HOLYROOD — Members of the Central Plains USD 112 board of education conducted two special board meetings Feb. 20 at Central Plains Elementary School in Holyrood.

The first was a discussion of potential district goals lasting almost two hours. The second was a discussion of the future of the district’s Future’s Committee for 45 minutes.

Board goals

“This is a very important process,” said Gary Sechrist of the Kansas Association of School Boards.

Sechrist led the board members through the goal setting exercise.

During the exercise, board members talked about what they do well as a board and what they think they could do better. In addition, they discussed the four current district goals and identified potential future goals.

“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement,” Sechrist said.

He said the key work of the board involves five elements — vision, accountability, policy, community leadership and the relationship between the board and the superintendent.

“They’re all very important,” Sechrist said. “There’s not one bigger than the other.”

After dividing the board members into two groups, Sechrist asked them to focus on five areas as a board — students, educational programs, physical plant, personnel and communication and culture throughout the district.

They were then asked to rate the importance and progress made on the four current district goals.

The thought-provoking exercise resulted in the identification of several common themes to be examined as possible district goals by the board. They are:

• District goal one, “To provide students with the curriculum, programs and quality needed for their success beyond our school walls,” with some suggestion of a little bit of language change.

• District goal two, “To operate with a fiscally responsible budget that addresses the core needs of our district, including students, staff and facilities.”

• All decisions need to encourage unification within the district and within the communities. And, open and clear communications with the communities within the district, patrons and stakeholders.

“This is not going to be done next month, this is a process of communication around the board table,” Sechrist said.

Futures Committee

The board ended the meeting by voting, by consensus, to continue the futures committee. However, there was quite a bit of discussion before that consensus vote was taken.

Superintendent Greg Clark noted a survey had been sent by a member of the committee to all teachers and some staff in the district. The survey asked several questions, including if the school board was meeting its goals.

Clark said the committee member did not go through the school board before the survey was sent.

“It caused a little bit of concern,” he said.

Brad Schiermeyer, board president, said he believed the person distributing the survey had good intentions, but should have made sure it followed with board policy.

“I don’t think it was meant to be behind anybody’s back or anything like that,” he said.

Board member Jacob Charvat said he didn’t mind what the survey asked. He did, however, have a problem because it was not authorized by the board, by Clark and by Sechrist for that survey to be distributed.

“I would prefer it go through the proper channels,” Clark said.

Schiermeyer said the futures Committee is important because it adds a layer of communication which the board is striving for.

“But I also think the things the committee does, we need to make sure the board is a part of, “ he added. “But I don’t want to take away the freedom of that committee either.”

“That committee is there to help us see another point of view,” Schiermeyer said. “But as a board we need to know what they are doing — or planning on doing.”

Clark then suggested a radical idea — redoing the futures committee with students instead of adults.

“I eat lunch with students and they are brutally honest,” he said. “Some things adults don’t want to do, kids are okay with.”

Clark said he wasn’t saying the district do that; rather it was a crazy idea he likes.

Tamara Dody, board vice president, suggested furthering communication by developing a student group led by a teacher who is on the futures committee who would act as a liaison between the futures committee and the board.

Go to the I-R website, indyrepnews.com, for more on USD 112’s special meeting.