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Committee outlines public forum, stakeholder outreach to act on equity audit
Summary
After receiving an external equity audit, the committee discussed holding community forums, forming a stakeholder group and prioritizing recommendations such as professional development, special‑education alignment and student/parent engagement.
The South Kingstown School Committee discussed how to gather public input and move from an equity audit to an actionable strategic plan.
Administration told the committee it is coordinating with the Johnnycake Center to hold at least one community forum before the end of the school year; the proposed format would allow attendees to move through stations, provide anonymous feedback via post‑it notes or QR codes and speak one‑on‑one with administrators. "We're investigating various protocols ... to get the community's feedback and reactions to elements of the equity audit," the superintendent said.
Committee members emphasized the need for a multi‑stakeholder working group to prioritize recommendations and to include students, parents, teachers, support staff and community experts. School committee member Paula Whitford listed priorities she would emphasize: professional development and consistency across the district, student and parent engagement, and aligning special‑education policy and practice with outcomes such as discipline, chronic absenteeism and access to CTE programs. Whitford said professional development and principal leadership are central to implementing systemic change.
Other members urged roundtable formats, targeted focus groups (for families affected by discipline or chronic absenteeism), and clear timelines. The committee agreed to consolidate members’ written priorities into one document for staff and for the Johnnycake Center to use in planning the forum. One administrator noted the forum would be paired with subsequent focused stakeholder sessions and that some implementation details (for example, professional development time and bargaining‑unit constraints) will require further administrative work and negotiation.
Ending: The committee asked administrators to compile members’ input, to continue planning with the Johnnycake Center and to return with a firm forum date and protocol; administration also signaled plans to convene additional internal and stakeholder working groups to convert the audit’s recommendations into a strategic plan.
