Assistant Principal John Romanal presented his superintendent internship plan to the HHart District 3 School Board on Aug. 11, saying he will focus on family and community engagement and set a measurable goal to increase family involvement in district schools.
Romanal, who is completing a superintendent internship through Concordia University Chicago, told the board he will complete a state-required superintendent internship planner and an improvement project that centers on family and community engagement. "My smart goal for this school year is that by the end of the 20 five-twenty 6 school year, our family involvement in, schools will increase by 25%, which is 11 points, as measured on the 5 essential data," Romanal said.
The project is prompted by low district survey scores Romanal cited: family involvement 44 out of 100, parent involvement 45, parent influence 51 and teacher-parent trust 37. He outlined planned activities including targeted research, formal communication plans, family-community outreach events, structured collaborative sessions through the superintendent's advisory council, increasing classroom engagement opportunities for families and outreach to community organizations for event support.
The presentation came as the district reported extensive community outreach this month. Superintendent Dr. Wilcox told the board the district's Back to School Bash drew "just over 4,500 students and families" and that attendance may be higher because some QR-code scans undercounted additional family members. Dr. Wilcox credited the parent-community coordinator and student interns with organizing the event and said 25 food trucks and 45 community organizations took part.
Romanal said he will use the district's 5-essential data to measure progress and report back as his internship proceeds. He did not provide a timetable for interim benchmarks beyond the end-of-year target in his presentation.
Romanal's plan and the district events he and staff described will go before the superintendent's advisory council and district staff for implementation planning and scheduling.