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U-46 Board updated regarding strategic plan


By Seth Hancock
  Are you a citizen of the world or of the United States of America where Constitutional rights are to be guaranteed to all individuals?
  That’s the question discussed by the School District U-46 Board of Education when the administration updated the board on the strategic plan at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 22.
  The first of four aspirations, dealing with student achievement, states: “We will educate the whole student by providing an enriched, high quality experience that empowers all graduates to be competitive members of the global society.”
  Noting that a parent who gave feedback on a survey stated there was “too much emphasis on global citizen” and that the emphasis should be on “civic-minded citizens who contribute positively to the local community,” board member Jeanette Ward suggested a change to “empowers all graduates to be competitive globally which is what I think we’re trying to get at.”
  U-46 CEO Tony Sanders said that the current language was a result of “some shifts,” but the “administration would not oppose that recommendation” and it wouldn’t change the work. Terri Lozier, assistant superintendent, later echoed that saying “the intention is the same.”
  Despite a concerned parent and the administration willing to adjust, the majority of the board did not want the change made because many of them already discussed it themselves before this new board was seated.
  Board member Traci Ellis asked: “What’s the impetus behind the requested change?”
  Ward replied: “The global society indicates global citizen, which we’re not really global citizens. So it makes more sense to say we’re ‘empowering all graduates to be competitive globally’ because that is our aim.”
  Board member Veronica Noland said “I remember having lots of discussions on this phrase… “I don’t think the change really means much” and “would like to leave it as it is.”
  Ellis agreed with Noland but implied the words must mean something as she said “these words were carefully and very deliberately chosen” without providing why the words she wants to keep were chosen. She added: “I happen to think collectively we do live in a global society.”
  Later Donna Smith, the board’s president, said “these words were mulled over many, many, many times,” and board member Sue Kerr, who sat on the steering committee as a member of the Citizens’ Advisory Council (CAC) at the time, said that “hours were spent over sentences.”
  However, Sanders noted at the start of the presentation that “this Board of Education did not approve this strategic plan” which is why the administration was seeking more feedback now. The plan was approved by the previous board at its final meeting before the new board was seated with no input from new board members Ward, Phil Costello and Cody Holt.
  Costello did not offer input on the wording itself saying “the metrics are what matters to me,” but he said he appreciated Ward’s suggestion and “personally, I do think we should be discussing some of these things.” Holt did not offer input on the proposed change in wording.
  Ward said: “I’m not suggesting leaving it, but I realize I don’t have the support to change the wording. I stand by what I said.”
  On community involvement during the process of developing the strategic plan, Sanders said there were over 660 views on the district website and thousands of likes and views on social media. He said there were round tables with 40 community groups involved.
  When voted on, Noland (who did vote for the plan) felt not enough was done to reach out to some communities. For her, those communities were bilingual parents and students as Sanders said the district added roundtables “at the suggestion of board member Noland” for those groups.
  Holt asked what the district did to reach out to taxpayers in general who some may fund the district but do not use its services. He said that he noticed “that the vast majority of the engagement kind of was in between the schools and parents and students, which I believe is very valuable information” and asked  “how we reached out to maybe the community that maybe does not have any immediate relation in U-46 but still are stakeholders more or less?”
  Lozier said there were “open forums, and we had them all around the district and they were well advertised (including newspapers and social media). They were held in like the Bartlett Library and other very public places.”
  Noland said there were focus groups that were “handpicked from a broad spectrum of partners.” She did not note who handpicked the participants.
  The steering committee, which Sanders said “helped drive this work,” included 10 people. However, none of them were independent of U-46 as it was made up of only district and school administrators, the teacher’s union president, board members and one CAC member in Kerr who is now a board member.
  Speaking on the second aspiration dealing with effective and engaged staff which says the district will recruit a diverse workforce, Ward noted that previous board member Linda Campos-Moreira had concerns with the district recruiting teachers in Puerto Rico. Campos-Moreira’s concern was the difference in the Spanish-speaking dialect compared to Mexico.
  Ward asked if the practice is still to recruit in Puerto Rico.
  Sanders said: “Our practice is still to recruit from Puerto Rico. It is a necessity for this school district to recruit (in Puerto Rico), as we’re rolling up our dual language program and as we continue to see an increase in our English Language Learner population. Recruiting in Puerto Rico is the most successful event that we do to recruit new teachers to U-46 that have that native Spanish background.”
  The district sends two recruiters every year and advertises in Puerto Rico at an annual cost of $7,200.
  Kerr asked about the timeline for seeing the metrics to be used which Sanders said “hopefully the next board meeting” they would be presented. The next meeting is Monday, March 7.

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