Inland Lakes District Newsletter

Dear Inland Lakes Parents and Guardians,

I hope you had a restful and refreshing break! As we kick off the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year, I want to take a moment to thank you for your dedication and commitment to our students, families, and each other.

The first half of the school year was filled with growth, learning, and shared success. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished together, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in the months ahead.

As we start this new semester on Monday, January 20th, we’ll also begin NWEA testing, which will help us better understand how to support our students' growth and learning goals. Looking ahead, we have several exciting events coming up:

• Snowcoming Week is scheduled for the week of February 3rd, with more details to come soon!
• Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place the week of February 17th, offering a great opportunity to strengthen the connection between home and school.
• Mid-Winter Break is on Friday, February 21st, giving everyone a well-deserved day to rest and recharge.
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This semester brings new opportunities to build on the strong foundation we’ve created. Let’s continue working together to make Inland Lakes Schools a place where every student feels welcome, supported, and empowered to succeed.

Thank you for the energy, care, and passion you bring to our school community every day. I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in this second half of the year!

Wishing you a strong and successful Semester 2!

Beth Fairbanks
Superintendent
Inland Lakes Schools

Dear Indian River Community,

I’m writing to inform you about an important change in the way Inland Lakes Schools will collect taxes. Starting in the summer of 2025, we will shift from our current winter-only tax levy to collecting taxes twice a year—once in the summer and once in the winter.

While the total amount of taxes you pay will remain the same, this new approach will allow us to better manage our finances throughout the year. This shift aligns with a growing trend among Michigan school districts to adopt dual tax levies, as it provides significant financial advantages. By spreading the tax collection over two periods, we can maintain a steadier cash flow throughout the year and avoid cash shortfalls that force us to borrow from the state.

Currently, relying on a winter-only tax levy means we often need to request state aid during the summer and fall months. This requires taking out loans that come with, at times, high interest payments. This adds unnecessary costs to our district's budget. By switching to a dual tax levy, we can reduce or eliminate the need for these loans & interest payments allowing us to continue our priority of fiscal responsibility. This also ensures that more of our financial resources are directed toward the high-quality services and programs that benefit our students and staff.

This decision not only allows us to be more efficient with our resources but also places us in a stronger financial position to support future initiatives and needs without relying on borrowing. It's truly the best decision for the long-term financial health of our district.

We appreciate your understanding and ongoing support as we make this transition to a more sustainable and cost-effective system.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Fairbanks, Superintendent

Tim Burg, School Board President

We are incredibly grateful for your support in passing the May 2024 bond! Thanks to your generosity, we’ve been able to equip our classrooms with new BenQ interactive boards, which are already making a huge difference in student engagement and learning.

These boards are bringing lessons to life, sparking creativity, and allowing for more interactive, hands-on learning. Your commitment to our schools is helping us build a brighter future for all of our students.

Thank you again for your ongoing support! GO BULLDOGS!

We’re excited to welcome a new school bus to our fleet! This addition will provide safer, more reliable transportation for our students every day.

Thank you, Inland Lakes, for your continued support! Together, we’re making a difference. Go Bulldogs!

Email: efairbanks@inlandlakes.org
Website: https://www.inlandlakes.org/
Location: 4363 South Straits Highway, Indian River, MI, USA
Phone: 2312386868
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilsecondary