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Board committee reports middle‑school design engagement; members press for broader outreach after low turnout
Summary
Committee members reviewed two recent middle‑school design engagement sessions, summarized themes (belonging, academics, learning environment), and raised concerns about low attendance and short outreach windows; staff said they will track participants, re‑invite attendees and continue working with network teams.
The Curriculum & Student Success Committee reported on recent community engagement work for middle‑school design and heard board members press staff for broader outreach after turnout that members described as limited.
Staff said the district held two sessions — one virtual and one in‑person — with breakout groups that focused on student experience and belonging, academic experience, and the learning environment. "We held two community engagement sessions...we had about 20 or so [virtual] participants and similar guided discussions in person," a staff presenter said, and staff said they are codifying themes to inform working groups (academics, operations/facilities, finance).
Committee Chair Julianne Operman, who attended an in‑person work group, said multilingual families and elementary parents were represented and that safety, aspirational goals and academic expectations emerged as recurring topics. "I appreciated the aspirational aspect of the discussions," Operman said, noting multilingual parents voiced higher expectations for their children.
Several members, notably Mickey Bondo, argued the turnout did not reflect adequate outreach. "When I see...20 on Zoom, I cannot define that to be a success," Mickey said, and asked staff how outreach and timing could be improved. Staff acknowledged a short turnaround and scheduling conflicts (for example, a music club event at one school) and said they will track attendance across engagements and send repeated invitations to sustain participation.
Members suggested using multilingual communications, social media and repeated direct outreach to parents and community groups. Staff said they will keep participant lists, re‑invite those who attended previous events and report back as working groups meet over the summer; a fuller update to the full board is planned in the coming weeks.
The committee adjourned at the close of the meeting. No formal roll‑call tally for the adjournment was read into the record.
