Words can express my gratitude for the efforts our school community has made to research, engage, brainstorm, evaluate, deliberate, identify, educate and communicate to our school community on what our best course of action is to “Reimagine Miller Middle School” for the future.

This process began back in the Fall of 2023 with our School Board hiring Boyd-Jones as our construction manager and then our Board/Administrative Team choosing Invision Architects and the Donovan Marketing Group as the best fit to help us develop a plan and design that meet the current and future needs of our students, staff and community while being cost effective.

Our total school community of students, parents, employees, business leaders, civic leaders and resident alumni were engaged in surveys and focus groups that eventually led to the creation of a diverse thirty-five member task force that devoted months to learning, deliberating and deciding upon the best path for the future – a path that best met the middle school’s educational, extra-curricular and social-emotional needs while also respecting the history and importance of the Miller Middle School building for the past century.

A Reimagine Miller Middle School Committee of parents, graduates and community members was established and led by three highly respected couples within our community. Thank you to Carrie and Paul Barr, Margaret and Doug Gervich and Samantha and Jon Vance for accepting the challenge to lead our grass roots & community-based efforts to educate and advocate for positive change for all future Marshalltown Community School District students! This committee devoted hours and engaged countless citizens to help spread the word over the past several months.

Miller Middle School Administration and staff are to be commended for their willingness to host tours every Wednesday (day and night) for the past couple months and to facilitate public presentations and tours of the building on three separate occasions in the evenings. They have and will continue to utilize the existing building and resources to provide our students with high-quality educational experiences, but we’re long overdue in providing them with the high-quality facility and amenities to most effectively and efficiently do their jobs and that we can be proud of as a community.

There is no question that this has been the most significant community engagement effort that I’ve been associated with during my forty-year education career. For those of us who were fortunate enough to graduate from the Marshalltown Community School District – our pride runs deep, and we are grateful to have had great teachers, coaches’ mentors, facilities and community support. It’s our moral obligation to do everything within our power to provide future generations of Bobcats with the same level of support that we have received, to be best positioned for career, college and life success.

On Tuesday, voters can make a significant positive difference for the Marshalltown Community School District and the Marshalltown Community. Let’s continue to work together to ensure that Marshalltown continues to improve and be a great place to live, learn, work and play!

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Dr. Theron J. Schutte, Superintendent

(MHS Class of 1981) is the superintendent of the

Marshalltown Community School District.