Before Lansing USD469 students walked through the doors for the 2026-2027 school year, staff members across the district spent nearly two weeks learning, collaborating, building connections, and preparing to give students a strong start.
The work began with district leadership and continued through new staff orientation, mentoring, district and building professional learning, Professional Learning Community (PLC) work, required trainings, and dedicated preparation time. The district's 2026-2027 Staff Launch Guide laid out a coordinated schedule beginning with New Certified Staff Orientation on August 3 and continuing through final building preparation on August 10 and 11 before students arrived.
Leadership Sets the Stage with a Focus on Staff Experience
Lansing USD469 administrators began their preparation July 30 and 31 at the University of Kansas, where Director of Student Services Ascendra Donald led work centered on climate, culture, and the staff experience.
The work built upon feedback gathered last spring through the district's School Experience Index, which examines Communication Clarity, Leadership Support & Credibility, Psychological Safety, Consistency & Predictability, and Workload & Emotional Sustainability.
During the retreat, district and building leaders examined district-wide and building-level results, identified patterns, discussed shared expectations, and developed 90-day action plans based on their data. The work centered around a simple but important idea: Every interaction contributes to the culture of an organization.
Leaders focused particularly on communication consistency, follow-through, predictable systems, visibility and transparency, and alignment across the district. The goal is not simply to improve survey results, but to intentionally create an environment where staff feel seen, heard, and valued so they are better positioned to do their best work for Lansing students.
Welcoming and Supporting New Educators
That emphasis on staff experience continued August 3 with New Certified Staff Orientation at the Lansing District Office. The day was designed to help new employees connect with colleagues, learn how the district operates, become familiar with technology and resources, and begin developing relationships with the people who will support them throughout the year.
New staff were welcomed by Superintendent Marty Kobza and district leaders before participating in an engagement activity, breakout sessions with colleagues in similar roles, technology training with Director of Technology Brian Burns, and a "Staff Survival Guide" session with Director of Communications Sharon Burns covering district resources, communication tools, important contacts, and tips for navigating their first year in Lansing. Lunch was provided by the Lansing Education Association.
A special part of Lansing's new-teacher support system is the First-Year Teacher Cohort, now entering its third year.
Led by Director of Teaching & Learning Miles Azzeh and Director of Communications Sharon Burns, the cohort provides an additional level of support specifically for educators who are beginning their teaching careers. The group meets throughout the school year, giving first-year teachers a place to ask questions, build relationships, share experiences, and receive support when they need it most.
This year's First-Year Teacher Cohort includes 10 educators:
Jessica Waters – KinderBoost
Kylie Mendez – Kindergarten
Mykayla Ard – First Grade
Jared Parsons – 6th Grade ELA and Literature
Liz Vogt – 6th Grade Math and Literature
Adam Bremer – 8th Grade Science and Literature
Natasha Martinez – 8th Grade Social Studies and Literature
Katrin Holden – Middle School Interrelated Teacher
Josi Bruna – High School Culinary
Mikaela Girardot – High School SLC 2
The cohort works in addition to the Greenbush mentoring program available to new certified staff. On August 4, first-year staff spent the morning in their buildings with administrators, instructional coaches, and mentor teachers before first- and second-year teachers and their mentors participated in Greenbush mentoring activities. The mentoring kickoff focused on establishing goals and learning about the support available throughout the year.
The message to new educators throughout their first days was simple: You've got a team behind you. As highlighted in the Staff Launch Guide, Lansing's goal is for new employees to know they are not expected to navigate a new position alone and that a network of people and resources is available to help them succeed.
A District-Wide Focus on Teaching and Learning
On August 5, all certified staff returned for professional learning and work time that combined building-specific activities with district-wide instructional priorities.
Staff focused on four areas that will help guide teaching and learning throughout the year: Structured Literacy, Standards Alignment, Balanced Assessment, and Quality Instruction. The work emphasized strong foundations in literacy, alignment between instruction and grade-level standards, using assessment to inform instruction and support student growth, and instructional practices that engage students and promote critical thinking.
Building-level learning continued throughout the week and was tailored to the needs of each school. Topics included ELA curriculum and pilot training, Qmlativ training, behavior and BIST, supervision and common-area expectations, special education and 504 professional development, building procedures, and PLC processes.
Growing Together Through PLCs
Another major focus of this year's professional learning was strengthening Professional Learning Communities across Lansing USD469.
The district is working to move from what the Staff Launch Guide describes as "PLC Lite" to "PLC Right." shifting away from educators working hard but sometimes in isolation toward high-performing collaborative teams focused on learning, evidence, collaboration, and results.
At the heart of that work are four essential questions:
What do we expect students to learn?
How will we know they've learned it?
What will we do when they haven't learned it?
What will we do when they already know it?
The focus reinforces the idea that some of the most meaningful professional learning happens when educators work together, examine student learning, and collectively determine how to respond to students' needs.
Bringing the Entire Lansing Team Together
By Friday, August 7, returning paraeducators had also joined staff for professional learning. Building-level sessions took place that morning before all district staff gathered in the Lansing Middle School Auditorium for Suicide Prevention and Mandated Reporting Training.
Following the morning's professional learning, employees from every building and department came together for the annual All-District Luncheon in the Lansing Middle School Commons.
This year's luncheon was catered by Lansing USD469's new food service partner, Chartwells, and funded through the generous support of Mainstreet Credit Union and the Lansing Educational Foundation. The gathering provided an opportunity for employees from across the district to reconnect and enjoy time together before the school year began.
The afternoon concluded with the district's annual Convocation in the Lansing Middle School District Auditorium. Director of Teaching & Learning Miles Azzeh served as emcee for a program that included a welcome from Superintendent Marty Kobza, district updates, celebrations, and some friendly staff trivia.
Preparing Behind the Scenes All Summer
While teachers and other school-year staff returned in August, preparation for the new year had been underway throughout the summer. A special thank you goes to our maintenance, custodial, and District Office staff, who worked throughout the summer to make sure our schools and district were ready to welcome employees and students back.
From cleaning and preparing classrooms and common spaces to completing facility projects, addressing maintenance needs, coordinating behind-the-scenes operations, and handling the countless details required to launch a new school year, these teams play an essential role in making the first day possible.
Much of this work happens when our buildings are quieter and often goes unseen, but its impact can be seen and felt across the district when staff and students return. Thank you to our maintenance, custodial, and District Office teams for the work you put in all summer to help Lansing USD469 start the 2026-2027 school year strong!
Ready for Students
As the first day of school approached, the many pieces of summer preparation began to come together.
On August 10, professional learning continued across the district with building-specific sessions, including BIST, Structured Literacy, Qmlativ, standards-based instruction, PLC work, building goals, ELA and novel planning, and preparation for incoming freshmen and new students. August 11 was reserved as a work day for all buildings, providing staff with final preparation time before students arrived.
From the work happening throughout the summer to the July administrative retreat and August professional learning, preparing for the new school year was truly a district-wide effort.
Each piece of that work contributed to the same goal: being ready to provide our students with a positive, supportive, and successful start to the 2026-2027 school year.
When Lansing USD469 students walk through our doors for the first time this year, hundreds of staff members have already spent countless hours preparing to make that moment possible.
It's a great day to be a Lion... and we're ready for a great 2026-2027 school year!