Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan presented her annual State of the Schools address Thursday morning hosted by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
Lathan gave an update on school construction as part of that address. And she did so inside the newly finished Pipkin Middle School, which is ready to welcome students later this month.
"Can you believe we broke ground on June 9, 2025? And today, just one year later, we have a gymnasium full of community leaders," she said. "We can't wait to open the doors to 460 students on Tuesday, August 25. It's an amazing way to start this new school year."
Lathan said the school was designed especially for the unique programs it offers. Pipkin is home to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, and Lathan said the new building improves the IB pathway for students.
Construction is currently underway on a new Pershing Middle School and Bingham Elementary School. Improvements, including a new storm shelter and gymnasium, are underway at Bissett Elementary.
Priorities
Lathan outlined six priorities for the new school year.
One of those priorities is "customer service commitments." Lathan said they want anyone who interacts with a district employee to experience a culture of respect, responsiveness and care. And they’ll continue to use Letstalk, an online platform that helps to ensure timely responses.
Another priority is "opportunity expansion." Lathan said they’re always looking for ways to expand choices for families. They’ve implemented a shuttle service to get kids to choice programs. And they’re launching a new program, Outdoor Pursuits, for high school juniors and seniors.
“The trails, the lakes, the streams and parks in the area will serve as their classroom while they learn outdoor skills, leadership and environmental stewardship,” said Lathan.
The program will prepare students for future careers and lifelong engagement with the outdoors, she said.
"AI and digital citizenship" is another priority, and Lathan said that, as a district, they need to be proactive. Blocking or ignoring emerging tools, she said, doesn’t protect students. According to Lathan, they need to teach them how to use technology safely, critically and ethically.
“We’re rolling out a new comprehensive technology plan that sets a clear roadmap for digital tools to enhance classroom instruction without replacing human connection and critical thinking,” she said. “To drive this strategy, we have also designated an AI coordinator who has the specialized expertise to successfully guide our district. Ongoing staff training will equip our teachers to effectively use these tools in their work and in the classroom.”
She said the handbook sets clear expectations regarding things like academic integrity and ethical standards.
Another priority is “demographic study, facility master plan and enrollment.” Lathan said they’re launching a comprehensive demographic study and updating the district’s facility master plan. There will several engagement opportunities over the next several months for the public to learn more and to provide input. A few parents, staff and community members have already been invited to join the Facility Master Plan Advisory Council, which Lathan said will meet four times in the fall “to analyze data and offer strategic input.” There will also be stakeholder focus groups. Recommendations are expected to be delivered to the Springfield Board of Education in December.
Another is “academic focus and workforce readiness.” Lathan said, “we’re fiercely committed to aligning classroom learning with real world economic needs through expanded workforce readiness initiatives, partnerships with local businesses and continued expansion of our ‘Leader in Me’ schools.” The district is incorporating universal leadership and life skills into daily instruction,” she added.
417Reads
And the sixth priority is a new literacy campaign, 417Reads.
Lathan said they’re expanding access to books, strengthening instructional practices and elevating literacy as a priority through the new district-wide initiative.
Before she announced the new initiative, Lathan shared statistics that she said highlight the need to increase students' literacy rates.
"Sixty-nine percent of fourth grade students in the U.S. are reading below grade level," she said. "Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare...85% of all juveniles who interface with the court system are functionally illiterate. These numbers are staggering and highlight the reason a focus on literacy is a key priority at SPS."
Lathan said they’re partnering with Crosslines and the Ozarks Literacy Council for 417Reads. Those are two organizations that have strategic literacy programs in place.
More than 100 people who attended the Thursday event signed up as 417Reads mentors and will read to every third and fourth grade classroom each month during the school year.
The Springfield Public Schools Foundation presented a ceremonial check in the amount of $25,000 Thursday to support the literacy initiative.
And Lathan said, through their partnership with Scholastic, they’re supplying new elementary school teachers with what she called robust classroom libraries.
The numbers
Lathan shared statistics from the last school year. She said the district’s student attendance the past three years has “yielded fantastic engagement.” District employees have implemented challenges and rewards to encourage students to get to school on time every day. That resulted in a 93.6% attendance rate for the last school year.
And, for the third year in a row, the graduation rate for SPS was over 99%.
Lathan said they’ve made strides in how they support parents, and, through a strategic transportation expansion, they’ve removed a potential barrier to attendance and participation. The district, she said, partnered with EverDriven to optimize transportation for students with individualized needs. It reduces the time students spend in transit, according to Lathan. The SPS transportation team, she said, transports more than 7,700 students daily across 104 bus routes, covering over 10,000 miles.
Lathan praised team members who work in nutrition services. She said they served more than 3 million cartons of milk last year, which totaled more than 456,000 gallons, and they served more than 460,500 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, including 1,800 pounds of locally grown produce.
She also lauded other employees, including the custodial team, which she said cleaned more than 800,000,000 square feet across 60 district buildings throughout the school year. And the grounds crew, she said, maintained 820 acres of property, cared for more than 4,000 trees and mowed over 14,000 acres of grass. The operations team, she said, responded to the hailstorm this spring by installing over 427,000 square feet of temporary patching and completely replaced 129,00 square feet of damaged roofing.
