The school community told district board members at the last series of meetings designed to chart the educational future of local schools that they want more support.
Strategic planning engagement sessions created an opportunity for the public to play an important role in the direction the school district takes in the next five years.
People that weren’t able to attend the strategic planning engagement sessions were able to contribute remotely using a crowdsourcing platform known as Thoughtexchange.
Through the live information exchange platform, the school district asked “what are some things you appreciate (like) about our schools and what should we focus on to make them the best places for every student to learn?”
After answering, individuals who participated in Thoughtexchange reviewed and ranked the thoughts of others who also contributed by strongly agreeing or strongly disagreeing with statements.
Through the Thoughtexchange platform, many issues were raised by the school community. The highest-rated thoughts asked for more hands-on skills and to redefine equity in the education system. In light of the pandemic, the school community also asked for more social and emotional support for students.
That said, not all hot topics demanded more from the school district. Students using the platform highlighted how they like the teachers because they are skilled professionals and “actually know what they are teaching.”
The school district feels confident that they have collected all the thoughts and worries of the public as they saw over 500 participants, 1000 shared thoughts, and over 20,000 thought ratings.
“We’re not only engaging with adults, but we’re engaging with staff, employee groups, and most importantly the students, ” said Janet Meyer, Superintendent of Schools. “There’s been a large increase in student engagements in the final weeks.”
On May 8, the school district staff will take all the information from the strategic planning engagement sessions and the Thoughtexchange platform and present it to the Board of Education.
“The board will sift through all the information submitted and have a facilitated conversation around the future and they will set the goals and priorities for this school district for the next five years,” said Meyer.
For more information about the school districts next steps or any additional questions, email the school district at strategic.planning@cmsd.bc.ca