Shawnee Mission board hears strategic‑plan action‑team updates; district to expand RTI training and embed student voice

The Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education on Oct. 27 received quarter‑one updates on the district strategic plan and heard two featured action‑team briefs: a targeted Response to Intervention (RTI) professional development plan and a belonging strategy that intentionally increases student voice.

RTI two‑prong recommendation: Dr. Gonzer’s recorded update — presented by Dr. Leanne Neal and team members — recommended a two‑pronged RTI professional‑learning model. The first prong is districtwide professional learning grounded in the SMSD RTI Guidebook for Student Success to ensure consistent Tier 1 and Tier 2 classroom practices. The second prong creates RTI leadership teams at each school to lead building implementation and attend Solution Tree RTI workshops as the train‑the‑trainer cohort. In the recording the facilitator said the team “reached consensus on Sept. 29 … we will recommend a two‑prong approach to RTI professional learning.” District staff said an implementation timeline and candidate guidance for building RTI leadership teams will be developed at upcoming meetings.

Belonging and student voice: Caitlin Shulman and student representative Hannah Phillips presented the 2.3.04 belonging action‑team work. The team consolidated belonging content into four buckets — awareness and action; safe and inclusive culture; trauma‑informed and responsive practices; and social‑emotional learning — and recommended ways students inform professional learning. Hannah, a junior at Shawnee Mission Northwest, described student leadership in the district’s YES (Youth Equity Stewardship) program and said students have already led professional‑development sessions locally: “I actually got to teach some of the teachers at my school about what I had learned in YES,” she told the board.

Why it matters: the RTI plan focuses the district’s training on Tier 1 (core) and Tier 2 supports to reduce the number of students needing intensive Tier 3 interventions. The belonging work is designed to make professional learning more authentic by centering student perspectives and anticipating district‑wide training on restorative practices.

Board questions and process: board members asked about pacing, accountability and how recommendations move from action teams to formal implementation. Dr. Neal explained action teams recommend to the superintendent and executive leadership; items requiring policy changes or purchases would be returned to the board. The student leadership team announced a student‑led conference scheduled for Nov. 17 at K‑State Olathe and invited board participation.