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Board hears strategic‑plan updates on RTI professional learning and student voice
Summary
Two action teams reported progress on the district strategic plan: a two‑pronged RTI professional learning recommendation (district PD + building RTI leadership teams) and belonging work that centers student voice via the YES program; board discussed implementation timelines and accountability.
The Shawnee Mission School District board received its first quarter strategic‑plan update on Nov. 3, focusing on two action teams: Action Team 1.3.3 (differentiated core instruction via an RTI framework) and Strategy 2.3.04 (belonging and student voice).
The RTI action team recommended a two‑pronged approach. The first prong calls for a district‑wide professional development sequence based on the SMSD RTI Guidebook for Student Success so that all educators receive consistent training on Tier 1 and Tier 2 differentiated instruction. The second prong proposes RTI leadership teams at each school to serve as local trainers and to attend Solution Tree RTI workshops; those leaders would implement PD at building pace and provide face‑to‑face coaching.
Board members asked about pacing, accountability and whether the work would simply “sit on a shelf.” Action team members said the model is intentionally flexible—buildings will implement PD at their own pace—but stressed common expectations and a ‘train‑the‑trainer’ model to preserve fidelity. The team plans to identify candidates for RTI leadership by its next meeting and to return with implementation timelines.
On belonging, coordinator Caitlin Shulman and student leader Hannah Phillips described how the team consolidated student and staff input into four learning buckets—awareness & action; safe & inclusive culture; trauma‑informed practices; and social‑emotional learning—and are piloting student‑led professional development. Hannah described YES (Youth Equity Stewardship) activities and noted that students have delivered PD sessions for staff; the district will host a student‑led conference on Nov. 17 at K‑State Olathe.
Administrators said action‑team recommendations become recommendations to the superintendent and executive leadership; only items requiring policy changes or funding would come back to the board for formal approval. The board requested continued updates and flagged that some action‑team work may not require board action but will be reported through the regular update schedule.
Next steps: action teams will finalize leader nominations, timelines and implementation models; district administration will determine whether any recommendations require policy changes or funding requests before returning items to the board.
