Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bay City Public Schools,

With the holidays now behind and mid-school year at hand, there are a few items that I want to share and hope are of interest to you.

Auburn Elementary hosted a welcome ceremony in January for 17 Taiwanese students ages 11 and 12 and their adult chaperones. The exchange was an exciting educational and cultural opportunity. The students are from Auburn’s sister school, Hui-Wen Elementary School in Taichung, Taiwan and the partnership was established in 2008.

Hampton Elementary is hosting French students during February and in May is sending some students to Paris, France as part of a cultural exchange.  This is the second year in a row that Hampton has hosted a French student exchange program.

During January, our College Prep Office, with the assistance of Central and Western High Schools, held two events called “College Bound: It’s not all about the Money!”  These events were very well attended – the purpose was to provide information to parents and students related to college testing, student loans and aid, scholarships, and careers.

The District is developing long-range plans for curriculum, preventative maintenance, and middle school scheduling which we hope to roll out before the end of this school year.

In January, the Board of Education was provided an update on trimesters at the high school.  This was a big change at the high school level; one that we believe will be beneficial to our students.  Because this is new to our district, we are still working through some concerns related to student scheduling, honors and advanced courses available, and commute times to and from the Career Center. 

We held two town hall meetings on school funding in Michigan and our budget situation.  We are beginning development on our 2010-11 budget with an expected per-student funding reduction of roughly $450 at the present time.  This year the reduction was $165 per student. While this is not the best of news, the changes already made to our budget for this year will help us next year as well.

Finally, these are difficult economic times for many.  If you know of someone who is unemployed or looking for some extra work, the U.S. Census Bureau is actively seeking workers for the Bay County area.  The number to call is 1-866-861-2010 or visit the U.S. Census website at www.2010CensusJobs.Gov.

If you have comments or questions, I can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 671-8165. I remain thankful for your interest and support of the Bay City Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Douglas L. Newcombe
Interim Superintendent