From Mike and Elizabeth McFalls;
To the staff, students, parents, and community members of Custer County school district:
It is with a heavy heart that after three challenging but successful years, I will be stepping down effective July 31, 2022. I feel this is a good time for this transition as Custer County Schools District is in a good position. The major reason I am choosing to step down at this time is to be with my family. I am blessed to have the most wonderful relationships with my children that anyone could ask for. Besides my wife, they are my best friends, and it has been increasingly difficult to be separated from them.
I believe that Custer County is in a good position for this transition for a number of reasons. The new school board has shown that it has the best interests of the students and staff in mind for Custer County. They have been supportive, encouraging, and will provide excellent leadership for the next several years. They have shown their support and trust in me by extending my contract another two years and giving me a raise even when they knew I was contemplating stepping down. I have been blessed to work with three wonderful boards that work together for the benefit of the students and staff. I also feel that we have a very strong faculty in place that is second to none and will provide a quality education in a safe environment for our students.
I am stepping down this far in advance because I am committed to a smooth transition with a new administrative team. I intend to be on staff throughout this transition to make it as successful as possible and plan on being available for the foreseeable future to continue to support the administration, staff, and board, for the benefit of our students. I have been blessed to work with the most incredible people, in the most incredible district possible. I am grateful for the opportunity to come to this beautiful area and serve the families of Custer County. I have learned a tremendous amount and grown a great deal; it has been my pleasure and honor to lead this awesome district. Although it will be several months before my final day, I will give my best to the students, staff, and families, each and every day.
In my tenure, I made decisions based on what was best for kids. I never tried to make everyone happy or placate those with differing agendas; I treated people with respect and honored their opinions. I hope the community going forward values the diversity of different opinions and walks of life and realizes that it leads to a stronger community. It is my hope that as a community, state, and country, we learn to value each other and agree to disagree agreeably. I am proud of the work that I have done here and the accomplishments that have been achieved through teamwork, and I see a bright future ahead for our students in this district.
I have included a list of accomplishments1 over the last three years that have been achieved through teamwork and for students’ benefit. I will miss the relationships that I have built and only pray for the best for our community.
Mike and Elizabeth McFalls

McFalls Details His Accomplishments as Superintendent at CCSD

Accomplishments
● Staff Salaries:
○ 2022 Staff pay bonus
○ Increased steps
○ Classified steps to the same amount
○ Signing and retention bonuses
○ Added 1 day to leave
○ Improve the Emergency Leave, Sick Leave, and Paid Time off       polices to be advantageous to staff while protecting the district.
○ Gave step increase each year.
○ Increase years granted from 7 to 10 plus 50%
○ Increase sub pay and provided a signing bonus after 10 days of    subbing
○ Retention and signing bonus for bus drivers
● Child Care Stimulus Grants – $30,393
● MTSS Grant $90,000
● 2021 – grew fund balance by 20% (+$600,000)
● Used Covid funds to establish a campus based childcare facility for recruitment and retention of staff and CTE training.
● Held summer school using Covid funds (first one in over six years).
● Brought a 11-million-dollar BEST grant to completion and under budget.
● Professionalized the Human Resources department, as well as business services and operations.
● Implemented a job based new teacher mentoring and induction program.
● Implemented training for substitute teachers.
● Instituted an “Adopt a Deputy” program for the elementary school, to foster positive relationships between students and law-enforcement.
● Developed a teacher support and growth program based on a coaching model to improve the quality of instruction in the classroom (Dynamic Coaching).
● Oversaw Federal Safety grant to improve campus and bus security.
● Received a $500,000 Substance Abuse Prevention and SEL grant.
● Received $250,000 grant to support elementary counseling.
● I successfully expended $1.8 million in Covid related funds, which allowed us to improve our distance-learning, provide one to one computing devices for all students, hot spots to loan, purchased PPE, sanitation equipment and hired additional personnel to increase safety for our students.
● In addition to district Covid funds, I obtained a $35,000 County Covid grant which allowed us to install Promethean boards in 10 classrooms, purchased plexiglass partitions for all of our classrooms, and curriculum materials.
● I applied for and received a $65,000 grant for additional state monies, which we use to augment our curriculum in elementary ELA and secondary science.
● Expanding & Emerging Childcare Grant-$50,000
● Buell Foundation Grant -$100,000
● Walter Von Woudenberg Foundation Grant – $25,000
● Working with a team, we increased the number of concurrent classes granting college credit to students and CTE certificates.
● Multiple years – I have kept the budget in black, while able to give pay-raises to our entire staff, as well as add to our fund balance.
● Organized two BOE elections.
● Go Public – return to school campaign.
● Re-sign bonus for returning teachers and signing bonus for new teachers.
● On demand video staff training for yearly, routine, required trainings
● Pay raises – 2021: $30 to $600 from $570 per step. All classified to .25 cents/hr.
● Upgraded District Student Information System (Infinite Campus)
● Upgraded building security.
● In person full time Spanish.
● Upgraded time card system.
● Raptor Safety ID Scanner
● New curriculum:
○ Wonders Elementary Reading
○ Sanford-Harmony Social Emotional Learning PK-6
○ TCI Social Studies K-3, 5
○ Building Blocks Science K-5
○ Kagan Win-Win Discipline (School wide)
○ Middle school and high school math curriculum