Superintendent Update - May 1, 2026

Greetings UPSD Parents: 

I hope this email finds you enjoying our Spring weather and the many school traditions that happen during the last months of the school year.  Thank you for taking time to review the following updates concerning both our general operations and our exciting construction planning.  Always feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns you might have at jchamberlin@upsd83.org. 

Next Week is Teacher Appreciation Week!
We are extremely fortunate to have such a talented and devoted team of teachers in UPSD. Our students benefit from their effort, skill and professionalism every day. Please join me in showing appreciation for teachers next week with a quick note, message or email.  Thank you!

Please Take This Year's Parent Survey 
Click here to give us feedback about our schools to help us improve. This year's survey was adjusted based on parent feedback last year and includes questions about your student's experience at school, school discipline policies and the district's annual calendar.  

Recent State Funding Cuts Will Disproportionately Harm UPSD
Sudden and significant reductions to a state funding source called Local Effort Assistance (LEA) is bad news for our general fund budget. This was not expected. Rural districts and districts with mainly residential property (like UPSD) have a smaller tax base than districts with more commercial properties. Cuts to LEA will reduce our revenues by more than $2M while districts with more property wealth will be allowed to increase revenues through local levies. This is not equitable and compounds funding inequities that already exist between districts. We will be working hard over the next several months to ask our Governor and state legislators to restore LEA funding for districts like UPSD.

State funding cuts will impact our General Fund Budget which pays for day-to-day operations, staffing and programs. School construction projects are funded through our Capital Projects Fund which is a separate budget. This fund is very healthy thanks to the generosity of our community. Support for both a Capital Projects Levy and School Construction Bond will allow us to make major improvements to our facilities in the coming years.  

Here is the latest on school construction planning:  

Bassetti Architects Selected for CHS Project
We are pleased to announce the selection of Bassetti Architects for design of the Curtis High School remodel and renovation project pending Board approval at our next regular meeting on May 13th.  Bassetti brings a wealth of experience working on large, complex high school projects on an occupied campus. They emerged as our number one choice in a pool of excellent options. 

Sunset and Chambers Projects Will Begin Sooner than Expected
In an effort to maximize our bond dollars, we are speeding up the timeline for the new Sunset and Chambers Primary Schools.  This will reduce inflationary impacts AND capture additional state construction assistance money. We hope to select an architect for these projects by June 1 and begin planning and design in the fall.  Staff, students, parents and community members will have opportunities to give input during this phase. Construction on all three projects will begin in August of 2028.  

School Construction Updates Online and In Print
I will continue to provide information on these projects in regular Superintendent updates.  However, for more comprehensive and detailed information, please check out the school construction page on our website.  We will update this page regularly over the next five years.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.

Best regards, 

Jeff Chamberlin
Superintendent