REACTIONS FROM THOSE IN ATTENDANCE
The Journal-News asked some of the participants at Thursday’s meeting about Middletown Schools’ process to create new strategic plans:
"This is hard work, but it's a good beginning. We're trying to hit a re-set button on the school district. We have to come up with some inventive and creative ways in how we address the cultural competency … and address the poverty level in our school district that some kids are coming from." — Pastor Michael Bailey of Middletown's Faith United Church
"You have to have a manageable number of people in the group. And it's vital to have a mission statement. That helps steer the ship (school district). If you don't have a clear vision and mission then the lines get blurred." — Middletown resident Katrina Wilson, who praised the process and the strategy behind inviting a diverse mix of participants
"It's useful to gain the community input into the future of the schools and to have a diverse set of voices participating in the process. It's commendable the school district is taking in other people from throughout the community to help shape its vision." — T. Duane Gordon, executive director of the Middletown Community Foundation
"It's encouraging to see so many people giving of their time to help the district reach its potential." — Rick Pearce, president and CEO of the Chamber serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton
Middletown Schools is working with state officials and a diverse mix of community leaders to create a strategic plan to help improve the district’s academics and to also better serve residents.
Last week saw the first of four special meetings called by the Middletown Board of Education but largely facilitated by officials from the Ohio School Board Association (OSBA), which represents nearly all of the state's 613 public school districts.
It’s a new move by Middletown school officials and a first in decades to enlist the OSBA’s help in formulating a strategic plan.
The effort, which saw more than 80 invited participants from a wide cross section of the city at the first meeting, is indicative of the district’s commitment to strengthen the school system, officials said.
“We need some fundamental changes …and we need to dialogue in the hope that we can be transformative,” Chris Urso, president of the Middletown school board told the audience.
The meetings are the latest round of actions in recent months designed to build support for the city's school system as it moves forward a number of initiatives, including a $96 million school construction project and other district improvements.
Strategic plans by public school districts are local, autonomous efforts that vary widely in purpose, content and length of use — usually three to five years. Some school systems revamp them frequently and some don’t.
OSBA officials said they are rarely invited to facilitate such meetings statewide. The last time such meetings occurred in Southwest Ohio was in Lakota Schools a few years ago, said Cheryl Ryan, OSBA director of school board services.
“The strategic plan gives order to all other plans. It gives structure,” Ryan told the meeting participants, who included residents, business executives, local city officials, clergy and community officials.
“It really helps the (school) board govern” and encourages “them to be forward thinking,” Ryan told the audience before they broke off into group discussions to work on the language of a district mission statement.
This included asking each participant to suggest a key word that should be part of the district’s mission statement.
Though Middletown’s five board members participated, the board took no action and no board actions are scheduled for any of the remaining three meetings.
Once the strategic plan is completed sometime in June, the board will vote on accepting the plan.
School district resident Katrina Wilson praised the variety of public participants in the process and credited district officials for reaching out to all segments of community.
“It’s a good cross section and it’s a great process for coming to some consensus on moving forward,” Wilson said of the strategic plan process.
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