Sean C. Morgan
The District 55 School Board has divided into several subcommittees to develop goals for 2014-15, which it may consider adopting at its regular meeting in October.
The board met on Sept. 15 in a work session to begin developing its goals for the current school year. Members broke up into small groups to discuss their ideas and form the subcommittees.
The three subcommittees are focused on communication, curriculum and instruction, and finances and business, said Supt. Don Schrader. “Communication is the big one. They want to really work on outreach to the community.”
The board wants to make sure the community is able to give input on the budget, district programs, “really anything,” he said.
Schrader is already focused on that goal, having held the first of a series of meetings over coffee with members of the public last Thursday and planning another for 6 p.m. on Dec. 11 in the high school commons. His first one was attended by five community members, including three with children, and he heard a suggestion from one parent to bring a Future Farmers of America program to Sweet Home.
That’s a good idea, he said. FFA students learn leadership, life skills and much more.
While the coffee meetings are an avenue to communicate with the superintendent, he said, members of the public can always visit him at his office, email or call him at (541) 367-7126.
Under two other goal areas, the board will take a look at the four-day school week this year, from curriculum and financial viewpoints, Schrader said.
“They really want to take a look and review the four-day school week.”
Board members also plan to review and revise the superintendent’s evaluation process and redevelop the district’s strategic plan.
After completing goals, Schrader said he would like to see the board subcommittees continue through the year. That would help keep the board more involved in developing information its members use to help make decisions.
Last year, the board and district accomplished many of the goals, Schrader said, but the board’s goal to revisit its strategic plan didn’t happen.
The board’s first goal was to “improve student achievement.”
“That’s a tough one,” Schrader said. The district showed significant improvement across the grades, meeting part of the goal, while at some grades, the district did not have 60 percent meeting or exceeding the state standards.
The amount of improvement will help on the state’s school report cards, Schrader said. “We’re going to be happy with how our schools did.”
Under its second goal, “all staff will be high-quality, trained and retained.” Scharader maintains that the district’s staff is “high quality.” The state requires it. The district also has provided constant professional development and has analyzed its hiring policies and begun using a new Internet service to hire new teachers, recruiting across the country and across a broad spectrum of potential applicants.
Under its third goal, financial stability, the district has never set recommendations for class sizes for kindergarten through sixth grade, Schrader said, but guidelines remain in place. Schedules and calendars were analyzed, but the board chose not to evaluate the four-day school week last year, choosing to wait for better data.