_{JUNE 23, 2026}

With Gratitude:

The Work You Did Mattered

Whether your buses have already pulled away for the summer or you're still counting down the final days of the year, one thing is true across every school and district we've had the privilege to work with: you carried a lot this year, and you carried it well.

This year asked a great deal of school and district leaders. You navigated competing priorities, supported your staff through hard moments, and kept the focus on students. Every student, every day, even as the demands pulled in every direction.

Before the year fully closes, we want to pause and say something simple: the work you did this year mattered.

A strong year is never an accident. 

It's the work of people who choose, again and again, to lead. 



Celebrate Your People

Whether your summer has already started or it's just days away, one last act of leadership is worth the time: celebrating the people who made this year possible.

It doesn't have to be big. Often, the most meaningful recognition is also the simplest:

• A handwritten note to a teacher who grew this year
• A team message naming one specific thing each person did well
• A few words of genuine thanks, said out loud or in writing
• A quiet word to the colleague who held things together when it was hard

Recognition is one of the most powerful tools a leader has, and it costs nothing. The people who gave their best this year deserve to hear that it was seen.

Until Next Fall

For those of you already enjoying summer, we hope it brings real rest. For those finishing this week, you're almost there.

You spent this year pouring into other people: your staff, your students, your community. Summer is your turn.

Rest is not what happens after the important work is finished. For people who lead, it is part of how the work gets done at all. The clarity and steadiness your team will need from you in the fall are built in the weeks you let yourself step away.

So let yourself rest. The plans can wait. The version of you who returns in August will be better for it.

We look forward to continuing this work with so many of you in the fall. Until then, thank you for the work you do, and for the difference it makes.

Congratulations on a year of real impact.

Rest well. You've earned it.