Set goals and you’ll get results.
That was the message to USD 257 board members from Steve Parsons, a former superintendent and education consultant at the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center in Greenbush.
Parsons and another superintendent-turned-consultant, Brett Howard, met with the board on Monday evening to review new goals for the district.
The new goals weren’t much different from the district’s old goals, which Parsons said shows the district is on the right path.
“I give you kudos. Your district has been doing some kind of a planning process for a number of years. Those efforts and that time has been productive. Things have changed in a positive way,” he said.
“Your district is in a good situation. Sometimes districts start this process when trying to get out of a crisis. You’re being proactive instead of reactive, and your focus is improvement, not survival. That’s a really good situation to be in.”
You can tell when a district has set goals, he said, because everyone is focused on a common objective and moving in the same direction.
And, he said, even though the district has a lot of strengths, “you don’t have to be bad to get better.”
THE BOARD met for a retreat on Nov. 4 to discuss their goals. Parsons met with them again in December and earlier this month to fine-tune the process.
He shared the final report with the board on Monday.
The district set four new goals regarding communication, student achievement, facilities and staffing.
Goal 1. Enhance communication with staff, parents and the community.
To meet this goal, the district will identify staff members to coordinate communications efforts, set up training for a new communications app, regularly communicate with elected officials related to the impact of pending legislation and investigate new methods of publicizing events to a broader audience.
Goal 2. Enhance student learning opportunities.
The district will review its summer programs to make sure students can make academic improvements during that time. They will also investigate more opportunities for dual credit courses, provide focused professional development for all staff (not just teachers) and work with the ANW Cooperative to ensure the needs of special education students are being met.
Goal 3. Continue to upgrade facilities.
