Important Educational Issues

Instruction

  • Prioritizing students' safe return to full-time, in-person instruction

  • Exploring options for the flexibility of a virtual option for students in need

  • Reflective assessment of student achievement and identification of effective instructional practices in light of the pandemic, especially teaching and learning completed exclusively online

  • Reflective assessment of mental health curriculum and practice, including its utilization and effectiveness during the pandemic. Long-term effects of the pandemic and other traumatic events of the past year are going to impact children for years to come, requiring schools to grapple with myriad ways that students may be challenged to learn and thrive

  • Explore options for increased outdoor learning activities and exercise

  • Continued innovation of varied educational programming with a focus on career and college, inclusive of character education and volunteerism

  • High-quality offerings of professional development for staff, including the exploration of equitable grading practices

Policy

  • Board policy should be in compliance with state and federal guidelines while maximizing local control

  • Board policy should align with state curriculum materials that will help students achieve the state Core Curriculum Content Standards

  • Board policy and practice should reflect strong moral and ethical standards for our learning community

  • Standards of quality for learning and safety should be monitored, evaluated, and adjusted as emerging data reveals the impact of the pandemic on learning and the learning environment

  • Policy development and curriculum materials advancing diversity, equity and inclusion should:

      • improve the diversity that students are exposed to with a focus on respect for multiple perspectives and interpretations, and civil discourse;

      • evaluate longstanding policies and practices that may fuel disparities, such as how students are scored and earn grades;

      • highlight historical connections between dehumanizing language and potential violence resulting from such language;

      • expand the curriculum to include the ethnic and racial diversity of all families in our district

Budget

  • Ensuring that the school district continues to support programs with a high academic return on investment and leveraging additional revenue from Federal and State sources to further enhance academic programs

  • Stabilizing our budget to remain at or below the tax cap while prioritizing planning for a more sustainable future

  • Sensible spending plans with crucial investments that might otherwise be neglected or postponed should be crafted, including exploring ways that our school district can generate revenue that does not include taxpayer dollars

  • Systemic improvements should be explored in order to make recurring spending sustainable