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Community members urge stronger outreach as board weighs recruitment steps
Summary
Multiple residents urged active board and staff engagement, including targeted mailings and visibility at events, to retain and recruit families amid the district's enrollment decline.
Public comment at the special meeting brought several community suggestions for stabilizing enrollment. Speakers included Susan Polk, Aaston Burrows, Kathy Landini, Jeane Whitney, Pastor Joe Levesque and Zoe Brandenburger; they raised concerns about enrollment and urged increased outreach and school presence in the community.
The board and staff discussed specific short-term outreach tactics raised during comments: targeted postcards and flyers in Willows and South Orland, banners on I-5, sign placements at local businesses, and more regular board and staff attendance at school events to show a visible commitment to families. Trustees emphasized that outreach must be paired with programmatic reasons for families to remain or return—expanded FFA, nontraditional athletic opportunities and stronger in-class interventions were cited as examples.
Speakers also raised sensitivity concerns about unduplicated pupil reporting and stigma; staff reiterated plans to use Aeries online enrollment and partner with Kno'Quoti Native Wellness to support trust-building in the Native American community.
