The below message from Dr. Jason Dandoy, Superintendent of Schools, and Steve Russell, Board of Education President, was published in the summer edition of our Turner Today magazine:

Turner Community,

We hope you’ve had a great summer and were able to enjoy time with family and friends. We are excited to welcome our students, families, and staff back for an exciting 2026-2027 school year! There is always an energy that comes with the start of school and ours will officially kick-off with Back-to-School Bash on August 5th at Turner High School.

For the upcoming year, we are focusing on our Mission Statement that was adopted at the start of our Strategic Planning cycle. “Educate minds, Empower lives, Impact Turner” is our guiding light and simply highlights the importance of educating our future citizens. We all have a role in the success of our young people, and it is a responsibility we take seriously. Having an impact on this amazing community takes all of us and we’re glad you’re part of this work.

To set our priorities for the upcoming year, this summer, our Strategic Planning committee came together to reflect on last year’s outcomes and our action steps for 2026-2027. We were excited to welcome two new students to this group, bringing the total number of student participants to three. One valuable piece of feedback we received during this process relates to the “5Essentials” survey that we use to judge the quality of our education. Starting next year, we will share this data with parents to help demonstrate how we perform and how our data is used to improve. Our full Strategic Plan document can always be found on the district website, along with quarterly video updates which are a quick way to stay connected about activities taking place across our district.

Last year in this letter to the community, we provided some awareness of the importance of student attendance, which was a challenge for us in recent years. Thanks to your help and the work of our staff, we’re pleased to report that student attendance was increased district-wide during 25-26. We still have a ways to go but are on the right track for the first time since the pandemic. Unless ill, we need students in class to benefit from instruction and social interaction.

One more annual reminder- students will be leaving their homes soon to return to school. When you see students walking, please stay aware and give them space. Also, when a school bus slows to a stop and you see yellow and then red lights, please stop to allow our students to load safely. Never pass a school bus with the stop-arm out… it is illegal and incredibly unsafe. 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 “Educate minds, Empower lives, Impact Turner”. We look forward to seeing you around the district. Thank you for supporting your local schools and students!