Did you miss me?
I never left!
Dear Friend and Community Member,
I’d like to catch you up on where things have gone since I last wrote to you (from my own, personal perspective, as always!). I took a break from writing to allow the new school board to get settled, although I have continued to have great conversations with you and our neighbors. I wanted to allow the new trustees space to learn their new role and to allow the new board to learn how to work together. Even one new board member can change the entire set of board dynamics, and we have two new members: Brad Dillon – who ousted the incumbent in the last election – and Monica Gokey, who was appointed by last year’s outgoing school board. Coming in new to trusteeship is a daunting process if one takes the role seriously, and I felt like I owed it to our school and families to let them figure out their new role and get settled in to do some work. They are now settled in, and I am glad to be writing you again!
Speaking of roles, we have a new Cascade School District Board of Trustees Handbook! A huge thanks to Brad Dillon for putting this together. The handbook has been officially adopted through board action to provide guidance on how trustees conduct themselves in the role and what the role should be focused on. It will also help foster continuity when future trustees are incoming and ensures they can hit the ground running. This would have been an amazing tool to have had when I was new, and now Cascade School District has one. Click here for the text version, or here for a more visually engaging version (they are sister documents and both support each other). If you’ve ever wondered what it is trustees should be doing, you’ll be interested in seeing these!
If you remember, the board adopted four Core Objectives over a year ago (click here) as part of it’s strategic planning process. The process was stopped by the old board due to a new incoming superintendent. Well, the new superintendent is settled in and strategic planning is back on the agenda. The idea of strategic planning is to set long-term goals (minimum of a four year rolling time horizon, or longer) and monitor progress toward those goals. A strategic plan is both an accountability/transparency tool, and an enshrinement of the community’s wishes. The driver behind strategic planning should always be the community, local families, and students so that the educational institution is aligned with your expectations (and is compliant with State expectations, but that is a side dish!). Hundreds of you provided your feedback to our strategic planning survey which is a stellar response rate for Cascade. The board has everything they need to guarantee the school’s alignment with your expectations. Now it’s time for them to make a plan to do just that. On a side note: Idaho created a new law which requires a long term strategic plan, and requires progress toward those goals. Failure to progress triggers enforcement action against the board. You can read the new law by clicking here. I can tell you that I am a strong believer in this bill, as too many schools fail to align their efforts with the will of their communities (even one is too many!).
Moving on: this year is a levy year. The levy has always funded the school’s music and art program. I am not going to tell you what to think about those programs, but you should know that the school concerts over the last couple of years have been well attended, and for good reason! My daughter also appreciated art class, as it supported her passion for art.
In closing, I have two questions I’d like to ask unofficially, as usual. Ten more seconds is all I ask…
Thank you, and see you at the next board meeting: August 12th at 6:00pm, Room 135.
Until then,
Brad Howlett