District forges ahead on new ‘vision’
FORT SMITH — The School District is again holding community meetings to receive feedback to create a new strategic plan for the district.
As the current capital improvement projects are finished, the district has completed the Vision 2023 plan with $390,000 left in total capital improvement money and is looking to start a new plan.
Vision 2023 was paid for through a 5.558-mill property tax increase voters approved in May 2018 that generated roughly $121 million before expiring. An additional $13 million from gifts and other sources increased the capital improvement money to $134 million.
Vision 2023 projects included additional safety and security, building improvements, increased classroom capacity, expanded technology and a career and technology center.
The f irst community meeting was held Monday at the Peak Innovation Center, another Vision 2023 project. Attendees were asked what the district does well, what they should improve, what they should start doing to ensure student success and what they should stop doing.
Parents Riley and Joni Donoho said they attended the meeting to be involved in their child’s education.
Joni Donoho is the assistant principal at Sunnymede Elementary School, and Riley Donoho is a civil engineer at Ebbing Air National Guard base.
“I was here for the 2023 mission when we first came in for that, so I just wanted to follow up and see what’s going on,” Riley Donoho said. “It’s great.”
On Monday, the district heard from meeting attendees the schools do well preparing students for college and careers, providing meals and communicating with parents, and people want them to continue improving buildings, engage parents, focus on students’ mental health and find ways to keep teachers in the classroom.
Zena Featherston Marshall, the district’s executive director of communication and community partnerships, said the district has had meetings with the staff from half of its 26 campuses so far and they’ve received similar answers.
“Continuity,” she said. “People would like to settle just a little bit. We’ve had a lot of change over the last few years, including the two new curriculums that were introduced last year, in addition to grade reconfiguration. So there’s been a lot of activity.”
Superintendent Terry Morawski said so far there doesn’t seem to be any interest in another millage election, but rather adjusting the district’s budget.
“I think overwhelmingly everyone has been very positive about the district and about their buildings,” said Caroline Neel, director of strategic initiatives and federal programs. “Of course we’re asking what are some ways we can improve, because no matter what we’re
doing we can always improve in things. But I think overwhelmingly people have been very positive.”
Morawski said the last community meeting is Nov. 1, at which time the district will review the information, look for themes, discuss solutions and create a summary of the new vision. He said it will then be taken to the School Board in November or December for feedback and approval, and will likely start being implemented by the end of the school year.
“There’s a window there, depending on how long the discussion goes with the School Board,” Morawski said. “Beyond that, we develop data that ties to those individual goals and monitor as a district and a School Board in the spring.”
The district has two more community meetings planned: Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Tilles Elementary School, 815 N. 16th St., and Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Fort Smith Public Library’s Main Branch, 3201 Rogers Ave.