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Elma board centers student voice in strategic-plan update, supplies words for new mission
Summary
At a strategic-plan update led by Dr. Campbell, the Elma School District board reviewed a draft student-centered vision built from student feedback and provided three- to four-word prompts for a new mission statement emphasizing belonging, academic growth and social-emotional support.
Dr. Campbell presented a draft student-centered vision and asked the Elma School District board to provide words and phrases to shape a new mission statement.
The update explained the plan’s three core components — academic, social-emotional and belonging — and emphasized that the vision should be written in students’ voices and used to drive a detailed theory of action. Dr. Campbell said the vision is intended to ‘‘push us out of our comfort zone’’ and to produce practices that change what educators do in classrooms and across the district. He asked the board to provide three to four words for (1) why the district exists and (2) what actions staff should take to accomplish the vision.
The presentation included student-sourced themes and sample language. Dr. Campbell quoted student responses used to shape the draft, such as: "I am a learner. I am achiever. I am a dreamer. I belong here." He summarized common student concerns — peer exclusion, teachers making assumptions or using inappropriate language, and lack of clarity in instruction — and recurring supports students said help learning: adult kindness, clear expectations, and opportunities to redo work and receive feedback.
Board members responded with short lists the district leadership team will use to draft the mission statement. Steph (board member) said her "why" words included "developing strong citizenship character" and "building academic skills for life," with actions tied to creating community and meaningful instruction. Another board member offered "empower, engage, pride" as why words and emphasized making students feel safe to explore, succeed and fail. Members discussed aligning the mission with a student-led "Be the Blue" campaign and ensuring the final draft remains authentic to the students who contributed the initial feedback.
Dr. Campbell explained next steps: the district leadership team (DT) will use the board's word lists to draft a mission statement and a theory of action; a core planning team (parents, staff, students, a subset of the board) will refine core values in the fall; and a subsequent session will return a draft mission statement to the board for feedback. Board members and staff requested the compiled word lists be typed and shared with the DT prior to the next meeting.
The board spent the bulk of the meeting on the strategic-plan item; the district will reconvene the DT to convert the board’s language into a draft mission and a set of actionable practices.
The board adjourned after completing the scheduled items and the strategic-plan discussion.
