Hello United South Central Families,
We’re nearing the finish line of the 2024-2025 school year at United South Central, with just 21 days to go! It’s hard to believe how quickly the year has flown by. This has been another meaningful and busy year for our students, and I want to thank you for your help in making it a success. Your continued support helps create the kind of school experience that makes a real difference for kids. Summer will be here before we know it!
Staffing - I am a believer that it is truly the people that make a school great, and we are so fortunate at USC to have a great staff. During the spring of each year, we begin to take an in-depth look at our staffing needs for the coming school year. We do not anticipate major changes as the 2025-26 school year nears, but we have a few retirements and resignations which create some openings in our staff. We are currently looking for a choir/music teacher, PE teacher, and a curriculum coordinator. We also will be adding a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) coordinator position next year, that we are fortunate to be receiving grant funding for. If you know of anyone looking for teaching positions in any of these areas, please direct them our way.
Facilities Task Force - As I mentioned in April, this year marks 11 years in our current school building. With our enrollment continuing to grow, we’re quickly approaching the limits of our available space. To help explore solutions, a Facilities Task Force made up of representatives from all six USC communities, along with staff and students, have been meeting over the past few months. After touring our facilities, studying current building use, and reviewing six possible plans, the group presented their final recommendation to the school board at the April 15 meeting in Bricelyn. The task force is recommending the board consider a plan that includes adding 10 classrooms and a medium-sized gymnasium space. What’s next? In early June, the school board will begin interviewing facilities consulting firms to help guide the next phase of this process, including planning, design, and possible referendum options. As we move forward with this process, we will aim to keep our community informed and involved as we take these next steps together.
Van Garage Project - At their April meeting, our School Board approved moving forward with a new transportation facility to replace our aging van garage on the north side of town. The current building no longer meets our needs and will likely lead to rising maintenance costs down the road, so we’re excited about this new five-bay structure that will house all of our district-owned vans, activity buses, and four full-size buses that currently sit outside. After reviewing several locations, the School Board Operations Committee selected a site on the east side of our campus near the softball/baseball fields, which offers the best option for traffic flow and student safety. This project is made possible because USC continues to operate its own in-district transportation services, which leads to long-term cost savings and allows us to reinvest directly into improvements like this. Bids for the project came in well under budget, and we’re looking forward to breaking ground and sharing more updates as things move ahead!
Wednesday Scheduling - As we plan activities throughout the school year, we are committed to avoiding having games and competitions on Wednesday evenings whenever possible. However, due to the high number of recent weather-related cancellations and postponements, we are finding that Wednesdays are sometimes the only available option for rescheduling. Over the next few weeks, you may notice a few events scheduled on Wednesday evenings. We will make every effort to hold these events as early as possible. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we work through this rainy spring season.
Legislative Session Impacts - As we progress through the spring, we are especially monitoring how the Minnesota Legislature’s process will impact Minnesota Schools and USC. Both the House and Senate have released education budget targets that appear unfavorable, and we are also closely monitoring key legislative proposals. This is an important process to watch, as legislative decisions directly impact school operations and funding. With minimal or no increases to state funding expected over the next several years, we plan to stay strategic and intentional with our finances to maintain current operations. Our student enrollment remains strong, and we are anticipating growth into the 2025-26 school year. This is a great thing for our budgeting process, and we are fortunate to be in a stable financial position.
Upcoming School Board Meetings - Over the course of 2025, our school board will be holding a regular meeting in each of our district communities. Thanks to the Easton and Bricelyn communities for hosting us already. Our June board meeting will be in Kiester (6/17), our August meeting will be in Walters (8/19), and our October meeting will be in Freeborn (10/21). Schools are genuinely governed by the people that make up the District, and please feel free to attend any of our board meetings and learn more about the democratic process of how a school district operates.
Upcoming Events and Activities at USC -
May 3, Prom (Grand March at 4:00 PM)
May 20, School Board Meeting (at USC) - 5:30 PM
May 26, Memorial Day - No School
May 28, Athletic Banquet Sponsored by the Lions Club - 6:30 PM
May 30, Commencement and Last day of School
June 17, School Board Meeting in Kiester - 7:00 PM
Thank you for your help and support as we wrap up the school year. Go Rebels!
Taylor Topinka
USC Superintendent