Work retreats aim to build trust, improve communications

Thursday, 11 June 2009

by Kara Hildreth Thisweek Newspapers Learning how the Farmington School Board and district administrators can work effectively was the topic of discussion at two recent work retreats. The retreats held April 17 and June 8 aimed to point the district in the right direction as the School Board with three new members prepares for a major transition in fall 2009. A new high school will open in September along with conversion of the old high school to a middle school and a middle school into an elementary school. “Farmington is going through some big stuff moving into new buildings, forming new faculties and teams and a new culture,” said retreat facilitator Troyce Fisher, a consultant for educational leadership. “It is a very demanding leadership challenge.” Fischer led the board in frank conversations that covered trust issues, the direction of the district, and how to function more effectively. Fisher said research shows there is a connection between district leadership alignment and student achievement. When the two are aligned, Fischer said the board can set targets, study research and set timelines toward making progress. “We are making headway, but we have a long way to be a very cohesive group,” said Bob Heman,  Farmington School Board chair, in an interview. Outcomes set The intended outcomes from the retreat were:  • Assess progress made toward communication goals. • Explore best practices in alignment with district goals.  • Develop skills in team building and communication that aim to increase the board’s productivity and improve board and superintendent relations. Fischer said this board needs to focus primarily on the academic achievement of students. “School boards find time for what it values,” Fisher said. “Student achievement should drive all of its policies.” Fisher said the more highly functioning school boards in the country spend at least 80 percent of board meeting time talking about education issues. “We plan to sit down and do board and superintendent goals before September,” Heman said. The board will outline district goals and superintendent goals for 2009-10 and into 2010-11. When comparing the district to other districts, Fischer said Farmington is in good shape and has a lot to celebrate in terms of  having a stable balanced budget, student enrollment growth, the improvement in teaching and learning areas and no foreseen potential staff layoffs. Superintendent Brad Meeks said during the first retreat that it is important to build a strong relationship between the district and the strategic plan. Board Member Tim Burke said he thinks the strategic plan is too vague and not measurable. Meeks reported strategic plan achievements have included implementing a new student information system, curriculum mapping, and diversity awareness training for staff and community members. Board members said other strategic plan accomplishments in the past two years were dealing with district growth, new building plans, increased student achievement, a faculty plan, referendums, and improving relations with various unions. During the first work session Meeks shared what he expects from the board. Meeks said he needs the ability to govern and invest in students, and he wants the board to be better able to distinguish between the board’s role and the administrator’s role regarding “micro-managing.” Meeks also requested board members come prepared to meetings after reading board packets and calling the district office with questions, in addition to asking those questions during the board meeting. Two meetings will be held as a follow-up to the retreats. The district’s teaching and learning department will review how the district tests and evaluates students, develops curriculum, evaluates test results and implements new teaching methods. A second meeting will be conducted by the Minnesota School Board Association on the topic of school district governance. Kara Hildreth is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Comment smaller | bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Add Comment

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