PAGE 6 | ST. ALBANS MESSENGER | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023
OPINION
GUEST EDITORIAL
Everyone’s invited to help build a plan to help every child
What do you want for our schools? Maple Run wants to know.
I have been reflecting on my time in the St. Albans and Fairfield communities and am fortunate to have the privilege to serve our youth and families. Twenty- six years ago, my wife and I lived in a small house off of Lake Street for a year and a half while she was a one-year substitute science teacher at BFA, and I was a graduate student at UVM. One of my lasting memories of that time was the community feeling and the people's pride in the community. One of the many reasons I returned to work in Maple Run was the continued community support and engagement I saw so many years ago. I see that still happening today.
When I was interviewed for my current role as superintendent of schools, the board asked me several questions about my goals for the school district. I told them, “This is a public school. I believe it should be the “public’s school” with an apostrophe “s” because the public should be telling us what their hopes and dreams are for their children.” I must believe this value was instilled in me by my parents, one a career high school teacher and the other a businessman in a manufacturing plant in central Vermont. While they both had jobs, they always gave to our small, rural community and believed through working together in public service any challenge could be overcome. These ideals formed my belief that the community must have a strong say in the education system for their children.
This belief is still so true for me that I made it the center of my educational career as an administrator, and it was the focus of my doctoral dissertation, “How Rural New England Superintendents Create Community Engagement.” Research has shown that the more a community genuinely feels they can impact the learning of their children, the greater the support there is for the schools. In a time of social media influence and political division, we need to increase the discussions about what we want for all our children, not separate ourselves into our echo chambers. Over my career, I have met countless parents, and every time, I hear three common themes: I care about my child, I want my child to be successful, and I want my child to have more opportunities than I did in school. I believe every member of our community holds these values.
So last year, the Maple Run Board held listening sessions to learn about what is going well in our schools, what we must do to improve, and what support we should provide so those children and families experiencing difficulties can succeed. The data from those listening sessions, along with a day-long summit held in April, created the basis for the proposal of five goals for the district, which are:
· Rigorous Academic and Expectations
· Consistent Policies to Address Bias and Behavior Issues
· Support Services for Students and Families
· Opportunities for Family and Community Engagement
· Community Education and Action on Inclusion
The Maple Run Board adopted these five district goals on September 20th, 2023. During the meeting, the board asked the administration to create a strategic plan with the community to guide the district’s work for the next five years.
For the past two months, the MRUSD Design Committee has met to determine how we should gather feedback from the community to inform the writing of the district’s strategic plan. This committee has representation from students, parents, staff, administrators, and community members to design the process for gathering input from the greater community. Now, we need our community’s input on making their goals a reality for every student and family we serve. On December 2nd, at St. Albans City School, from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm, we will have a community input session where we invite any community member to attend and give us input on how to achieve our goals. The first hour will be a pancake breakfast and at 9 am sharp we will start co-constructing our strategic plan. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to either Erin Rocheleau, erocheleau@maplerun.org, or myself, Bill Kimball bkimball@maplerun.org so we have a rough idea of the number of people who will be in attendance for the morning.
After this open input session, the design committee will take the feedback and draft a strategic plan. In late March 2024, we will have an evening session to invite back the community to see if what we heard was integrated into the district’s work. The Maple Run Board will be using the goals and the strategic plan as one of their tools to measure the success of the district. I invite all to attend and help us build a plan that will help every child meet the values of our community.
—Bill Kimball
Maple Run Unified School
District Superintendent