Mason City Schools officials unveiled a year‑long professional learning model called staff journeys designed to give every employee sustained, choice‑driven training across 14 pathways and custom project options.

District leaders said the program — introduced at a pre‑school staff convocation and a voluntary “Journey Day” that drew hundreds of staff — is intended to support all employees, including bus drivers, nurses, paraprofessionals and administrative staff. “We are a community of learners,” one presenter said, adding the district’s mission of “each and every Comet discovering purpose and potential” includes staff as well as students.

The board heard that the pathways, developed after a year of staff engagement, cover topics ranging from foundational literacy and math instruction to interdisciplinary work and use of artificial intelligence in classrooms. The kickoff event included nationally known educator AJ Juliani, whose presentation focused on student engagement and the effect of technology and AI on instruction. The Mason Schools Foundation provided a grant to bring the speaker to the district.

Administrators said staff journeys combine in‑person and sustained learning over the school year and that educators may also design their own project paths; about eight self‑designed groups were reported, including for performing arts. The program is connected to the district’s “momentum strategy,” with teacher leaders serving on “fusion” and “futures” teams to shepherd present initiatives and pilot future innovations such as AI integration and certification pathways.

District leaders said the staff journeys will start in September and that the model grew from building‑level fusion teams and a year of studying personalized professional learning approaches. They described the program as an investment in staff capacity rather than a short, single training day.

Board members and administrators praised the participation at the kickoff and thanked the Mason Schools Foundation for the grant that helped underwrite the national speaker. Officials said they will report on implementation and outcomes during the school year.