Hello United South Central Families,
We are quickly approaching the end of the 2025–26 school year at United South Central Schools, with only 19 days remaining. It’s amazing how fast the year has gone by. This has been another full and rewarding year for our students, and I want to sincerely thank you for the important role you have played in making it a success. Your continued support helps create meaningful opportunities and experiences for our students each day. Summer will be here before we know it!
Staffing - As we look ahead to next school year, United South Central will be welcoming several new faces to our staff team. At the same time, we are preparing to say goodbye to several staff members who are retiring at the end of this school year. We are incredibly grateful for the years of dedication, experience, and care these individuals have given to our students and school community. Their contributions have made a lasting impact, and they will be greatly missed. As many schools across Minnesota continue to face the challenges of an ongoing teacher shortage, we feel fortunate at USC to have attracted strong candidates for our open teaching positions. Filling nine teaching vacancies this year was no small task, and our administrative team has worked hard throughout the hiring process. Thanks to that effort, and to the welcoming and supportive culture of our school, we have had great success in finding high-quality educators to join our team. That success is a reflection of our entire USC community. The support of our students, staff, families, and community members helps make United South Central a place where educators want to be. Thank you for helping make USC such a positive and rewarding place to work and learn.
Calendar Change - Due to fewer weather-related cancellations this winter than we had planned for, our school board approved a small change to our end-of-year calendar. Since we did not need to use one of our traditional snow days, Thursday, May 28 will now be the last day of school for students in grades K–11. Friday, May 29 will shift to a staff development day so staff can complete training that was postponed in March due to weather. Thank you for your flexibility and continued support as we finish out the school year.
Facilities Process - Our facilities planning process continues to move forward as we wrap up the community survey that was mailed to district residents in early April. This survey was designed to gather valuable input from community members across the district, and it officially closed at the end of April. We want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey and share their feedback. Your participation is helping guide this process and ensuring that community voices are part of planning for the future of United South Central’s facilities. Our Facilities Task Force will meet on May 13 to review the survey results and help shape the School Board’s next steps in this important work. We encourage community members to stay informed by visiting the “Facilities Project Process” tab on the front page of the district website, where updates and materials from each step of the process are posted regularly. As always, if you have questions or would like to share feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at (507) 553-3134 or ttopinka@unitedsouthcentral.org. We appreciate your continued engagement and support as we work through this important planning process together.
Wednesday Scheduling - As we plan activities throughout the school year, we make every effort to avoid scheduling games and competitions on Wednesday evenings whenever possible. However, with the number of recent weather-related cancellations and postponements, Wednesdays have at times become the only available option for rescheduling events. Over the next several weeks, you may notice a few activities taking place on Wednesday afternoons. When this happens, we will do our best to schedule them as early as possible. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we work through the challenges of this rainy spring season.
Upcoming School Board Meetings - Throughout 2026, our school board will continue the practice of holding regular meetings in each of our district communities. We appreciate the Easton and Bricelyn communities for already welcoming us this year. Looking ahead, our June board meeting will be held in Kiester on June 16, our August meeting will take place in Walters on August 18, and our October meeting will be held in Freeborn on October 20. Our schools are truly governed by the people who make up our district, and we encourage community members to attend any of our board meetings to learn more about the important democratic process that guides how a school district operates.
Upcoming Events and Activities at USC -
May 2, Prom (Grand March at 2:30 PM)
May 19, School Board Meeting - 5:30 PM, with a Q & A session beginning at 5:00
May 25, Memorial Day - No School
May 27, Athletic Banquet Sponsored by the Lions Club - 6:30 PM
May 28, Last day of School
May 29, Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2026
Thank you for your continued support as we partner together in providing the best education and experience possible to our students.
Go Rebels!
Taylor Topinka
USC Superintendent