Facilitator urges clearer data use and a renewed student-achievement focus at Lee's Summit R-VII workshop
Summary
A facilitator-led governance workshop for Lee's Summit R-VII reviewed a board self-assessment and urged clearer, more digestible data reporting to center decisions on student achievement; the session also flagged splits over how data informs staffing and budgets.
A facilitator told Lee's Summit R-VII board members at a governance workshop that the district's governance model was revised to emphasize student achievement and to make board roles clearer. "It is to, try to elevate student achievement," the facilitator said while outlining changes to the board role framework and the new wording adopted for several role descriptions.
The session centered on survey results from a board self-assessment. The facilitator said several items showed near consensus — for example, board members agreed that the district celebrates student success and that the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) contains proper goals — but flagged questions where responses were split. The facilitator cited results showing roughly 82% agreement on community engagement and 87% agreement on working with the superintendent, while other items showed more disagreement.
Board members discussed frequent concerns about data access and presentation. The facilitator asked how administration might make achievement data "more digestible" and more accessible so board members could quickly identify where the district had the most growth. During the discussion a board member noted that the board receives achievement reports quarterly.
Survey results also pointed to uncertainty over whether student-achievement data drives budget and staffing choices. The facilitator summarized the split: some members agreed the board uses achievement and enrollment data for facility and long-term financial decisions, while others said they were not sure recent staffing and program changes reflected a data-driven approach.
The facilitator recommended concrete next steps: the facilitator will send the full report and slides to the board, and members were asked to propose priority goals using a dot-vote exercise at a future meeting. The session closed with a request that board leaders help monitor implementation of chosen goals.
