“I want to be clear that these problems originated out of years of instability”
From Jeff Margeson, BRCS Superintendent
I was honored to take over this job on July 1 of 2024. After almost two decades as a teacher, coach, taxpayer, and parent, as well as being a graduate of Bolivar-Richburg in 1997, I felt the internal drive to try and do more to help out our community and our students. I whole-heartedly understood the challenges that came with being a leader and I felt confident that the power of our tight-knit community, coupled with the ethos of our people, would hold me up during trying times.
I didn’t expect those challenging times to come as quickly or as harshly as they did, but they are here.
Like you, our hometown school districts are significantly affected from external factors. In sorting through our financial numbers, and with the help of many professionals over the course of the past ten months, Bolivar-Richburg has found itself making the difficult decision to “rightsize” at a much more aggressive pace than we had first anticipated. Similar to other districts, we are trying to navigate issues such as declining enrollment, increasing insurance costs, stagnant State Aid, teacher shortages, and the end of Federal COVID money. Because of this, difficult decisions have to be made to ensure that our district is fiscally stable, with a budget that is responsible to the tax payers, while providing the best education possible for all of our students.
With that vision as our goal, we have set Bolivar-Richburg on a new path for short and long-term success, both financially and programmatically. These rightsizing efforts are district-wide. Unfortunately, these decisions affect our people. They have also been the most difficult decisions of my professional career, but they have to be made. These family members are part of a faculty and staff that are second to none. Many of them are just like you, trying to raise their kids and do the best they can for their families. On top of that, they have made the selfless decision to be role models for the next generation of our Wolverine family. My hope is that you respect the healing process that we are now going through, as we extend empathy for those who are affected by these decisions.
I want to be clear that these problems originated out of years of instability. My role as leader of Bolivar-Richburg is to create stability and build back better than we were before. As a resident of over 40 years in this district, I have always been amazed at how our community has come together during times of hardship and struggle. We have made B-R better by helping our neighbors when they are down and supporting each other when we stumble. As Superintendent, I am asking for your help now. The time to point fingers and assign blame has passed. Our students need a united community, built on positivity and collaboration, to reflect the same resiliency that we will need to rise from the ashes.
I have faith in our community that we will get through this together, and I ask that you join us in being the leaders that we want our students to become.
It is truly an honor to serve this community, and I don’t take my responsibilities lightly. Please know I am here to help. Feel free to reach out to me if I can add further clarity or support at (585)-928-2561, or you can email me directly at jmargeson@bolivarrichburg.org.
Respectfully,
Jeff Margeson, Superintendent
Bolivar-Richburg Central School
