A message from Superintendent Barry

Dear PTS,

As we say goodbye to 2025 and hello to 2026, I would like to share a few important updates that I hope you’ll find encouraging as we near the midpoint of what has so far been a fantastic school year. 

First of all, as you probably know, we have made a concerted effort throughout the district to prioritize attendance. A LOT of planning and work goes into this, but at its heart, the “PTS Rise and Shine: Every Day Matters” campaign is all about doing everything we can to establish and maintain meaningful connections with our students and families. Why? Because the research is clear: regular attendance and connection – connection to other students, the school, the teachers, the coaches, the clubs, the teams, and so on – go hand in hand. 

The bottom line is, we want our students and their families to feel connected to their school, which is why our family engagement events, such as the recent parent-teacher conferences, are so important. So I would like to thank you, PTS, for showing up in a big way. Our parent-teacher conferences were well attended – Talent Elementary principal Heather Lowe, for instance, reported “at least” 87% attendance at the Mustangs’ conferences – and that is a testament to our staff and to you. As a father of two daughters, I know it’s not always easy to round up the family and participate in school events. Let’s face it, sometimes life gets so busy. But the great news is that those efforts are very clearly making a difference. Our attendance numbers are way up across the board. Currently, 74% of our students are regular attenders (attendance rate of 90% or higher), including 84% at Phoenix Elementary, 83% at Talent Elementary and 73% at Phoenix High. Why does that matter? For one, we can’t teach students who aren’t in school. But that’s not the only reason. Students who attend regularly receive so much more than classroom instruction. They also learn how to build relationships, work well with others, think critically, and a whole lot more. It’s no wonder, then, that we are beginning to see some meaningful gains in our testing data, as KDRV-12 recently reported, which is why I believe we are well on our way to meeting most of the goals established in our 2023-27 strategic plan.

So keep it up in 2026, PTS. Stay engaged. Go to those parent-teacher conferences, basketball games, winter music concerts, and the always-wonderful TES Talent Show. And yes, it would be great to see a few more faces at my next Superintendent’s Coffee Hour. I guess what I’m saying is, we have a great thing going right now, so let’s try to maintain the momentum through June. 

I could go on and on about all the highlights we’ve already seen this winter, from the latest Talent Middle School scavenger hunt success (2nd place!), to the solar battery installation at TES, Katie McCormick’s well-deserved SO Kind Award, and the new Playgroup coming to Orchard Hill Elementary, but I’ll let you read all about those successes by clicking the links or reading the latest PTS Rising Report. 

Please enjoy your weekend and let your children know that we can’t wait to see them again when school resumes Monday!

Brent Barry,

PTS Superintendent