Morgan Hill Unified School District trustees have agreed that
curriculum and instruction should be at the top of their priority
list as they create goals for the rest of this school year and the
next.
Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill Unified School District trustees have agreed that curriculum and instruction should be at the top of their priority list as they create goals for the rest of this school year and the next.
Some of the objectives trustees have agreed to fall under curriculum and instruction and deal with increasing student academic achievement by improving their Academic Performance Index.
Under fiscal responsibility, trustees want to align dollars to address student educational needs.
Under facilities, food services and transportation, trustees want to implement various strategies to provide a safe and secure learning environment.
To create this year’s goals, trustees hired education consultant Frank Siccone, president of the Ohio-based Siccone Institute. He organized special workshops on Nov. 20 and Dec. 13 at district headquarters to discuss with trustees the new goals.
Trustees agreed their “overarching goal” is student achievement. Instead of making that one goal, Siccone suggested it should be their focus, with goals created to support that idea.
During a second workshop, trustees saw a draft copy of goals created by district office staff, with Siccone’s help.
The document lists five main goals, each with a number of objectives and suggested strategies.
But before beginning an in-depth discussion of the document, Siccone told trustees they needed to determine the document’s purpose.
“Is this to be a public document, something that you would perhaps post on your district Web site for parents and community members to consult? Or is this something that you might use in-house as a blueprint?” he asked.
Trustees seemed to come to consensus that the document would be made public, listing goals and objectives, as well as be an in-house document that would detail suggested strategies. The document, they agreed, should have measurable items.
New School Board President Julia Hover-Smoot said she found the proposed document lacking in enthusiasm for learning.
“What I see is that we aren’t incorporating an excitement, a creative outlook, a sense of adventure here when we’re talking about curriculum,” she said. “I can see it might be difficult to figure out how to put that in there, but where’s the sense of excitement for learning? Where’s the delight of learning? I just don’t want it to be so black and white.”
Siccone told trustees they also needed to decide about sharing the document with “stakeholders,” and if they want to seek input from interest groups.
After trustees agreed what organizations would have access to the document, including Home and School Club presidents, School Site Council presidents, District English Learner Advisory Committee and English Learner Advisory Committee members and District Advisory Committee for the Improvement of Education members, they planned a general public forum/focus group after the Jan. 15 regular board meeting.
