No goals were set by School Board trustees Sept. 20 after a
special public hearing on the topic before the regular board
meeting. Trustees discussed goals during the meeting, but no action
was taken.
No goals were set by School Board trustees Sept. 20 after a special public hearing on the topic before the regular board meeting. Trustees discussed goals during the meeting, but no action was taken.
“What you’ve gotten so far is a lot of good solid things you can work on as a vision, but this is not a goal,” said School Board candidate Harlan Warthen. “A lot of the stuff you’re going to do is going to require a lot of money …. Where is the money going to come from?”
Warthen was invited, along with other community members, to attend a meeting earlier this month with Superintendent Carolyn McKennan to discuss the goals. The purpose was to gather input from a wide range of community members, stake-holders, people who have addressed the board with specific concerns, volunteers who have been active in the district and at school sites and the local business community.
“I have to compliment Dr. McKennan for going out in the community and finding people to talk about this,” Trustee Shellé Thomas said during board discussion. “It allows us in many ways to shape the vision. I like bringing in people we don’t normally hear from … In moving forward and looking for a new superintendent, we want to involve the community. You have given us a blue print of community endorsement of how to move forward with that.”
Shanna Boigon, a local realtor, and Trish McGilvery, a district Home & School president, were a part of the special meeting and also attended Monday night’s hearing on goals to present a report from the meeting.
Their suggestions for eight goals included providing a safe learning environment for students, as well as fiscal accountability. Joe Mueller, who sits on the bond fiscal oversight committee, told trustees during the hearing they need to be very specific.
“I couldn’t attend the (special) meeting even though I was invited; listening tonight, I didn’t hear objectives that were measurable and achievable … What you have is a high level mission statement,” said Mueller. “Now translate that with objectives and follow-up activities … This is not in the form that you can adopt for final objectives for the year … What is unfortunate is that you have already adopted the budget for the year.”
During the hearing, trustees heard from eight people, including one Live Oak student, one School Board candidate, and two employee groups. Donna Foster, president of the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers, and Bob Davis, Los Paseos principal representing the Morgan Hill Educational Leaders Association (MHELA), both presented trustees with their ideas of what the board’s goals for this year should be.
“What MHELA came up with are very defined goals,” Trustee Del Foster said. “I’m not sure they are appropriate board goals. I think those are staff goals to meet our overarching goal of student achievement … We need something we can grasp and hold at this level with very little resources to put behind it.”
The next regular School Board meeting is Oct. 11.
