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Galesburg district reports 59.5% jump in family engagement; committee recommends consistent communications
Summary
A stakeholder engagement committee reported a jump in family-participation events from 4,146 to 6,615 (59.5% increase) and recommended consistent school communications, a district family-engagement calendar and expanded volunteer partnerships.
The Galesburg CUSD 205 stakeholder engagement committee reported a surge in family participation this year and urged the board to adopt consistent communications practices to sustain growth.
Jennifer Graves, chair of the committee, told the board the group set three strategic goals for 2025–26: increase family engagement at least 5% annually, expand community partnerships through regular volunteers and job-shadowing experiences, and broaden communication with families across multiple platforms. The committee said district family-engagement events rose from 4,146 participants in 2024–25 to 6,615 this year — a 59.5% increase.
"This increase reflects the hard work of our schools in creating meaningful events that bring families into our buildings," Graves said, noting the district recorded 110 regular volunteers and that Journey 12 and Facebook were important channels for reaching families.
The committee recommended establishing a districtwide communications expectation, sharing effective newsletter practices among schools, developing a family-engagement calendar for 2026–27 and conducting a survey through Journey 12 to learn families' communication preferences. Committee members pointed to data showing schools that distributed consistent newsletters enjoyed stronger readership and engagement.
Board members asked for clarification about Journey 12 readership and distribution. Graves said Journey 12 produced 1,377 online engagements averaging nine minutes of interaction and that printed distribution reached more than 16,400 addresses plus additional community copies. She framed the recommendations as low-cost steps to build on momentum and reach underrepresented families.
The committee said next steps include more high-interest events, targeted outreach to underrepresented families, building a volunteer and partnership database, and exploring job-shadowing opportunities for eighth graders.
The committee closed by asking the board to support a districtwide push to standardize and track communications and family-engagement activity so improvements can be measured next year.
