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Board discusses 2026 goals: training, trades pathways, mental-health supports and community engagement
Summary
At a workshop the Madison District board explored 2026 SMART goals including board training, trade and CTE pathways (pre-apprenticeships and partner programs), in-house mental-health supports, and expanding community outreach; staff will convert ideas into SMART goals for future action.
Trustees spent a substantial portion of the meeting on a workshop to develop 2026 board goals using the SMART framework (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). Trustee Campless opened the discussion, saying community input flagged priorities such as student mental-health supports, safer buildings, staff retention, classroom technology and improved academic programs.
Several trustees proposed specific goal ideas. Trustee Gloria Thompson urged greater board training and more visible board engagement at community events. Trustee Mark Kimell argued for district-level, career-focused programs, describing the potential to “offer stuff that other districts do not,” including embedded trade pathways and pre-apprenticeships that could connect students to high-paying jobs without college debt.
The superintendent cautioned about practical barriers: state certification and full-time-equivalent (FTE) staffing rules that can make in-house trade classes expensive for a small district, and noted existing partnerships with Oakland Schools programs (OTK/CASA) and Michigan Works as options to expand CTE access without immediately creating new full-time positions.
Trustees also discussed academic targets; one trustee suggested exploring a measurable target such as increasing third-grade math proficiency by a specified percentage, and the superintendent pledged to share the district’s Michigan continuous improvement plan (MiCIP) and current district goals to help frame measurable objectives.
Next steps: Trustee Campless and the superintendent will collect the ideas, enter them into a shared Google Sheet, convert them into SMART goals and circulate a draft to the board for consideration at a future meeting.
Quotes from the meeting include Trustee Kimell saying the district should "offer stuff that other districts do not" and the superintendent advising the board to "challenge the argument not the person" when discussing options.
Background and constraints: Trustees flagged funding limits and staffing requirements as the main barriers to immediately creating in-house trade programs; several members suggested seeking grants and external partnerships as early steps.
