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Students from Lincoln Elementary advocate Character Strong; superintendent outlines enrollment target and multi-district agreement
Summary
Lincoln Elementary students presented the school's Character Strong beliefs; Superintendent Hoyer reviewed a kindergarten enrollment target of 9,626 for fall 2026 and staff outlined work on a countywide multi-district agreement under House Bill 567.
Students from Lincoln Elementary presented their Character Strong cultural beliefs — "step up, step in," "go to solution," "we can do hard things," and "you matter" — at the April 27 Great Falls Public Schools board meeting, and trustees and district leaders praised the student speakers.
"Creating a healthy, safe environment by embracing all and respecting all and meeting everyone where we're at," Principal Steve Yates told the board as he introduced sixth-grade presenters. Students described classroom activities and shared how the building's community adapted after a roof failure that required temporary relocation to a nearby site referred to in the meeting as "Paris." Sixth grader Mikayla Lafontaine, who identified as Native American and described participating in an Indian education program, told the board she lost a cousin to a social-media challenge and urged awareness: "I lost my cousin to a social media challenge," she said.
Why it matters: trustees said student perspectives on culture and resilience provided a direct view of how district decisions affect learners. Superintendent Hoyer used the communications segment to report enrollment planning and district initiatives.
In his superintendent's report, Hoyer reviewed a 10-year enrollment trend and said kindergarten registration opens May 6 with a fall-2026 target of at least 9,626 kindergarten students. Hoyer and staff also briefed trustees on a possible countywide multi-district agreement under House Bill 567 intended to allow participating districts to receive additional "quality educator" payments. Staff said they had just received informational materials from the Office of Public Instruction and were coordinating with six other districts in Cascade County; any enrollment or funding action would need agreements completed before the July 1 fiscal deadline.
The board also recognized staff and volunteers at the Excellence in Education event and presented a Good Apple Award to substitute Bob McNamee for 15 years of service.
Next steps: kindergarten registration begins May 6; staff will continue to coordinate the multi-district agreement work with county partners and present options to trustees before district decisions or signings are required.
