Cape school board discusses issues that surfaced in strategic plan

Members of the Cape Girardeau School Board weighed in on a variety of topics Monday night as part of a focus group whose results will feed into the district's new strategic plan.

Topics ranged from public perception to safety, technology, teacher salaries and even things board members have found surprising about serving on the elected body.

The discussion took place at the offices of Hendrickson Business Advisors, a local firm hired last spring to facilitate the strategic-planning process that is expected to conclude in December.

One of the most prominent issues that surfaced during Monday's meeting was how well the district gets its messages out to constituents.

"One of the things I think we could do a better job with is communicating with the community," said board president Jeff Glenn.

Board member Phil Moore said another big issue is being able to adjust quickly to needs or issues in a district the size of Cape Girardeau's.

"I would say probably one of our biggest challenges is to weigh those (priorities) and make the moves when we need to make them," he said.

In terms of curriculum, technology and safety in local schools, most board members agreed great strides have been made in recent years, particularly with graduation rates.

Ten years ago, the district's graduation rate was at 72 percent, Glenn said. It now is 91 percent.

In terms of academic achievement, several board members expressed the need to catch struggling students earlier before they fall too far behind.

Board member Lynn Ware praised Central Academy, the district's alternative school, as one of the places where at-risk students can improve.

But she also said communication comes into play with the misperceptions many have about the school's students primarily having behavioral, instead of learning, issues.

"(Community members) are pretty much under that same assumption -- bad kids -- but that's not so," she said.

Another area of frustration for many board members is the public's perception of what they can and can't do and how much power they have.

For example, board members are only tasked with overseeing the superintendent, not hiring or firing throughout the district.

Their other two primary duties are fiscal oversight and setting policy, which the administration implements through its procedures.

The board also must prioritize needs based on available funding.

"We get plenty of ideas of how to make things better, but we're limited on resources," said Adrian Toole, vice president of the board.

Glenn said more competitive teacher salaries always are an issue -- one the board has been working to remedy within funding constraints -- and dealing with state and federal mandates also can bog things down.

Board member Kyle McDonald pointed out it can be frustrating when so few community members or educators show up to public meetings.

"Unless you have an emotional tie to something, most people are status quo," he said.

The focus group followed the board's regular Monday night meeting and was the third in a series so far this month.

Kate Roth, a project manager at Hendrickson, said the previous focus group sessions were held last week for district staff members and parents.

While the local firm is processing comments and observations from those meetings, Roth said one theme has come to the forefront.

"Just some communication between buildings and (with) the district -- that's our takeaway so far," Roth said.

The strategic-planning process began in early July, when district officials announced they would work to determine what projects and priorities should be undertaken in the school system in the next five to 10 years.

The first step in the process was inviting interested community members to apply to be part of five focus groups to meet throughout August and identify important issues.

Each group has eight participants, and the two that haven't met yet are teachers and community representatives.

Next month, an anonymous survey will be developed based on the groups' discussions that will be made available the public online.

In October, survey results will be collected and presented the next month to the district's executive team. Also in November, a 25-member steering committee will hold a retreat.

In December, the plan will be presented to the school board and, if approved, finalized and distributed.

The last time the district had a new strategic plan was in 2010.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

Pertinent address:

715 N. Clark, Cape Girardeau, Mo.