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District Site Council meeting launches renewed parent engagement, collaboration toward improvement
Maize USD 266 on Nov. 1 hosted a District Site Council meeting to reenergize and renew parent engagement and stakeholder collaboration for the 2022-23 school year and beyond. The Maize School District is stronger and better thanks to the help and support of various stakeholders with broad perspectives and experiences working together to improve the district for the sake of its students. With this in mind, more than 100 stakeholders gathered for the meeting at the Maize Performing Arts and Aquatics Center. The event was designed to reengage high-functioning stakeholder groups in the district, share expertise, and begin work to identify common initiatives and goals to explore ways to make Maize USD 266 the best it can be for students.
Maize Board of Education President Jeff Jarman was among the event’s speakers and said that stakeholders can work together to improve on what is already outstanding in the district.
Participants included members of Maize USD 266’s school site councils, parent leaders, administrators, employees, Maize Board of Education members, and community members. They learned about how they can share their feedback for improvement, discussed district strengths and needs, and participated in models for good instructional practices, including developing a District Site Council social contract. Students develop social contracts in their classrooms at the beginning of each school year so they can agree as a group how they want to treat each other to best learn and grow together.
Nov. 1 meeting participants, who represent diverse industries, experiences, and connections to the district, discussed their current perspectives about the district and what they would change about the district and why. They also discussed their answers to this question: Considering the current workforce and future economy, what is one skill every Maize graduate should have? District leaders will review the focus group discussion to analyze trends and key issues.
About Maize USD 266 site councils
This work is important in part because it is tied into Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) for school and district accreditation. Regulations for Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) require that every school system seeking accreditation have a district site council that participates in the system’s accreditation process. The district recently celebrated its successful completion of an accreditation cycle. “Accredited” means the system is in good standing with the Kansas State Board of Education and that the system has provided conclusive evidence of growth in student performance and of an intentional, quality growth process. Now, Maize USD 266 is back to year one with a new accreditation journey. The first year of this journey focuses on a thorough assessment of district strengths and needs.
Building Site Councils represent each Maize USD 266 school, and its members provide feedback and input to building administrators about student experience and curriculum and review data related to assessments, improvement, safety, and more. Each Building Site Council has one representative who serves on the District Site Council. Members of the District Site Council, which consists of those Building Site Council representatives and community members, in turn provide feedback and input to district administrators and the Maize Board of Education.
These site councils also work with Building Leadership Teams and District Leadership Teams, school- and district-level employee groups that work toward meeting indicators, or identified goals for improvement and accreditation. These various collaborative efforts are working to reconnect relationships within the district, including those with students, families, and employees.
The process allows opportunities for parent engagement and proactive collaboration through a continuous loop of improvement-based feedback and communication. Superintendent Dr. Raquel Greer said Nov. 1 that the process also speaks to one of the foundations of the Maize USD 266 community. She said, “We want to build on the successful foundation that Maize has while uniting our efforts to better support one another.” Last Spring, many stakeholders shared via the superintendent search survey that they are proud of the district’s history of innovation and parent involvement and hope to see increased opportunities to build on that solid foundation.
What’s next
The Maize USD 266 District Site Council is scheduled to meet three more times during the 2022-23 school year or as deemed necessary to discuss District Needs Assessments, current data, and other topics and initiatives. District Site Council members also will educate the district community about district celebrations, provide input and feedback on accreditation and design work, and provide feedback on specific district initiatives.
Parents interested in participating in a site council or other school support function are invited to please contact your child’s principal.
Thank you to all involved and for their support and interest in continuing to improve Maize USD 266.
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