Welcome to the 2017-18 school year! I am so excited and honored to serve our Island community as your new superintendent.

Last week we welcomed 38 new teachers to our district, a number of them just starting their careers. For me, today (Aug. 30) marks my 33rd first day of school as an educator, and it remains a day of great anticipation and promise every year. We would love to see families post their first day of school memories on social media using the hashtag #MIFirstDay2017.

Teaching and being an educator is my lifelong passion, and I am eager to get to know Mercer Island and to collaborate with our community as we build on the tradition of excellence in our district. I began my listening tour this month and look forward to visiting all the classrooms in the district within a short time after the first day of school. I hope to meet as many of our community members as I can and hear your thoughts about our schools, our challenges as a district and your expectations.

I view the role of the superintendent not just as the educational leader in the community, but also as the “lead learner.” We have to make sure we all are continuing to learn as adults, so we are modeling that for students.

This district is about people, whether it is students or adults, and building strong relationships with one another. The data clearly shows that the most important thing affecting student achievement is the relationship between teacher and student. We need to have strong relationships across our entire system and within our community.

I look forward to sustaining our already strong educational system and working with our dedicated School Board, staff, families, students and community to make it the very best it can be.

In my first month, I have already seen the remarkable support of this community for our schools. At the Aug. 24 School Board meeting, the Mercer Island Schools Foundation presented a check to the district for $1.2 million, the result of the incredible generosity of our community for the BRIDGE2017 campaign. We can’t thank the foundation enough for its efforts in supporting our exceptional students and extraordinary teachers.

With respect to state-level funding, there continues to be uncertainty about the impacts of the recently adopted state budget on the funding of public education. Over the next few years, we expect to see additional changes in state and local funding levels, educator compensation and enrichment. Some of the expected impacts include the continuation of lowering class sizes at the primary level, the assumption by the state of a larger responsibility for the funding of salaries, and a reduction of local levy lid authority for Mercer Island.

The 2017-18 financial plan approved by the School Board on Aug. 24 is designed to continue our current priorities and to provide programs that prepare each student for success in accordance with the 2020 Vision.

Thanks to Mercer Island voters’ approval of the six-year capital projects and technology levy in February 2016, summer improvements include important security and fire alarm upgrades at several schools, a new playing surface and track at Islander Stadium and resurfaced tennis courts at Mercer Island High School.

Coordinating with our partners at the city of Mercer Island, a new asphalt path has been created along the south side of Southeast 42nd Street from 88th Southeast to 90th Southeast to improve safety for walkers to Northwood Elementary and the high school.

Thank you for your warm welcome and I look forward to meeting many of you in the coming weeks. You are welcome to contact me by email: donna.colosky@mercerislandschools.org, or by phone at 206-236-3300. If you use social media, please follow me on Twitter @suptdcolosky, the district @mercerislandsd and on Facebook @mercerislandschooldistrict.

Donna Colosky is superintendent of the Mercer Island School District.