Members of the USD 327 Ellsworth-Kanopolis-Geneseo board of education met Jan. 11 to start the process of reviewing information gathered during several recent listening sessions.

The district’s ultimate goal is to create a strategic plan which will carry it into the future.

USD 327 Superintendent Deena Hilbig said the plan will be a long-term one, spanning the next five years.

“We’ll take those areas we have identified, look at them and really develop how we can look at where we are and where we want to grow,” Hilbig said, “then put some plans in place that can be measurable along the way so that we know that we’re actually getting to where we want to go.”

Making sure USD 327 remains competitive with other school districts in Kansas is important Hilbig said. One of the areas the board will review is one they have identified as very important — academic excellence.

“We need to look at programs that we are offering our students, what the expectations are of our students in the future and consider what we need to have in place to meet the needs of our learners as we continue to move forward,” Hilbig said.

Hilbig said the classes she and members of the school board took growing up are not the same classes all kids need today.

“The needs of our community, the needs of our students have changed throughout time,” she said.

Hilbig said the socialemotional development of students is also important, and the district needs to make sure it develops students who are good citizens.

“This is important to our community,” Hilbig said. “We want to make sure we teach students strong communication skills — not only communicating one-on-one, but speaking to a group, adjusting for your audience and being a good listener. Written communication skills are also critical.”

Another area the board identified as very important is safety and security.

“We have an opportunity here to ensure secure access to our entries throughout the school day,” Hilbig said. “In addition, the availability of networked surveillance cameras adds an extra layer of support if we do need to do any type of investigation. A safe environment is critical in supporting our staff, students and visitors, because when you have your basic needs met, then you’re able to learn.”

At the work session, board members began analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and barriers that were communicated about the district.

Hilbig said during each of the listening sessions conducted with the public, students and staff, information was gathered about what the district does well and what the district wants to be known for. Communication and parental involvement were identified as strengths, and facility needs and maintenance were identified as areas to be worked on.

“We want to have facilities that meet the needs of our learners,” Hilbig said.

Board members noted there is room for improvement in each of these areas.

Hilbig said during the next board work session, scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, at the district office in Ellsworth, board members will consider modifying the district’s current mission statement, what the district’s values are and begin creating a vision statement.

“We’ll take those areas we have identified, look at them and really develop how we can look at where we are and where we want to grow, then put some plans in place that can be measurable along the way so that we know that we’re actually getting to where we want to go.”

Deena Hilbig

USD 327 superintendent