My name is Debbie Deere and I have lived in Lansing with my husband, Kyle, for 31 years. We also have 4 grandchildren, Emmy, Judah, Frankie, and Ruby.
We have 3 grown children, Blake, Riann, and Taylar, who attended Lansing schools, K-12 and who are proud to be Lansing alumni. I have been Owner/Executive Director of A Deere Place Preschool/Childcare Center in Lansing since 1993. Through this and many other endeavors, I have been dedicated to working with hundreds of families & children in the Lansing community for 30 years. I have been honored t
o serve on the USD 469 School Board for two terms. I feel that continuing to serve on the School Board is the perfect opportunity for me to remain involved in the community and to dedicate my time and energy to the children in Lansing. I have been singing this District’s praises for years, both personally and professionally, and would consider it a privilege to remain serving on the School Board. Lansing has been a wonderful community to live in, raise our family and operate my business in. The school is the “heart of our community”. I want to be involved in something that is an important part of making sure that Lansing continues to be a place where families want to live, and children want to go to school. Exciting things are happening in our District!! Over the past decade, through the collaboration between district patrons, school district personnel, and the entire community, we have planned, constructed, and upgraded our district facilities. Our new Lansing High School was completed in 2015. This year's graduates were the first class to attend all 4 years in the new school. In 2016, the newly renovated Lansing Middle School celebrated its grand opening. To complete the process, in 2018 the also newly renovated Lansing Intermediate School was opened for 4th-5th grades. Lansing Elementary School has also successfully operated in its current building since 2008. These state-of-the-art school buildings with updated technology and safety features will take our district many years into the future. What wonderful opportunities these facilities will provide for our students, teachers, and community! As our District continues to grow into the future, it will face much excitement and many challenges. The excitement will be in watching our parents, teachers, and community work together to ensure that our children receive a quality education that they deserve. Our district’s efforts towards the implementation of the Kansas Department of Education’s new Accreditation Program (KESA) and their new Kansans Can Vision: Kansas leads the world in the success of each student, will provide a plan with measurable outcomes to progress our students into a future with endless possibilities. The challenges will be to meet the ongoing demands of education in our ever-changing world, to continue to accommodate the changing needs of education within our own community, to take every measure possible to recruit and retain quality teachers and staff, to endure economic challenges, and use sound financial management, while always keeping the most important thing in perspective: WHAT IS BEST FOR THE CHILDREN! While serving on the Board the past 8 years, it has been a constant learning experience for me. One that I am eager to continue. It has been a pleasure to serve the patrons of the District who elected me into this position, and also work with, and get to know, the many administrators, teachers, students, and parents that work hard every day to make this a District to be proud of! I feel that through my experiences of operating a business, raising a family in this District, and serving in many leadership capacities throughout the community and state, that I have the skill set to make decisions that are in the best interests of the District, and especially the students. I have experience in being able to find a balance between fiscal/business management, building relationships, and providing quality educational opportunities. I will take this experience and use it to make a valuable contribution in this District’s efforts to continue a vision that has been implemented by members of our community and schools for years. I appreciate your consideration of vote on November 5, 2019. Thank You :)
