Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Pickerington Local board hears Family Engagement Council proposals to boost outreach and access
Loading...
Summary
The Family Engagement Council presented three working-group proposals to improve family communications, provide flexible childcare at select district events, and use targeted surveys to increase event turnout and representation.
The Pickerington Local School District board on Monday heard presentations from a newly formed Family Engagement Council that proposed a set of practical steps to boost family engagement, especially for multilingual and time-constrained households.
The council, introduced by Superintendent Charlie Smialek, described three working groups: communications, flexible access and intentional invitations. Rachel Nash, a parent and member of the communications group, said the team audited the district resource page and decided to build on the existing content rather than start over. "We would like to propose a comprehensive refresh of the resource page that is focused on accuracy, usability, and equity," Nash said.
Audrey Ladowitz, a Pickerington North High School junior representing the communications group, outlined recommended changes: a "start here" onboarding page, an index of district tech tools such as Infinite Campus and TalkingPoints, and improved placement of language-access and translation tools. "We are not looking at a redesign of the resource page, but instead building on the existing structures to address the most critical gaps," Ladowitz said.
Dana Folkerts of the Pickerington Public Library and Kurt Keller, a district staff member, described the flexible access proposal: partner with vetted childcare providers to offer supervised, background-checked care at selected informational events (the Be Ready resource fair in August and a college-application workshop in October were cited). "This allows parents to fully participate in information for older children while resting assured their younger children are in a secure setting," Keller said.
The intentional invitations group, represented by staff member Sarah Schultz and community member Kim Hayes, proposed a diagnostic survey to identify barriers to attendance and tailor event timing, advertising locations and outreach methods. Schultz said the survey is under legal and public-relations review before broader distribution.
Superintendent Smialek told the board the working groups will submit action proposals and collaborate with communications and engagement staff to implement changes: "When we nail all the dates and get everything nailed down, sharing that information with you so you can share it out to the community." Board members commended the council and asked that final plans be shared with trustees so they can help publicize them.
The presentation concluded with an invitation for board questions; none were raised that required changes to the proposals. The council asked for board support to proceed with pilot steps over the summer and for assistance in amplifying outreach once implementation dates are set.
