Year two for North Putnam superintendent on tap

Perhaps nobody is as excited for the 2025-26 school year more than North Putnam Superintendent Dustin LeMay.

He enters this school year more comfortable and ready to hit the ground running, as it marks his second year of leading the Cougars. 

"This past school year was my first full school year and I learned a lot and accomplished a lot with my school board. We added two literacy coaches at our elementary schools and we are seeing huge dividends already. I am really proud of some partnerships we have established. We partnered with Ivy Tech so students can graduate with an associate's degree and we had our first grad cross the finish line, so that's pretty cool. We started ESports and now Bucky Kramer has started a weather station which will be incorporated into our science classrooms and other people can use it as well. There was a lot going on, a lot of construction, and I am really proud," LeMay told The Putnam County Post. 

LeMay admits he feels "way more comfortable" this school year, pointing to his team of administrators that have helped make him feel that way. 

"I feel way more comfortable. There are certainly challenges ahead, but I am blessed to work with a school board that is welcoming to me and we work so hard together to make sure we have the interests of students and faculty and staff at heart. We have some new administrators we are bringing on board. We have a relatively new team, and they are energized and look forward to another year. I love being a part of a small district that feels like family. I am looking forward to a new year," LeMay said.

North Putnam faculty, staff, students and families will see quite a few new things this year, according to LeMay.  

"The first thing that will be completed is a total refresh to our Ag room. That looks great with new paint, new floor, new furniture. Rodney Simpson has led that effort, and it looks good. We also have new turf field and new track. We went from seven lanes to eight lanes and I am really happy about that. We are focusing on opportunities and really proud for our school board, who advocated for the right facilities for our kids now and in the future," LeMay said. 

When it comes to upgrades to the district's athletic facilities, LeMay said North Putnam is mindful to do them in tiers. 

"We focus on our upgrades and our athletic complex and we look at it in a few tiers. We want to make sure we have the space we need for our middle school and high school programs and partner with our youth programs and make sure they have space. Then we also look at how our community can use our facilities. The key word is opportunity. It is making sure you have the right facilities for families in your school district," he noted. 

One area LeMay will keep a watchful eye on this school year is North Putnam's enrollment. 

"Enrollment is important. If we want to keep North Putnam students in our district, we need to give them a reason why. It's why we talk about improved facilities, programs and opportunities," LeMay said.

And one of those programs is a CDL program the district is embarking on and has received a big amount of interest, according to LeMay. 

"We thought we may get four or five students registered, but Amanda Williams and that team got 16 kids. They can graduate with that certification and be career ready. We will continue to look for ways and future programs to add that make people look at us and say, "yes, I want my kid to go to school there,"," LeMay said.