New Teachers
With teacher shortages across Iowa and the nation, we are thrilled to have filled all vacancies with highly qualified and talented educators. The only area that continues to pose a challenge is hiring highly qualified long-term substitute teachers. The instructional practices we use are forward-thinking and we believe provides each and every Solon student an educational advantage. Our forward-thinking approach can be overwhelming to those who haven’t had the professional training that we provide our teachers. We have the best staff and have added a very talented group to begin this year.
New staff include: Holly Westlund, Lakeview Elementary Principal; Bonnie Mann, Lakeview/Intermediate School Nurse; Paige Niemeyer, Lakeview Counselor; Lexie Gutz, Lakeview Preschool; Michelle Mead, Lakeview Reading Recovery; Abbigail Kinnaird, Kindergarten; Alyson Krapfl, Kindergarten; Abigail Funke, 1st Grade; Lexi Bahl, 3rd Grade; Scyler Menke, 3rd Grade; Matthew Folkerts, 4th Grade; Trystin Luneckas, 4th Grade; Mackenzie Isaacson, Special Education; Elizabeth Wessels, HS Science; Rachel Bennett, HS Language Arts; J.J. Cooper, HS/MS Industrial Technology; Jacquie Kraxner, Lakeview Secretary; Jeni Tucker, CFA Operator; Breanna Bullard, Middle School Associate; Sidney Matzdorff, HS Media Associate; Kimberly Friederich, HS Associate; Crystal Bradley, HS Associate; Nichole Oberthien, MS Associate; Judy West, Lakeview Associate; Spring Van Houten, HS Associate; Beth Fordice, Lakeview Associate; Rachel Nelson, HS Associate; Kendalyn McConnell, Nutrition Services Specialist; and Cindy Scharf, SIS Kitchen Manager.
New or Expanded Programs
The district hired a full-time Industrial Tech teacher to expand our program offerings beyond our current Architectural Construction and Engineering (ACE) program. Over the next three years, it is our goal to expand our programming to other areas of interest in Career Technical Education (CTE).
Apprenticeship Opportunities
We continually expand our career opportunities at Solon High School, providing all students a variety of experiences each year. Beginning this school year, we are partnering with Kirkwood Community College and Grant Wood AEA to offer paid apprenticeships in the healthcare field. Interested students will take courses in the health field from Kirkwood and work as a paid intern nurse aid. This will be the first of several apprenticeships we will offer as we expand our program into other career fields. If you are a business owner and have interest in partnering with Solon Schools, contact Superintendent Davis Eidahl.
Statewide Assessment for Student Progress
Iowa’s statewide assessment results were recently released (see related story, page 1A) and Solon students continue to achieve far above the state average. We have had a strong focus on reading and writing across all K-12 classrooms the past five years and our student achievement reflects that. We recently started a new math initiative across K-12 classrooms, which we anticipate similar achievement to literacy in the years ahead.
District Growth
Solon’s population continues to grow with several new housing developments. We anticipate another 500 students in the next six-to-ten-years. To accommodate this growth, and to continue providing our students an educational advantage, we are developing a 10-year facilities plan. In March, we will be asking our community to support a bond to provide the funding for the Intermediate School expansion, as well as other needs the community identifies. This bond will NOT increase the district’s property tax levy.
The Solon School Board lowered the property tax rate in 2015, following the last bond and has kept the rate below that for eight consecutive years. The Board is committed to keeping the levy rate below what it was in 2015.
The levy rate was $16.35 in 2015 and dipped to $16.11 in 2017 before increasing to $16.23 in 2018. The levy increased to $16.24 in 2020, $16.25 in 2021, and $16.28 for 2022.
School to Home Partnership
Our students, staff, and families, together, give Solon an educational advantage and keeps student achievement at the top in Iowa. We appreciate our partnership and invite you to contact us with questions pertaining to your child’s experiences and opportunities.