Pierz Schools Testimonials

What are your friends, neighbors and leaders saying about Pierz Schools?

NEEDS
"School Security is a critical issue for our country. As Law Enforcement Officers and parents, this new school project for Pierz Schools is very important to increase security for children. Right now children and staff, from both Healy and Pioneer Elementary, are walking outside around and between parking lots going back and forth between the schools throughout the day. Currently preschool children go back and forth outside between buildings several times every day. This proposal eliminates that and keeps children safe inside a locked building. This proposal also moves all public entrances and parent entrances to the front of both schools, making it easier to manage and secure. Pierz has been ahead of many schools, by constructing secure entrances and locking other doors. This new project will make child safety and security even stronger."
--Officer Calvin Tschida,
--Deputy Dan Rocheleau,
--Officer Josh Andrea,
--Sargent Joel Gross,
--Police Chief Eric Hanneken

"There are safety concerns. I have a young child in the portables. I don't like that they are not behind the secured locked doors of the school building." --Janel Betsinger, parent

“We are seeing between 220-250 students a day in 5th and 6th grade from Pioneer and Holy Trinity come over to the band room. We are using the hallway outside the band room and storage closets. We are finding every nook and cranny we can possibly find.” --Joel Pohland, band teacher

“Our problems are not going to go away; the cost is never going to go down. If we are going to do something this will be the best bang for our buck right now.” --Dean Virnig, School Board Member

“Parents dropping kids off have to avoid high school students walking across the parking lot to school and at the same time dodge the buses. It's unsafe."
--Loren Meyer, Pioneer Elementary custodian

"It would be beneficial to have scheduled gym space available to our preschoolers for consistency. Studies have shown the benefit between brain development and physical activity."
--Jodi Marshik, Head Start lead teacher and parent

“If our district did not have enough students to sustain these programs, our schools would be cutting programs and staff. This would cause our families to choose to send their children to other surrounding school districts. It's important to keep these programs here in Pierz in order to keep our district alive and thriving. A thriving school goes hand in hand with a thriving community.”
--Jennifer Sadlovsky, 3rd grade teacher and parent

“This referendum is truly the bare bones of our needs. The cafeteria was designed for 300 students and now have 600. It was set up as a single line back in 1963 and with state and federal regulations we have to offer multiple lines.” --Karrie Boser, Principal Healy High

“We’re a small community, We’ve put together a school that is better than most communities that are 3-4- 5-6 times our size. Yet kids are being taught and are learning in spaces that are less than ideal.” --Tom Otte, Principal Pioneer Elementary

IMPACT ON COMMUNITY
“Academic excellence creates community pride, which makes Pierz Schools a pillar for our city and surrounding communities.”
--Toby Egan, Mayor City of Pierz

"We are providing a place for kids to go after hours. This keeps them from hanging around in streets. It provides entertainment and activity to keep busy minds busy doing positive things. A strong school is a value to the community."
--Eric Hanneken, Pierz Chief of Police

“In the last 3-4 years the number of people that want to move here has steadily increased in large part because of our schools. Continuation of our fiscally responsible school system that provides first class programs for all students is a major factor in new residents and businesses making a decision to locate in Pierz.”
--Todd Preimesberger, realtor and parent

“You can look around our District 484 area and see this success in our great local health care for our elders, local services that farmers can rely on, manufacturing, retail and food industries that provide good paying jobs...the list goes on.”
--Thomas Girtz, businessman and grandparent

"I am proud to tell people that I'm from Pierz and many times outsiders will mention the great 9-hole golf course, the meat market and how successful our kids are in school and activities. I feel our school system is an asset to our community and a key to help Pierz stay a viable small town." --Steve Stumpf, grandparent

“If you have a strong school, you’ve got families who want to live here, they want to work here, do their shopping here, and the two just go hand in hand.” --Erin Schleiman, parent

AG2SCHOOL CREDIT
“It is important to note that the Ag2School tax credit is permanent law in Minnesota – it has no
automatic sunset date. It would take specific legislative action, and the governor’s approval, to
revoke this tax credit. The provision had strong bipartisan support in the legislature.” --Ron Kresha, State Representative (R)

"Since I am the Majority Leader, serve the on the Tax Committee, and made this one of my top priorities, I have NO intention of letting it go away." --Paul Gazelka, Senator (R)

“We get a 40% cut on the referendum deal that is going to help out in the ag community quite a bit.”
--Tom Leidenfrost, farmer and parent

OPEN ENROLLMENT
“We want the community to know we listened and heard what they said and the school board has capped open enrollment so that we don’t overgrow our needs.”
--Rick Sczublewski, School Board Member

What are your friends, neighbors and leaders saying about Pierz Schools?

District Office

High School

Elementary