Merced City School Board hears consultant’s strategic‑planning pitch, delays hiring to review alternatives

The Merced City School District board on Sept. 23 heard a virtual presentation from consultant Dr. Ron Kuth on how he would lead a long‑range strategic‑planning effort, then agreed to delay any hiring decision until trustees could review an additional candidate and the board had time to assess community input.

Dr. Kuth, a recently retired superintendent, told trustees he uses staged pre‑work — surveys of staff and community and targeted prompts to gather priorities — before facilitating a one‑day, intensive retreat to convert feedback into a small set of priority goals. "You as a board are trying to collect information on setting direction for the district and to ensure that the schools are doing their best to serve students," he said, describing a process that typically converges input into about seven goals and then refines them with the superintendent and cabinet.

Trustees pressed on timeline, local applicability and community engagement. Trustee Jeang asked how the model would respond to Merced’s demographic realities: "We're very diverse here. A lot of our students are about 85 or 90% low incomes," she said, urging town halls and sustained community voice so the plan would address students who are underserved and reading below grade level. Dr. Kuth recommended a roughly three‑year plan horizon, with revisions and checkpoints, and underscored the need to balance board priorities with staff capacity.

Superintendent Docking and several trustees said they were not ready to select a consultant at the meeting; trustees asked to hear the other candidate who had submitted a packet but could not present that evening. The board did not vote on the item and tabled hiring until members had time to review both proposals and additional materials.

Why it matters: The district has not updated its strategic plan since 2018, trustees noted. Board members said they want a plan that survives personnel turnover and clearly links to operational priorities — facilities, staffing, instruction and measurable student outcomes — with explicit roles for community voice.

Next steps: District staff will make additional consultant materials available and schedule further presentations; the board intends to reconvene discussion once trustees have both proposals and time to consider the models and proposed costs.