On a snowy morning a number of years ago, not long after I first became a superintendent, I received an email asking who was the idiot who canceled school.

Each January, school districts throughout the state take time to celebrate and thank the people who serve on school boards, the primary governing body of local public schools.

Last month I had the opportunity to tell you about one of the most enjoyable parts of my job: announcing that three of our schools were honored by the state for their improved academic performance. Now, unfortunately, I must tell you about one of my least favorite subjects: budget cuts.

The part of my job that I enjoy the most is the opportunity to announce something terrific to our employees. That opportunity came a couple of weeks ago when I was able to meet with the staff at Mukilteo Elementary, Olivia Park Elementary and Mariner High School to tell them that their schools had been named Schools of Distinction.

Once again, the people in our community have good reason to be proud of the students and staff members in Mukilteo schools. The recently released state test scores showed that Mukilteo students continue to outperform the state average in most of the exams.

When people learn that I work in schools, they often comment that it must be nice to get the summers off each year. I then have to explain that I’m among many school employees who work all year long. I usually then point out that not all teachers get the summers off, either. A large number, for example, continue to work with students during summer school.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of parents that we call our Key Communicators. The group, which has representatives from each school, gets together five times during the school year to learn about education issues such as student achievement and graduation requirements.

I had the chance to visit with our state legislators in Olympia recently. We keep in touch with them throughout the year, both to inform them about what we are doing and also to answer questions they might have about schools.

The signs of the season are everywhere. The days are getting longer, the football season is just about over and the crocuses are just beginning to bloom, which all point to one thing for those of us who work in the central office of the school district: It’s time to begin work on next year’s budget.

Sometime soon, you will receive a publication in the mail called “Your Schools.” We send the publication to all Mukilteo School District residents three times a year to let them know what their school system is doing.