Tiger families:
Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year — a year of historic change for Allegan Public Schools!
The start of a new school year is always one of my favorite times of the year, but this one feels especially exciting. Over the course of the summer, our district has undergone an incredible transformation, and we cannot wait to welcome students back to experience the results of our ambitious construction and renovation projects.
You may recall from the spring edition of “Our Schools” that this would be an especially busy summer as we completed some of the final major projects associated with the 2021 Bond Issue. Even as you read this, crews are putting the finishing touches on several projects, but rest assured that we will be ready to welcome students on August 24.
This year, students and families will experience the opening of Allegan Elementary School, additional renovations at Allegan High School, and our newly renovated Allegan Early Childhood Center, now located in the building formerly known as Dawson Elementary School. In addition, the new roof at L.E. White Middle School will provide an improved learning environment for students and staff for years to come.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to Christman Construction, TowerPinkster, and the many skilled tradespeople whose hard work made these projects possible. Completing such an ambitious construction schedule required tremendous coordination, dedication, and teamwork. Their commitment to our district has helped create outstanding learning environments for our students.
I also want to recognize the incredible efforts of the Allegan Public Schools staff. Every department across our district worked tirelessly to prepare for this exciting new chapter. Our Technology Department relocated, installed, and configured equipment across multiple buildings. Our Transportation Department redesigned bus routes to serve our new building configurations. Our Custodial and Maintenance teams spent countless hours moving classrooms, cleaning facilities, and preparing buildings while construction continued around them. Our Food Service team planned for new equipment, workflows, and operations in a beautiful new kitchen and food preparation space. Finally, I am deeply grateful to our teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, support staff, and administrators, who packed, unpacked, organized, and thoughtfully planned how to make these new learning spaces welcoming and successful for our students from day one.
Finally, I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to our community for renewing our biennial operating millage. We are deeply grateful for your continued support through the passage of this important renewal. Because the State of Michigan expects school districts to levy this millage as part of its per-pupil funding, the renewal ensures that APS will continue to receive the full funding our students deserve. Your support allows us to maintain the high-quality educational and extracurricular opportunities that our students, families, and community expect.
Finally, we are excited to welcome our families into Allegan Elementary School on August 20 for our Community Open House and ribbon-cutting ceremony. We look forward to celebrating this exciting new chapter together and beginning another outstanding school year.
Here’s to a wonderful 2026–2027 school year. Go Tigers!
