Superintendent Castro told the board the district celebrated a successful first day of school and several back-to-school events that staff said supported students and families. "We celebrated our first day of school today, and it was quite successful," Castro said, describing site visits to Rogers, Anderson, Roosevelt and Twain.

District staff said summer transitional kindergarten and kindergarten orientations and the sixth-grade web program helped students acclimate; Castro said she "personally did not see any criers." The district also reported that Mitchell Playground is complete and that the nutrition and wellness department received a gold recognition from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for work using locally sourced ingredients and student-tested meal marketing.

Trustee Burrows reported attendance was improved compared with the same time last year: staff gave an absence count of about 200 on the first day versus 377 at the same point last year, a reduction of 177 absences. Burrows and other trustees credited orientation and outreach efforts for helping families and said they expect numbers to improve further after the weekend.

Human resources staff reminded employees that benefits open enrollment closes Sept. 5 and that mandated trainings are due Oct. 3, with on-site tech support days available; HR staff names were provided during the meeting. The district also welcomed 23 new certificated staff at new teacher orientation and noted the district will post open positions on the LESD career/Edjoin page.

No formal board action was taken on these informational items. Board members praised site staff, the welcome-back events and programs designed to smooth transitions for young students.

Next steps: staff will continue outreach to families to reduce absences, post open positions on the district site and follow up on USDA recognition details and any related program adjustments.