are going to begin the planning this month and hope to break ground on the high school addition this fall. This will be the beginning of new career and technical education spaces for almost all of our programs which will allow them to be at the forefront of preparing students for future careers. We will also begin planning for the new elementary buildings and media center upgrades across all of our buildings. We will begin with visits to other districts that have recently completed buildings and then we will have planning sessions open to the public to finalize what the community wants in the new construction areas which will then guide our bond planning team.
Q: Are any significant projects planned in the district for 2023?
A: In addition to the new construction mentioned above, we will be continuing to update our security procedures. This will include new cameras, additional security guards, door access controls, door barriers, critical incident mapping, and other enhancements in order to provide the safest environment possible for our students. We are also looking to expand our mental health services and staff training on threat assessment in order to take a comprehensive approach.
Q: Do you hope to see any other changes or improvements taking place in the district?
A: Yes, our plan is to revamp our curriculum and academic programs to optimize what we are doing on the construction portions of the bond. We are moving towards a competency-based approach for students where we will provide students more career opportunities and make education more transparent for parents and students. The goal is to enable students to be well prepared for college and career opportunities and to help them earn as many college credits and industry recognized credentials prior to graduation.
Q: What challenges do you foresee the district facing in the coming year?
A: The main challenges are maintaining enrollment and programs and continuing to stabilize the budget. If we can do those two things and are judicious in how we implement the bond, then Anchor Bay will be well positioned to build upon its programs and continue to be a leader in the region in education and student achievement.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add about what’s ahead for the district in 2023?
A: It is an exciting time in Anchor Bay as we have many new and exciting things on the horizon for this year and future years. The bond program will enable us to expand our career programs and ultimately add a public safety program to our current slate of 16 CTE programs. We are also going to be adding new technology across the district and expanding our after school and summer programs. Once the bond program is complete, we will have the most modern buildings of any district in the area and will have leading edge programs that will serve our students well for many years.
