To Parents/Guardians/Community Members:
Welcome to the Ludington Area School District website. Our district encompasses the city of Ludington and several surrounding townships along the beautiful western shoreline of the state of Michigan. We are so proud of our schools, and I am happy to share our enthusiasm with you. Since our incorporation in 1864, our community has had high standards for instruction and learning and a tradition of providing a quality education to the students we serve. Our students have earned many academic recognitions including the Governor’s Cup, US News & World Report Silver Award and our test scores on the MEAP, Michigan Merit, and ACT are top in the area and among the best in the state. Our teachers are all highly qualified for the subjects and grades they teach and they are highly dedicated to both curriculum and social development. Our K-12 fine arts program is exemplary. In short, we have high standards and our students excel! The Ludington Area School District consists of Ludington High School, Journey Alternative Jr./Sr. High School (grades 6-12), OJ DeJonge Middle School (graded 6-8), Foster Elementary (grades 3-5), Franklin Elementary and Lakeview Elementary (grades K-2) and Pere Marquette Early Childhood Center.
As a district, we are especially thankful to our community for supporting the ten year Technology Bond. The bond was a gift to our youth and it has saved the day for our technology, for our curriculum, for youth preparation, and for the ever increasing need for immediate communication. We will do our best to make you proud of us and the students of the Ludington Area School District. We will provide opportunities that are rare in any school setting. You made this happen financially and we will make it happen educationally. There is an excitement in the air – students and staff, together, are learning and building. Our future is bright.
Ludington Area School District is one of the first districts to undertake a technological initiative on such a large scale. We would appreciate hearing from you regularly in order to gauge how you feel we are doing. There will be things we do not get perfect the first time but it won’t be for lack of effort. When we find something we could do better, we will. When you give us a suggestion we will listen. When you refer us to another district that is doing it better we will contact them. When our students have suggestions about how to partner better with their teachers, we will listen to them too. We all hear so much about reinventing schools and there are many ideas about what that means.
In the end it is this partnership of teaching and learning that makes the difference. Teaching is no longer “telling students” what they must learn. Successful teaching now is accomplished through partnerships. The participants in this relationship are the student, parent, teacher, and community. We need to listen to each other as our goals are the same. Communication will help us to continue to reach those goals. Your school district will continue to excel if we continue to work together. You have given our students a huge gift, one which will strengthen our partnership. We will work to make it the most valuable gift possible.
Yes, we continue to do more with less. Our school district is funded at about the same level as fiscal year 2004. Our mechanics continue to keep very old buses running. Our custodians continue to keep your buildings in great shape thanks to their work ethic and to the sinking fund which you have provided. All school districts are struggling financially; that includes Ludington Area Schools. Thanks to our team and thanks to your generosity and volunteerism we will continue to excel. There is so much pride in this community. We are glad to work and live where excellence is expected. Here’s to our future generation; let’s give them the best start possible.
Information about the district, our award winning curriculum, the school calendar, test scores, and athletic schedules are all available to you here. If you have questions that are unanswered, please give me a call at 231-845-7303 or send an email to: comments@lasd.net.