Board debates OE‑9 public‑engagement language, agrees to move complaint/engagement specifics into indicators
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Summary
Board members reviewed OE‑9 (external/public engagement) template and debated adding language on financial disclosures, complaint handling and organizational culture; the board directed staff to move items 3–5 into measurable indicators and return refined language in January.
RACINE, Wis. — The Racine Unified School District board reviewed proposed language for OE‑9, the district’s external/public‑engagement policy, and discussed whether additions recently proposed broaden the policy beyond communications into governance and evaluation.
Items under discussion included adding guidance on information about the district’s financial condition, a provision that external communications effectively handle complaints and a clause on maintaining an organizational culture that treats people with respect and includes those affected in decisions. "I don't know why it was included either, but I have to say, when you see a superintendent who does not effectively handle complaints ... that's all I can say," said Missus Barbian during the review, citing past experience with prior administration conduct.
Superintendent Soren Gajewski told the board staff would refine the language and indicators to make expectations measurable: "If 'effectively handle complaints' means every single person is happy all the time ... we'll put that into those indicators ... addresses them in a timely manner and tries to work to resolutions," he said. Board members and staff debated whether items 3–5 belonged in the policy text or were better expressed as indicators or interpretations that would become part of evaluation measures.
After discussion the board agreed with a staff proposal to remove items 3, 4 and 5 from the OE text and ask staff to incorporate related expectations into indicators and measurable evidence. Staff will return indicator proposals in January and include the revised OE for business‑meeting consideration.
Board members raised governance and measurement concerns — for example, how to define "adequately informed" or how to measure organizational culture — and suggested that indicators include evidence such as published communications, timelines and complaint‑response metrics rather than broad policy wording.
The board took no immediate policy vote; the procedural outcome is a referral to staff to draft indicators and a redlined OE for future board action.