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Longview board works with Scholars First to draft mission statement informed by student voice
Summary
Longview School District board members spent part of their meeting working with Scholars First consultant Dr. Tammy Campbell on a student-centered vision and initial drafting of a revised mission statement.
Longview School District board members spent a portion of their regular meeting on a strategic planning session led by Dr. Tammy Campbell of Scholars First, focusing on a draft vision of the student experience and initial steps to revise the district mission statement.
Campbell said the district’s vision work began with school leaders listening to students across all 15 schools and early-childhood programs. She presented themes students reported: feeling welcomed and known by staff, needing clear expectations and instructional modeling, and being discouraged by bullying, inconsistent enforcement of rules, or unclear consequences. Campbell read the draft vision that came from those themes: “I belong. I’m welcomed. I’m respected for my voice, story, and dreams. I’m connected to my community. I believe. I am inspired to hope and dream. I know excellence is within my reach. I believe in myself. I achieved. I know what success looks like. I am challenged and rise to high expectations. I’m empowered to learn, grow, and thrive.”
Why it matters: Campbell and board members said the vision will be the “North Star” for goals, metrics and the district’s graduate profile. The board will provide keywords and phrases to guide a one-sentence mission statement (who the district serves, why it exists, and the actions it will take) and Scholars First will return a draft for board review.
Board discussion and next steps: Board members and student representative Paige Riggs offered words they wanted considered for the mission statement, including “empower,” “dream,” “belonging,” “thrive,” “future ready,” and “inclusive/equitable.” Several members emphasized that the mission must be concise, accessible to families, and tied to measurable grade‑level outcomes in the later strategic plan.
Superintendent Kwaninger and board staff confirmed schedule items Campbell gave: the district leadership team (DLT) will meet June 2 to craft the first draft from board inputs; a writers’ session is planned June 18 to compose a theory of action; board members were invited to email additional words or phrases to the consultant before June 2. Campbell said the initial mission draft would be brought back to the board for review, likely in July.
Board members and Campbell repeatedly emphasized that this mission statement is one part of a broader planning process that also will produce measurable goals, a graduate profile and implementation steps for central office and schools. The board did not take formal action during the presentation; the item was a discussion and direction to staff and the consultant to proceed with drafting and follow-up meetings.
The district’s student-centered visioning drew repeated praise from the board and the student representative, who said language such as “inspired to hope and dream” resonated as an authentic student perspective. Campbell said she would circulate the slide deck and other materials to the board the next day and compile submitted keywords for the June 2 drafting session.
Ending: The board’s strategic-planning work will continue with the June meetings; Campbell and district staff will return a drafted mission statement for board consideration.
