Superintendent presents "Listen and Learn" community engagement findings; board hears next steps

Superintendent Dr. Bartlett and district staff presented findings from the district’s “Listen and Learn” community engagement initiative, a series of facilitated small-group discussions held across school sites. The board heard a summary of participation, key themes and early actions the district has taken in response.

Tracy Benson of the Waters Institute and Julie Farberic, the district’s director of communications, joined Bartlett for the presentation. Benson described the methodology as a structured World Café approach conducted at 12 sessions over 11 days that used small rotating tables, guided questions and color-coded notes to surface common concerns and priorities. The in-person sessions produced 471 participants across sites, about 110 discussion tables, and 3,049 post-it responses; the district also ran parallel surveys that produced 75 parent responses and 20 staff responses.

Benson summarized the district-level themes that emerged (not in ranked order): (1) enhance personalized learning and individualized support; (2) promote rigorous academic standards and career-ready skills; (3) encourage transparent communication and active family engagement; (4) cultivate a safe, inclusive and supportive school environment; (5) strengthen teacher support, retention and professional development; (6) modernize facilities and resources to support diverse learning needs; and (7) foster community engagement and build a cohesive school culture.

District staff described actions already taken that align with these themes: increased counseling staffing and adoption of social-emotional learning programming tied to counseling standards; adoption of a district alert system (referred to in the presentation as the Centigix/bridal alert system); comprehensive threat-assessment training for administrators and counselors; hiring of a security specialist to standardize emergency operations plans; and investments in facilities and transportation. Staff reported a $5,000,000 investment in district-wide security upgrades and said the district replaced 16 buses this year with plans to replace 13 more with the next bond issuance. The district also said it has reduced class sizes in kindergarten through third grade (kindergarten from 26 to 23; first grade from 29 to 25; second and third from 29 to 26), expanded gifted and special-needs staffing and added Khan Academy/Khanmigo support for grades 5–12.

Board members asked questions about methodology, the meaning of terms such as "social-emotional learning," how the district will move from feedback to action and how the district will continue outreach. Staff acknowledged the participation rates for surveys were modest (about 1.1% of contactable parents responded) but emphasized that the in-person sessions reached a cross-section of the district and that administrators will integrate the themes into strategic planning. The superintendent said the district will expand outreach next year to include student sessions (grades 5–12) and alumni, and provide regular updates to the board and community as action steps are implemented.

Several board members asked staff to consider broader outreach to residents and voters who are not current parents but have a stake in bonds and district planning. The presentation closed with staff urging that listening be followed by prioritized actions; administrators said principals are already engaged in site-level follow-up informed by the sessions.