Business View Magazine - July 2023

208 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 7 extracurricular offerings for our students, including advanced coursework, and dual credit courses with university partners. So, we’re small enough to feel small and big enough to offer all the opportunities of larger districts,” he adds. Lebanon Community School Corporation recognizes the importance of a strong partnership with the community, whose overwhelming support meant the district was able to pass an operating referendum that will include the development of a pre-K program. “We will be repurposing an elementary school to bring that pipeline of pre-K education,” explains Milleman. “When we went to the community and asked about how our school district can serve our community better, early childhood education bubbled to the top over and over again, as a need in our community. Of course, we agree with that. So, we are going to fulfill our promise to them and be able to offer some of those opportunities for our four-year-olds as they’re getting ready for kindergarten.” Along with this, the referendum supported the continuation of a program to continue the presence of a police officer in each of the district’s six schools. Milleman acknowledges that this is not new to LCSC, but the funding has shifted from the city to the district. In terms of the importance of the School Resource Officers, he says, “They are part of the fabric and culture of the schools. It’s not a police presence in the school. It’s a support and resource for our students. That’s the goal with them, is to have students feel comfortable knowing that they have someone that they can trust, who is dedicated to keeping them safe. So, we appreciate our community for allowing us to maintain that.” A capital referendum was also passed, enabling the establishment of a new elementary school, along with major upgrades to the existing elementary buildings. “We will be bringing them up to what would be considered modern, high-functioning facilities for all of our students, including dedicated STEM education labs, dedicated spaces for itinerant services, such as mental health supports for our students, social services, etc.” he relays. Next in line will be LCSC’s middle school, which he notes will receive a full overhaul, reconfiguring the building, consolidating special education services, and addressing