TAKE THE SURVEY!
With the new year upon us in 2026, it's a perfect time to reflect on what's at the top of our priority list for the Hastings Area School System. For us, that priority is crystal clear: ensuring our schools and facilities are equipped to support exceptional learning and an exceptional community for years to come. We're building successful Saxons, and one of the most exciting steps forward this year is our partnership with GMB, a respected architecture and engineering firm based in Holland, Michigan. Together, we're launching a comprehensive needs assessment for our entire district.
This needs assessment is a thorough, detailed evaluation of all our school buildings, grounds, and infrastructure. It will document their current condition, pinpoint immediate repairs and long-term requirements, and help us create a prioritized plan spanning the next decade. Importantly, this is truly a needs assessment—not a "hopes and dreams" wish list. We're focusing on the essential items that must be addressed to keep our schools safe, functional, and effective for teaching and learning.
Our goal is straightforward: to develop a clear roadmap that we can share openly with the entire community. This roadmap will outline how we plan to tackle infrastructure and district-wide needs over the next ten years, providing transparency and a shared vision for the future.
So, what does a successful needs assessment look like in practice? GMB's team will examine every facet of our facilities—from internal systems like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical to physical classroom structures, parking lots, roofs, technology infrastructure, school security measures, and more. They'll leave no stone unturned.
But the assessment won't stop at technical inspections. We'll combine their expert findings with valuable input from our staff, students, parents, and the broader Hastings community. A truly successful outcome is a collaborative roadmap—one shaped by all stakeholders—that the district can rely on as a guiding document for the next decade.
The community plays a vital role in this process. As GMB begins visiting our buildings and gathering feedback from staff, we're calling on parents and everyone in the Hastings area to participate in our facility needs assessment survey. Your voices are essential if we're going to be truly responsive to the needs of our community. We're placing special emphasis on gathering thoughts about the future direction of the Community Education and Recreation Center, or CERC—a key hub for recreation, fitness, education, and community gathering. To make it easy, we'll share the survey widely: on social media, through postcards mailed to every home within our school boundaries, and via direct emails to staff. The more responses we receive, the stronger and more representative our plan will be.
After the initial site visits and survey collection wrap up, the next steps are clear. We'll collaborate closely with GMB to synthesize all the data—combining the building evaluations with community feedback—and develop a detailed scope and sequence of projected district needs. Naturally, we'll prioritize immediate safety and operational concerns first, then move to longer-term improvements. Once that draft report is ready, we'll bring it back to parents, staff, and the community for additional review and input, ensuring the final plan truly reflects our shared priorities.
In closing, this work ties directly into our strategic plan: exceptional schools, exceptional community, building successful Saxons. Two of its key cornerstones are community partnership and fiscal responsibility. By creating this comprehensive needs assessment—one built with meaningful parent and community feedback—we're living out those values. I'm genuinely excited to see where this collaborative process leads us, and I invite every member of our Hastings family to join in. Together, we'll shape a brighter future for our students and our community. Thank you for being part of the journey.