April message from LISD superintendent
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 28, 2026
By Brady Smith
LISD Superintendent
April 2026
Dear Lopez School community,
This is not a mid-April update, as technically mid-April was April 15. Tax Day. And the day the power went out on Lopez. By the time we discovered it, I was on I-5 South heading to Paine Field for a 9:46 a.m. flight to Los Angeles for my daughter’s graduation. Since school buses were on their routes, Martha and I agreed to make the call to close the school and send everyone home at 9 a.m. We did not know then that the power would be out until the evening, but it clearly was the right call. My appreciation to everyone on the ground at school — all teachers, staff and administrators — for pulling together to handle the challenge. And thank you to all parents and guardians who collaborated with the school, adjusted plans and received their kids back home for the day. The bright spot is that our systems worked, everyone stepped up and we smoothed over an incredible island-wide disruption.
Power outage make-up day
The make-up day for the April 15 power outage day will be Friday, May 22, which was originally in the calendar as a no-school calendar relief day. That day will be a regular instructional day with a 2 p.m. release instead to ensure we meet the state requirement of instructional days per school year.
LISD and island resiliency
The school serves as a Red Cross evacuation site during an islandwide emergency. We have a plan to support Lopezians who evacuate from high water or fire, and we continue to improve our ability to support island resiliency efforts. Last year, we used the Tech and Safety levy monies to purchase long-range radios that communicate with the mainland in the case of an emergency and with bus drivers during off-island trips. We also recently completed the Water Project, which upgrades the water service to the school, is supported by a generator in the event of a power outage, better supports the fire hydrants on our property and improves our fire suppression system.
This year, we received a Healthy Kids grant to repair or replace our ailing walk-in cooler, providing better cold storage and improved energy efficiency. And the school board just approved the top bid for a rooftop solar array funded by federal and state grant monies that is projected to reduce our OPALCO bill by approximately $28K per year, and, when phase two of the project, which is battery storag,e is complete, the savings go up and the school’s ability to support the community during an emergency improves even more.
Even with our district’s financial challenges, it is a key component of our approach to continue to seek grant funding when available to improve our facilities. None of these grants can be used to address our general operating budget deficit, but they do provide benefits like reduction in energy costs and a safer environment for students and the greater community.
LISD and international travel
Lopez School students and chaperones who traveled to Nicaragua and Japan over the spring break have all returned safely with great stories to tell. I had an amazing time with students in Nicaragua and am optimistic that teacher-led international trips will be occurring regularly going forward!
May 2 Work Party
Our next LISD School Work Party will be Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All volunteers are welcome! We have general maintenance needs, but as promised, below is a list of projects to complete. If you see a project that you’d like to “claim,” please email me to let me know: bsmith@lopezislandschool.org
Projects:
• High school commons: Patch, prime and paint; pressure wash exterior; replace floor strips; replace window and bathroom ceiling tiles.
• Main entrance: Pressure wash exterior; replace crawl space cover; paint ADA parking spaces; clean and paint propane tank; paint bollards.
• Track area: Replace rope; clean space.
• General: Landscaping; vacuuming intake vents; interior and exterior painting.
Thank you to all who have supported our school work parties, and hope to see you on May 2!
