Column: New superintendent welcomes the new school year

Anyone who is associated with a school district knows the incredible planning and preparation that takes place throughout the summer to be ready to greet students on the first day of school. At Robbinsdale Area Schools (Rdale) it is no different. I began my tenure as Superintendent on July 1 (learn more about Dr. Teri Staloch). Over the past two months I have been busy listening, learning, leveraging talent so that I can lead well. 

While it has all been important, nothing compares to the excitement of welcoming students into our schools. When students returned to our buildings, I witnessed firsthand how much school means to them – and just how much our staff care about our students!

Even before the first students arrived, I met up with school bus drivers and transportation support staff at the bus garage. The sun wasn’t up, yet folks were there, smiling and excited and running through their safety checklists. 

A little later I joined the staff of Neill Elementary as they rolled out a literal red carpet and cheered every student with music and pompoms. I also watched as they alerted each other to cheer silently for a young person, whose sensitivity to loud noises was understood and accommodated.

At all the schools I visited that first day and week – and by Friday I had visited them all – I learned there is a shared commitment to students in our district, and a shared understanding that they’re all different. Our call as educators is to honor each individual learner, meet them where they are, lean into their strengths and be responsive to their needs.  

They may be the youngest preschoolers; middle schoolers filled with mixed emotions; high school seniors helping their freshman classmates get oriented; or even adult education students who learn English alongside their little ones. Whoever they are, our Rdale staff are here to help them believe in themselves, belong to a supportive community of learners, and become who they want to be. 

As I met students, staff and family members throughout the week, I was reminded of the awesome responsibility and honor in front of me. I am incredibly proud and happy to serve as the Superintendent of this remarkable district with a long and distinguished history. I am delighted to be here and I look forward to collaborating with others as we assess our strengths and opportunities for improvement: to build on the present and to chart a course for the future our students need and deserve.

As you can imagine, technology is integral to that future. It’s how students learn in 2024, and it’s how our teachers and other staff are able to customize teaching to how each student learns.

This is why, on Nov. 5, we will ask district residents to vote to renew our Capital Projects Technology Levy. We are not asking for a tax increase. We are asking only that the current levy of 4.207 percent, first passed in 2014, be continued for the next 10 years.  

The Levy will support Technology for Learning. If we don’t stay current with the networking, hardware and apps we employ in Rdale, other districts will always be a step ahead, and some students could fall behind.

The Levy will support Technology for Safer Schools. Building improvements – also known as capital projects – will make building entrances more secure and add safety enhancements like additional security cameras.

The Levy will also provide Technology to Support Staff. Just like our students, our staff need access to the tools that help them do their best work: saving time they can spend working directly with students. 

Learn more about Rdale’s Capital Projects Technology Levy that will be on the ballot on Tuesday, Nov. 5. 

Dr. Teri Staloch
Superintendent
Robbinsdale Area Schools