The below message from Dr. Jason Dandoy, Superintendent of Schools, and Theresa Rangel, Board of Education President, was published in the summer edition of ourTurner Today magazine:

We hope you’ve had a wonderful summer and are ready to kick off a new school year in Turner USD 202! We are excited for our students to join us this fall and look forward to seeing the community during Back-to-School Bash, a back-to-school event, or an open house in the coming weeks.

As we shared in the spring, our theme for 2024-2025 is “Raise the Bar.” When we talk about this concept, it applies to all facets of our organization and community. Student achievement and success after Pre-K - 12 school is our primary focus, and accomplishing these things requires high expectations for our students, staff, and families. Every one of our students is fully capable of achieving their academic and social goals with the correct support. As educators and families, it is our job to help kids meet these outcomes.

Ensuring that students are at school on-time, every day, is an essential part of the process. Students who are not in school are missing valuable instruction and social interaction. Over time, many students who are chronically absent fall behind to a point where catching up becomes an immense challenge. We expect that all healthy students are in class every day and want to help support our families as they work with us to ensure kids are in class. If you’re a parent of a Turner student and would like to talk more about how to support student attendance, our teachers and school principals are always willing to have these conversations.

Our Strategic Planning team met in June to summarize work from the previous school year and plan action steps which will be carried out during 2024 - 2025. Our full plan document can be found on the district website. Each quarter, we film a brief video update, and these videos are a quick way to stay “in the know” about activities taking place across our district.

Lastly, please be mindful of students walking to/from school and bus stops as we resume classes in the coming weeks. Also, remember that passing a stopped school bus with a stop-arm extended is illegal and puts kids at extreme risk. Please use caution while driving and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

We look forward to a great school year and are excited to “Raise the Bar” in our community. Thank you for supporting your local schools and students!