Bainbridge Schools set a course for the future

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Welcome to the "
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There's Something to Talk About" program
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from the Bainbridge Island
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Senior and Community Center
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. I am
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Reed Price.
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Amy Thompson is with us today.
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Amy is
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the superintendent of
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Bainbridge
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Island schools, and we're
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going to talk about the
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bold and ambitious
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conclusion to the
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strategic
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planning process, which is
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n't really the
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conclusion, is
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it, Amy? This is, in fact, the
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beginning of the implementation of
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this plan. I'm
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wondering if we could
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start by having you
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talk a little bit about
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what has impressed you most
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over these
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at least 9 months of
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process in our
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community or in the people
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who have come together to
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make our schools the
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best they can be.
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Of course. You know, when I
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think about our
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strategic plan, what I'm
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most proud
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of, or I guess what I
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feel like we're on the
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right track with, is
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how much
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we've taken the
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students' input into account. So last
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year I created the
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Superintendent's Student Advisory Council.
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I have 21 students in grades 9 through 12
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who
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meet with
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me monthly or
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bi-monthly to
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discuss what is
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happening at the
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high school level.
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That is, at BHS and Eagle Harbor.
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They are also
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involved in
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outreach
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in our
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BISD community, and they
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enthusiastically embraced the
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idea of ​​getting
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feedback from all of
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our students from
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kindergarten through 12th
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grade and what that
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might look like. So
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they designed
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activities for
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elementary grades (K-4)
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to learn what is
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most important for
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students at this level.
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Then they did the same
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for the fifth and sixth,
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seventh and eighth, and ninth through
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twelfth grades.
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After that, they
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systematized the data
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, we analyzed
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it and used it to
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form our
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strategic plan.
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I could go on and on
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about this, but the
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events they
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organized, the videos
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they created,
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their genuine
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involvement—it was
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impressive, and it became
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their favorite
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part of working on the
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Advisory Board
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.
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Perfectly. Yes, that
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sounds interesting, and I'll
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ask you a
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few more questions about
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it. Before we
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continue, I want to
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thank Fieldstone
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Communities on Bainbridge
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Island for
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sponsoring “There’s Something to
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Talk About,” and as a
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non-profit
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organization, the Center
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for Seniors and
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Community appreciates the
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support of our
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community. Fieldstone
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offers independent
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living,
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nursing home and
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care for people with
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memory disorders.
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They are located in
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Rolling Bay. To
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learn more about
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their programs, you
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can
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call
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206-594-1010 or
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visit their
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website
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fieldstonecommunities.com. Also,
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as we are deeply
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grateful to the
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Suquamish people, we want to
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acknowledge that this is, first and
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foremost, their
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ancestral
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homeland, and that
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they have been the guardians of
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these lands and waters since time
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immemorial. When we
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talk about our
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children and youth
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growing up here, we
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can teach them to be
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better stewards of the
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land we
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live on. So, thank you to
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the Suquamish for
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being a good
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example in this
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matter. So, yes,
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you've had a lot of
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different
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community input into this process,
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starting, it
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seems, right at home
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with the people you
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work with every day, with
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students at all
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levels, and you have an
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impressive
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strategic
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planning steering committee that
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also includes people of
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all ages.
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Yes.
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Can you
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tell us a little bit
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about the process
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you went through to
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form the nine
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goals for the
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school district?
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Of course, I also want to
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mention that I am in
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touch with my
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colleague Bridget
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Lockett. Bridget is our
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communications coordinator, and she
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did a great
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job on the
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strategic plan.
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So I will sometimes
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turn to her,
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pass the word on to her
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so she can
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respond or
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add. You know,
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thinking about...
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Thank you, Bridget, for being
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here.
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Yes. Thank you for
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inviting me. Thinking
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about the strategic
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plan, actually, we used
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to have what was called a
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county improvement plan; It was a very
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valuable plan, it was
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really based
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on doing the right thing
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for our students and
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ensuring
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equity,
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focusing on ensuring that
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we provide
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learning and educational
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opportunities for all of
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our students. One
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thing he was
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lacking or
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needed
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improvement on was
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the way he measured
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success and had
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clearly defined
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goals. So we started by
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creating a
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committee that became the
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governing body for the
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strategic plan,
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and then we just started
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by analyzing our
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district improvement plan, which ran from 2020
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to 2025. This was
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our starting point.
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We reviewed this
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document, determined
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what
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was still very
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important to us, what areas
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needed development
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—measuring
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success was
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one of them—
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and where we wanted to
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go in the
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future. So,
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starting with this was
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important to acknowledge the
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work that has been done and
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then see where
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else we can move
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. We're like...I imagine it
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as roads, parallel
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paths going at
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the same time, with
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cars in
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each lane. Because we
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had a
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strategic
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plan steering committee that
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was overseeing,
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but at the same time we were
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holding many
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different meetings with
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stakeholders to then
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inform the
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steering committee.
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So one of the things
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we did, besides
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just
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revising the
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neighborhood improvement plan and
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renaming it a
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strategic plan,
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because that's what it's
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called almost
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everywhere, was we wanted to
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call things by their proper
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names so people
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knew exactly what they
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were looking for. But one of the
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things we did
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early on
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was survey
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our stakeholders.
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We surveyed staff, the
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community, and our
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students and received
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many responses; this
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became a very
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important starting
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point for us to take this
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into account. And we had,
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and I can let
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Bridget talk
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more about it, but we
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just, I mean
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, carried notebooks around with us
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,
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trying to
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put different ideas
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on shelves, and we were
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constantly thinking about it
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. And when we
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got these
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internal
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survey results, we also
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started thinking about what
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else we need to
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look at from
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our current data
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and how are we going to
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address that?
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Bridget, if you want,
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you can talk
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more about how we
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conducted the SWOT analysis, how
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we looked at our
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different data sets:
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academic data and
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perception data.
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Yes. So, with the steering
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committee, as
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Amy said, there was a lot to
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consider. And we
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wanted this group of
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staff members...Even
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some of our
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staff don't
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have access to all of the
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K-12 data, so we
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looked at everything from
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state assessment results,
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Smarter Balance, to
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attendance, to
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the number of students
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participating in
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different clubs in
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high school, or
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sports, to our
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transfer choice data. We provided
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all of this to the
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steering committee members, and
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they were able to
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complete the document. And
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when they
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were done, they
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just found the
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strengths,
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weaknesses,
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opportunities, and
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threats for each
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set of this data, and it
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was all put together into
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one very big
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table. So, we
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had a lot of thoughts and
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stories from wonderful
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people about what they
00:07:35.204 --> 00:07:36.048
saw and how they
00:07:36.082 --> 00:07:37.331
interpreted it, and we
00:07:37.365 --> 00:07:38.581
put it all together; and, as
00:07:38.615 --> 00:07:39.662
you can imagine, there
00:07:39.696 --> 00:07:40.979
was a
00:07:41.013 --> 00:07:42.263
lot of information, but from this...
00:07:43.402 --> 00:07:44.285
Yes, and also the
00:07:44.318 --> 00:07:45.528
most diverse,
00:07:45.561 --> 00:07:47.355
right? Some of
00:07:47.389 --> 00:07:48.476
this was quite
00:07:48.510 --> 00:07:49.801
measurable, and some of it was
00:07:49.801 --> 00:07:50.617
purely qualitative.
00:07:52.220 --> 00:07:57.502
That's right. Yes. But it
00:07:57.533 --> 00:07:58.746
was good because we
00:07:58.777 --> 00:07:59.554
were able to start
00:07:59.585 --> 00:08:00.610
finding common
00:08:00.641 --> 00:08:01.480
themes in each of the
00:08:01.512 --> 00:08:02.724
different categories
00:08:02.755 --> 00:08:03.718
we saw in our
00:08:03.749 --> 00:08:08.754
communities. And that's when
00:08:08.786 --> 00:08:09.917
we began to understand
00:08:09.950 --> 00:08:10.758
that building a
00:08:10.790 --> 00:08:11.953
sense of community
00:08:11.953 --> 00:08:12.891
is very important.
00:08:13.975 --> 00:08:14.606
Academic
00:08:14.637 --> 00:08:15.679
achievement is always
00:08:15.711 --> 00:08:16.752
important, but it is also
00:08:16.784 --> 00:08:17.952
important to provide
00:08:17.984 --> 00:08:18.836
students with the right
00:08:18.868 --> 00:08:20.036
support to
00:08:20.067 --> 00:08:20.919
feel
00:08:20.951 --> 00:08:22.119
confident and teachers
00:08:22.119 --> 00:08:23.003
with the resources to be
00:08:23.035 --> 00:08:24.045
successful in the
00:08:24.076 --> 00:08:26.749
classroom. Then we
00:08:26.781 --> 00:08:27.890
talked about how to
00:08:27.923 --> 00:08:29.195
get these students out into the
00:08:29.228 --> 00:08:30.271
world, which was really
00:08:30.304 --> 00:08:31.119
important, and what
00:08:31.152 --> 00:08:32.033
tools and
00:08:32.065 --> 00:08:33.337
skills they needed—
00:08:33.337 --> 00:08:34.609
we saw that consistently
00:08:34.642 --> 00:08:37.781
in our data. And
00:08:37.816 --> 00:08:38.681
of course, from the
00:08:38.715 --> 00:08:39.995
school district's side, how do
00:08:40.030 --> 00:08:41.241
we be transparent?
00:08:42.953 --> 00:08:43.590
How can we be
00:08:43.622 --> 00:08:44.578
responsible
00:08:44.610 --> 00:08:45.502
stewards of
00:08:45.534 --> 00:08:46.522
taxpayers' money
00:08:46.554 --> 00:08:47.542
and how can we
00:08:47.574 --> 00:08:48.785
assure families
00:08:48.817 --> 00:08:49.709
that their children are at the
00:08:49.741 --> 00:08:50.601
center of every
00:08:50.633 --> 00:08:53.270
decision we make? So
00:08:53.304 --> 00:08:54.546
it was great—to have
00:08:54.580 --> 00:08:55.789
so much information,
00:08:55.823 --> 00:08:56.965
but it was also
00:08:56.998 --> 00:08:57.570
not easy.
00:09:00.066 --> 00:09:01.266
Yes, I was impressed
00:09:01.300 --> 00:09:02.123
looking at the
00:09:02.157 --> 00:09:03.460
beautiful document
00:09:03.495 --> 00:09:04.764
that you shared, and I'll
00:09:04.798 --> 00:09:06.135
point the camera at you
00:09:06.135 --> 00:09:07.233
, Amy, so you can
00:09:07.267 --> 00:09:08.090
show this "
00:09:08.090 --> 00:09:08.810
belonging,
00:09:08.844 --> 00:09:09.633
engagement,
00:09:09.667 --> 00:09:11.005
development," and also something that's
00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:12.273
not on the list,
00:09:12.308 --> 00:09:13.542
but I think is just
00:09:13.577 --> 00:09:14.880
as important,
00:09:14.914 --> 00:09:16.217
which we just talked about, is
00:09:16.251 --> 00:09:19.441
"governance." This
00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:20.988
means making sure
00:09:20.988 --> 00:09:22.072
that we both
00:09:24.278 --> 00:09:25.531
capture your successes
00:09:25.564 --> 00:09:26.751
and share
00:09:26.784 --> 00:09:27.971
them transparently with the community so that
00:09:28.004 --> 00:09:29.060
we can build
00:09:29.093 --> 00:09:35.840
trust. I feel like it's
00:09:39.182 --> 00:09:40.156
harder, especially for those of us who no longer have children in the school system, to keep up with the
00:09:40.188 --> 00:09:41.324
level of engagement
00:09:41.357 --> 00:09:42.460
and how
00:09:43.304 --> 00:09:44.537
public
00:09:44.570 --> 00:09:45.640
school learning is going today compared to the
00:09:45.673 --> 00:09:46.841
years when we
00:09:46.874 --> 00:09:48.074
went to school ourselves
00:09:48.107 --> 00:09:49.340
or helped our
00:09:49.373 --> 00:09:56.266
children. And you came up with
00:09:56.302 --> 00:09:57.337
these apt words:
00:09:57.372 --> 00:09:58.728
belong, engage,
00:09:58.764 --> 00:10:01.694
and thrive. And I would
00:10:01.729 --> 00:10:02.900
really like you to
00:10:03.727 --> 00:10:05.070
talk a little bit about that, because these are goals
00:10:05.104 --> 00:10:06.310
that are subordinate to
00:10:06.345 --> 00:10:07.688
them, but it seems to me
00:10:07.722 --> 00:10:08.997
that they
00:10:09.031 --> 00:10:10.341
reflect the schedule to some extent.
00:10:11.844 --> 00:10:13.222
Eh, priority. You can't
00:10:13.251 --> 00:10:14.288
thrive
00:10:14.317 --> 00:10:15.037
if you're not already part
00:10:15.066 --> 00:10:15.671
of the
00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:16.507
community and
00:10:16.536 --> 00:10:17.026
involved.
00:10:17.126 --> 00:10:18.418
Yes. Yes, thank you for
00:10:18.452 --> 00:10:19.667
noticing that, because
00:10:19.701 --> 00:10:20.713
it was done
00:10:20.747 --> 00:10:21.865
on purpose. So, as
00:10:21.897 --> 00:10:23.073
Bridget mentioned,
00:10:23.105 --> 00:10:24.186
we had a huge
00:10:24.217 --> 00:10:25.457
amount of information
00:10:25.457 --> 00:10:26.442
that we collected from
00:10:26.474 --> 00:10:27.555
our internal and
00:10:27.586 --> 00:10:28.635
external
00:10:28.667 --> 00:10:29.747
datasets. We also,
00:10:29.777 --> 00:10:30.438
of course, had the
00:10:30.468 --> 00:10:31.639
results of surveys of
00:10:31.669 --> 00:10:32.841
our staff
00:10:32.841 --> 00:10:34.735
, students, and families. And
00:10:34.768 --> 00:10:35.687
then we started
00:10:35.720 --> 00:10:37.000
looking at external
00:10:37.033 --> 00:10:39.506
pressures. Well, what should we
00:10:39.541 --> 00:10:40.610
do according to the
00:10:40.646 --> 00:10:41.631
law? You know,
00:10:41.657 --> 00:10:42.708
there are different laws
00:10:42.734 --> 00:10:43.758
that are in place for
00:10:43.785 --> 00:10:44.592
school systems,
00:10:44.619 --> 00:10:45.562
public school
00:10:45.588 --> 00:10:46.286
systems. So,
00:10:46.322 --> 00:10:46.994
for example,
00:10:47.030 --> 00:10:48.198
the need to have a
00:10:48.233 --> 00:10:49.472
plan through 2028 to
00:10:49.507 --> 00:10:50.675
ensure that we
00:10:50.711 --> 00:10:51.631
meet
00:10:51.667 --> 00:10:52.693
the needs of every
00:10:52.728 --> 00:10:53.649
individual student
00:10:53.684 --> 00:10:55.029
as we actually
00:10:55.065 --> 00:10:56.197
change at the
00:10:56.233 --> 00:10:57.047
state level the way
00:10:57.082 --> 00:10:58.321
students qualify
00:10:58.356 --> 00:10:59.383
for special
00:10:59.418 --> 00:11:00.600
education. It's like an entire
00:11:00.631 --> 00:11:01.780
podcast could be
00:11:01.811 --> 00:11:02.712
dedicated to just
00:11:02.743 --> 00:11:04.047
this. Eh, but that was
00:11:04.082 --> 00:11:05.073
something we really
00:11:05.109 --> 00:11:05.852
considered,
00:11:05.887 --> 00:11:06.666
trying
00:11:06.701 --> 00:11:07.869
to think about what other
00:11:07.904 --> 00:11:09.002
pressures we would feel.
00:11:10.174 --> 00:11:10.836
Of course,
00:11:10.871 --> 00:11:11.953
the technology has to
00:11:11.987 --> 00:11:13.874
be there. What we
00:11:13.906 --> 00:11:15.139
want to teach our
00:11:15.171 --> 00:11:16.046
students is that they
00:11:16.079 --> 00:11:17.214
use them
00:11:17.246 --> 00:11:18.348
responsibly, but
00:11:18.381 --> 00:11:19.613
also have
00:11:19.645 --> 00:11:20.748
safety mechanisms, and that they
00:11:20.780 --> 00:11:21.980
understand what it means
00:11:22.012 --> 00:11:23.212
to be a responsible
00:11:23.244 --> 00:11:24.217
user of AI, for
00:11:24.249 --> 00:11:25.217
example. Well, what does it
00:11:25.245 --> 00:11:26.238
mean to be really
00:11:26.266 --> 00:11:27.314
connected to where
00:11:27.342 --> 00:11:28.252
you live and have
00:11:28.280 --> 00:11:29.108
more
00:11:29.853 --> 00:11:30.625
place-based learning or
00:11:30.653 --> 00:11:31.480
more
00:11:32.225 --> 00:11:33.244
project-based learning? And as you
00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:34.248
mentioned, we have the
00:11:34.282 --> 00:11:35.716
Suquamish tribe. We
00:11:35.753 --> 00:11:36.781
have a ferry, you know,
00:11:36.817 --> 00:11:38.269
right next door. We have IslandWood in our
00:11:38.302 --> 00:11:39.310
backyard
00:11:39.343 --> 00:11:40.507
. We have a lot of
00:11:40.538 --> 00:11:41.706
opportunities, you know,
00:11:41.738 --> 00:11:42.937
we're literally surrounded by
00:11:42.969 --> 00:11:44.167
Puget Sound. Well,
00:11:44.197 --> 00:11:45.372
the opportunity to have this kind of
00:11:46.515 --> 00:11:47.473
place-based education that is
00:11:47.504 --> 00:11:48.276
relevant and
00:11:48.307 --> 00:11:49.358
meaningful to our
00:11:49.389 --> 00:11:50.439
students was evident
00:11:50.470 --> 00:11:51.703
everywhere. And so we
00:11:51.736 --> 00:11:52.825
took all these different
00:11:52.858 --> 00:11:53.816
pieces and then
00:11:53.849 --> 00:11:54.872
started to see
00:11:54.905 --> 00:11:56.160
these themes emerge, as
00:11:56.193 --> 00:11:57.720
Bridget said.
00:11:57.749 --> 00:11:58.763
We had so many
00:11:58.792 --> 00:11:59.892
different iterations, and we
00:11:59.921 --> 00:12:00.848
discussed them with
00:12:00.877 --> 00:12:01.977
all of our different
00:12:02.006 --> 00:12:02.933
groups: the steering
00:12:02.962 --> 00:12:03.831
committee, our
00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:04.786
administrative
00:12:04.815 --> 00:12:05.452
group, my
00:12:05.481 --> 00:12:06.176
student
00:12:06.205 --> 00:12:07.074
advisory
00:12:07.103 --> 00:12:08.387
board. And we looked at
00:12:08.421 --> 00:12:09.737
how we could connect them,
00:12:09.771 --> 00:12:11.087
how what we saw as
00:12:11.121 --> 00:12:12.298
emerging themes
00:12:12.333 --> 00:12:13.648
could be placed under
00:12:13.683 --> 00:12:15.033
one big idea.
00:12:15.133 --> 00:12:15.726
So the idea of
00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:16.650
belonging,
00:12:16.683 --> 00:12:17.838
of meaning, you know,
00:12:17.871 --> 00:12:19.157
understanding the power of words and
00:12:19.190 --> 00:12:19.949
how they are
00:12:19.982 --> 00:12:21.071
used to
00:12:21.104 --> 00:12:22.027
either facilitate
00:12:22.060 --> 00:12:22.588
a sense
00:12:22.621 --> 00:12:23.743
of belonging or
00:12:23.776 --> 00:12:24.964
hinder it --
00:12:24.964 --> 00:12:26.151
that was very clear and evident
00:12:26.184 --> 00:12:27.405
in everything we
00:12:27.438 --> 00:12:28.957
studied. So
00:12:28.991 --> 00:12:29.843
this idea of ​​"
00:12:29.843 --> 00:12:30.559
belonging,
00:12:30.593 --> 00:12:31.888
engagement, development"
00:12:31.922 --> 00:12:32.706
was what
00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:33.967
emerged from the core
00:12:34.001 --> 00:12:35.160
themes, but even the
00:12:35.194 --> 00:12:36.216
words "
00:12:36.216 --> 00:12:36.932
belonging,
00:12:36.966 --> 00:12:38.261
engagement, development" themselves,
00:12:38.295 --> 00:12:39.386
we spent a lot of
00:12:39.420 --> 00:12:41.227
time on. Are these really the
00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:42.225
right words?
00:12:43.932 --> 00:12:45.053
Yes, I understand, it's
00:12:45.089 --> 00:12:46.356
almost, well, in a
00:12:46.392 --> 00:12:47.767
way, trying to find,
00:12:47.803 --> 00:12:49.178
I don't want to call it a
00:12:49.214 --> 00:12:50.552
brand, but a
00:12:50.589 --> 00:12:50.987
keyword.
00:12:52.057 --> 00:12:53.623
That's true, really. And it's
00:12:53.660 --> 00:12:55.032
almost like a reboot.
00:12:55.532 --> 00:12:56.599
You know, this came
00:12:56.632 --> 00:12:57.862
right after
00:12:57.894 --> 00:12:58.962
we had conversations
00:12:58.994 --> 00:13:00.224
about possible
00:13:00.256 --> 00:13:01.357
school closures and consolidations,
00:13:01.389 --> 00:13:01.972
financial
00:13:02.004 --> 00:13:03.234
instability, where
00:13:03.266 --> 00:13:04.302
we needed to
00:13:04.334 --> 00:13:05.531
really get back
00:13:05.564 --> 00:13:06.697
on track,
00:13:06.729 --> 00:13:07.959
understand that, and then
00:13:07.991 --> 00:13:09.091
be able to say to
00:13:09.124 --> 00:13:10.386
the community, "This is who we are
00:13:10.386 --> 00:13:11.583
, this is what we believe in and
00:13:11.616 --> 00:13:12.845
what we stand for, this is how
00:13:12.878 --> 00:13:14.107
we can make this
00:13:14.140 --> 00:13:15.402
promise to you" as a community, the
00:13:15.434 --> 00:13:16.438
broader
00:13:16.470 --> 00:13:17.667
Bainbridge Island community, and
00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:18.768
just think
00:13:18.800 --> 00:13:20.062
about what that means
00:13:20.095 --> 00:13:21.130
and what that looks like in
00:13:21.162 --> 00:13:22.069
each of our
00:13:22.101 --> 00:13:22.975
classrooms every day, on the
00:13:23.007 --> 00:13:24.172
school bus,
00:13:24.205 --> 00:13:25.402
how it's an extension of
00:13:25.434 --> 00:13:26.599
school, just as for the
00:13:26.632 --> 00:13:27.408
people in this
00:13:27.441 --> 00:13:28.573
space and in this
00:13:28.606 --> 00:13:30.956
district. So those words
00:13:30.989 --> 00:13:32.054
became really important to us
00:13:32.086 --> 00:13:33.215
, and I know
00:13:33.248 --> 00:13:34.248
you mentioned
00:13:34.280 --> 00:13:35.442
branding, and that's something
00:13:35.474 --> 00:13:36.701
Bridget and I have been
00:13:36.733 --> 00:13:38.946
thinking about a little bit. We were able to
00:13:38.978 --> 00:13:39.839
get some
00:13:39.871 --> 00:13:41.084
donations through various
00:13:41.115 --> 00:13:42.296
grants and agencies
00:13:42.328 --> 00:13:43.190
to put on a
00:13:43.221 --> 00:13:45.052
real launch. So
00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:45.912
we kicked off our
00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:46.440
August
00:13:46.468 --> 00:13:47.550
professional development
00:13:47.578 --> 00:13:48.632
for all staff
00:13:48.660 --> 00:13:49.188
with a giveaway of
00:13:49.215 --> 00:13:50.298
souvenir products
00:13:50.298 --> 00:13:51.203
. You know, to have "
00:13:51.203 --> 00:13:51.713
belonging,
00:13:51.738 --> 00:13:52.685
engagement, development,"
00:13:52.710 --> 00:13:53.560
because we didn't want
00:13:53.585 --> 00:13:54.459
it to just gather
00:13:54.484 --> 00:13:55.523
dust on a shelf. And so that
00:13:55.549 --> 00:13:56.514
people don't just know
00:13:56.540 --> 00:13:57.348
about it, but live it
00:13:57.374 --> 00:13:58.239
every day. For example,
00:13:58.261 --> 00:13:58.935
we have
00:13:58.957 --> 00:13:59.762
badge ribbons that say "
00:13:59.762 --> 00:14:00.219
belonging,
00:14:00.241 --> 00:14:01.090
engagement, development."
00:14:01.190 --> 00:14:02.432
Yes, three years Bridget.
00:14:02.532 --> 00:14:04.003
We have bags. I don't know,
00:14:04.031 --> 00:14:05.061
Bridget probably has it
00:14:05.088 --> 00:14:06.246
right on the door. We
00:14:06.274 --> 00:14:07.221
have bags that say "
00:14:07.221 --> 00:14:07.806
belonging,
00:14:07.834 --> 00:14:08.921
engagement, development."
00:14:09.021 --> 00:14:09.964
We had a mom in
00:14:09.996 --> 00:14:10.688
Bridget who
00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:11.884
came up with a design where
00:14:11.915 --> 00:14:12.859
these fish are swimming
00:14:12.891 --> 00:14:13.740
together, they all
00:14:13.772 --> 00:14:14.810
belong to a school,
00:14:14.841 --> 00:14:16.037
even though they look
00:14:16.037 --> 00:14:17.201
different in shape and
00:14:17.233 --> 00:14:19.764
size. We have
00:14:19.798 --> 00:14:20.994
stickers and pens, we
00:14:21.027 --> 00:14:22.324
distributed stickers, and
00:14:22.357 --> 00:14:23.553
we managed to hand
00:14:23.587 --> 00:14:24.750
them out to students and every one of
00:14:24.783 --> 00:14:26.079
our employees
00:14:26.079 --> 00:14:28.361
. So, as we
00:14:28.392 --> 00:14:29.303
began this
00:14:29.334 --> 00:14:30.371
school year together, we
00:14:30.402 --> 00:14:31.533
consciously and massively
00:14:31.564 --> 00:14:32.664
launched this plan so that
00:14:32.695 --> 00:14:33.857
it would constantly live
00:14:33.889 --> 00:14:35.128
and evolve. So that
00:14:35.160 --> 00:14:36.185
if you ask
00:14:36.217 --> 00:14:37.338
anyone what
00:14:37.370 --> 00:14:38.523
BISD is, they can
00:14:38.555 --> 00:14:39.804
answer: belong,
00:14:39.836 --> 00:14:40.509
engage,
00:14:40.541 --> 00:14:41.214
thrive.
00:14:41.439 --> 00:14:42.646
And beneath these words are
00:14:42.680 --> 00:14:43.954
specific goals that are
00:14:43.988 --> 00:14:44.961
associated with them.
00:14:46.826 --> 00:14:47.760
For example, regarding
00:14:47.793 --> 00:14:48.494
belonging:
00:14:48.527 --> 00:14:49.695
improve students’ well-being by
00:14:49.728 --> 00:14:50.729
creating
00:14:50.763 --> 00:14:51.930
an environment where they
00:14:51.964 --> 00:14:52.698
feel
00:14:52.731 --> 00:14:53.432
involved,
00:14:53.465 --> 00:14:54.299
noticed, and
00:14:54.333 --> 00:14:55.134
connected.
00:14:55.632 --> 00:14:55.927
Yes.
00:14:56.268 --> 00:14:57.624
And also to teach students
00:14:57.624 --> 00:14:58.980
that their words and actions,
00:14:59.015 --> 00:15:00.267
as you just said,
00:15:00.302 --> 00:15:01.659
influence others and
00:15:01.693 --> 00:15:03.015
contribute to compassion and
00:15:03.050 --> 00:15:04.372
shared understanding.
00:15:04.702 --> 00:15:05.838
And while these are definitely
00:15:05.870 --> 00:15:07.072
soft skills, they are the
00:15:07.104 --> 00:15:08.078
foundation without
00:15:08.111 --> 00:15:09.052
which it is impossible
00:15:09.085 --> 00:15:10.351
to build effective
00:15:10.383 --> 00:15:11.585
classroom work, right
00:15:11.617 --> 00:15:11.845
?
00:15:11.945 --> 00:15:15.069
Yes, definitely. So,
00:15:15.103 --> 00:15:16.352
each of the three areas
00:15:16.386 --> 00:15:17.567
has nine goals that are
00:15:17.601 --> 00:15:18.917
kind of embedded in
00:15:18.951 --> 00:15:21.042
them. Another point
00:15:21.074 --> 00:15:22.301
that we highlighted and didn't
00:15:22.333 --> 00:15:23.398
quite know where to
00:15:23.430 --> 00:15:24.269
put it
00:15:24.302 --> 00:15:25.399
required us to do
00:15:25.431 --> 00:15:26.766
many iterations. We
00:15:26.801 --> 00:15:28.143
have what we call a "
00:15:28.143 --> 00:15:29.485
graduate portrait
00:15:29.485 --> 00:15:30.929
." So, essentially, from the
00:15:30.962 --> 00:15:31.761
first day of
00:15:31.794 --> 00:15:32.859
kindergarten to the
00:15:32.893 --> 00:15:33.792
last day of
00:15:33.825 --> 00:15:35.123
graduation: what do we want
00:15:35.157 --> 00:15:36.122
them to know and
00:15:36.155 --> 00:15:37.287
be able to do, and who have
00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:38.119
they become as
00:15:38.153 --> 00:15:39.418
individuals, through
00:15:39.451 --> 00:15:40.616
our influence, when they
00:15:40.650 --> 00:15:41.782
leave the system?
00:15:42.229 --> 00:15:43.290
First, in our
00:15:43.322 --> 00:15:44.383
initial
00:15:44.415 --> 00:15:45.669
District Improvement Plan
00:15:45.669 --> 00:15:46.601
, as in many
00:15:46.634 --> 00:15:47.855
strategic plans,
00:15:47.888 --> 00:15:49.077
you find a section that
00:15:49.109 --> 00:15:50.010
outlines our
00:15:50.042 --> 00:15:50.878
values, our
00:15:50.910 --> 00:15:52.415
beliefs. And we
00:15:52.446 --> 00:15:53.637
really got stuck on
00:15:53.668 --> 00:15:54.420
that because I didn't
00:15:54.451 --> 00:15:55.422
feel like I could
00:15:55.453 --> 00:15:56.550
go and say,
00:15:56.581 --> 00:15:57.709
"These are our shared
00:15:57.740 --> 00:15:59.005
beliefs." It
00:15:59.037 --> 00:15:59.953
seemed a little
00:15:59.985 --> 00:16:01.059
strange to me to speak for
00:16:01.090 --> 00:16:02.322
other people about what they
00:16:02.354 --> 00:16:04.887
believed. So we knew
00:16:04.922 --> 00:16:06.269
we needed a point
00:16:06.303 --> 00:16:07.581
of reference, our “north
00:16:07.616 --> 00:16:08.928
star,” but we didn’t want to
00:16:08.963 --> 00:16:10.172
base it solely on the
00:16:10.206 --> 00:16:11.105
actions of adults.
00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:17.146
For example, what we as
00:16:17.179 --> 00:16:18.352
adults consider
00:16:18.384 --> 00:16:19.655
necessary, so we ultimately
00:16:19.655 --> 00:16:20.893
settled on a “
00:16:20.893 --> 00:16:22.164
graduate portrait
00:16:22.164 --> 00:16:23.337
,” which encompassed everything
00:16:23.369 --> 00:16:24.314
we as a system
00:16:24.347 --> 00:16:24.868
consider
00:16:24.901 --> 00:16:25.976
most important for the
00:16:26.009 --> 00:16:26.660
implementation of the
00:16:26.693 --> 00:16:27.898
strategic plan
00:16:27.931 --> 00:16:29.169
and the successful graduation of
00:16:29.202 --> 00:16:33.464
our students. We
00:16:33.492 --> 00:16:34.314
want them to get
00:16:34.342 --> 00:16:35.390
started and
00:16:35.418 --> 00:16:36.183
achieve something
00:16:36.212 --> 00:16:37.288
truly positive,
00:16:37.316 --> 00:16:38.195
productive, and
00:16:38.223 --> 00:16:39.186
meaningful in their
00:16:39.214 --> 00:16:40.149
lives, whatever that may
00:16:40.178 --> 00:16:41.554
be. So, having
00:16:41.654 --> 00:16:43.182
Yes. And just as different,
00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:44.226
different fish are, so will there be
00:16:44.263 --> 00:16:45.567
different, different
00:16:45.605 --> 00:16:46.015
paths.
00:16:47.196 --> 00:16:48.318
Yes, and we want
00:16:48.349 --> 00:16:49.159
it to be really
00:16:49.190 --> 00:16:50.063
purposefully
00:16:50.094 --> 00:16:51.283
inclusive. I think
00:16:51.314 --> 00:16:52.090
Bainbridge has a
00:16:52.121 --> 00:16:53.238
reputation for being a
00:16:53.269 --> 00:16:54.045
very high-
00:16:54.076 --> 00:16:55.039
achieving institution, which is
00:16:55.070 --> 00:16:55.970
true, but we
00:16:56.001 --> 00:16:56.839
also need to
00:16:56.870 --> 00:16:57.770
dispel the myth that the
00:16:57.801 --> 00:16:58.670
only way is a
00:16:58.701 --> 00:16:59.881
four-year college.
00:17:00.077 --> 00:17:01.470
Uh, and really, you know,
00:17:01.506 --> 00:17:02.828
trying to engage
00:17:02.864 --> 00:17:04.187
and embrace the idea that there
00:17:04.222 --> 00:17:05.438
are many
00:17:05.473 --> 00:17:07.462
different paths. And when
00:17:07.496 --> 00:17:08.512
you graduate, it's
00:17:08.546 --> 00:17:09.495
important to have these
00:17:09.529 --> 00:17:10.816
basic skills, and it
00:17:10.850 --> 00:17:11.765
doesn't determine whether
00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:12.680
you should go down
00:17:12.713 --> 00:17:13.899
any particular
00:17:13.933 --> 00:17:15.119
path after school
00:17:15.153 --> 00:17:16.305
or not, you know, it's like being
00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:17.185
ready for
00:17:17.219 --> 00:17:18.236
college, for a career, for
00:17:18.270 --> 00:17:19.455
life, whatever that might be
00:17:19.489 --> 00:17:20.885
for you. So
00:17:20.915 --> 00:17:21.442
the desire
00:17:21.471 --> 00:17:22.497
to make sure that this was a
00:17:22.526 --> 00:17:23.434
very inclusive
00:17:23.464 --> 00:17:24.548
document was also
00:17:24.577 --> 00:17:25.654
important to us. And
00:17:25.689 --> 00:17:26.689
so it doesn't just
00:17:26.723 --> 00:17:27.792
cater to one
00:17:27.827 --> 00:17:28.620
idea of ​​high
00:17:28.654 --> 00:17:29.861
achievement, uh,
00:17:29.896 --> 00:17:31.240
because that might be something that
00:17:31.275 --> 00:17:32.447
I think is
00:17:32.482 --> 00:17:33.654
misunderstood or, uh, a
00:17:33.689 --> 00:17:34.723
common belief in
00:17:34.758 --> 00:17:36.102
our community and beyond
00:17:36.137 --> 00:17:36.758
.
00:17:36.858 --> 00:17:38.131
Yes, our culture,
00:17:38.168 --> 00:17:40.568
definitely. And one of the
00:17:40.603 --> 00:17:41.535
ways that, you
00:17:41.569 --> 00:17:42.605
know, schools are ranked
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:43.986
is by the number of,
00:17:44.021 --> 00:17:45.057
uh, well, their
00:17:45.091 --> 00:17:46.369
test scores
00:17:46.403 --> 00:17:47.716
and the number of people
00:17:47.750 --> 00:17:48.924
who get into
00:17:48.959 --> 00:17:50.029
colleges, if you
00:17:50.064 --> 00:17:51.376
rank different schools across the
00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:55.451
country. And, I
00:17:55.487 --> 00:17:56.804
think, based on
00:17:57.836 --> 00:17:59.081
parents' own experience, it is very valuable
00:17:59.117 --> 00:18:00.434
to say: yes, this is one
00:18:00.469 --> 00:18:01.822
indicator, but it is
00:18:01.858 --> 00:18:02.961
by no means the only
00:18:02.996 --> 00:18:03.602
indicator.
00:18:04.641 --> 00:18:06.336
That's right. Yes, this is very
00:18:06.375 --> 00:18:06.954
important.
00:18:08.226 --> 00:18:09.324
So, this last
00:18:09.357 --> 00:18:10.256
section, after "
00:18:10.256 --> 00:18:11.088
prosperity,"
00:18:11.121 --> 00:18:11.954
is called "
00:18:11.954 --> 00:18:14.940
management." I don't know,
00:18:14.974 --> 00:18:16.207
Bridget, if you want to
00:18:16.241 --> 00:18:17.543
talk a little bit about the
00:18:17.577 --> 00:18:18.536
idea of ​​what we
00:18:18.571 --> 00:18:19.667
want to capture and
00:18:19.701 --> 00:18:20.729
share when
00:18:20.763 --> 00:18:21.516
we look at
00:18:21.551 --> 00:18:22.202
metrics.
00:18:23.692 --> 00:18:24.795
Well, as Amy said,
00:18:24.831 --> 00:18:26.041
there were a lot of different
00:18:26.076 --> 00:18:27.002
committees that
00:18:27.038 --> 00:18:29.536
discussed it. And "
00:18:29.536 --> 00:18:30.844
management" was a very
00:18:30.878 --> 00:18:32.014
important part of
00:18:32.048 --> 00:18:35.686
our conversations. And it was
00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:36.931
interesting because goals
00:18:36.965 --> 00:18:37.873
eight and nine
00:18:37.906 --> 00:18:39.218
are really the foundation for the
00:18:39.252 --> 00:18:39.958
other three
00:18:39.992 --> 00:18:42.498
areas of the plan. And
00:18:42.530 --> 00:18:43.335
so when I, I'm a
00:18:43.367 --> 00:18:44.623
graphic designer, and
00:18:44.656 --> 00:18:45.783
when I imagined this, "
00:18:45.783 --> 00:18:46.910
governance" really
00:18:46.942 --> 00:18:47.941
lies at the heart of "
00:18:47.941 --> 00:18:48.778
belonging," "
00:18:48.778 --> 00:18:49.808
engagement," and "
00:18:49.808 --> 00:18:51.064
thriving," because
00:18:51.097 --> 00:18:51.998
we have to be
00:18:52.031 --> 00:18:53.126
transparent in our
00:18:53.158 --> 00:18:54.119
communication. We
00:18:54.150 --> 00:18:54.845
must be
00:18:54.875 --> 00:18:55.419
financially
00:18:55.449 --> 00:18:57.210
responsible. We
00:18:57.242 --> 00:18:58.489
must do all of this
00:18:58.489 --> 00:18:59.480
to be able to
00:18:59.512 --> 00:19:00.727
support students and
00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:01.622
run the
00:19:01.654 --> 00:19:04.580
school district well. And
00:19:04.615 --> 00:19:05.808
that's why this "
00:19:05.808 --> 00:19:06.897
management" part is so
00:19:06.932 --> 00:19:08.387
critical. And this, you could
00:19:08.419 --> 00:19:09.553
say, is the foundation
00:19:09.585 --> 00:19:10.816
on which
00:19:10.848 --> 00:19:11.399
this entire
00:19:11.431 --> 00:19:12.533
strategic plan is built.
00:19:12.633 --> 00:19:13.997
And these goals, these goals, I
00:19:14.036 --> 00:19:15.244
mean goals
00:19:15.283 --> 00:19:16.786
eight and nine. So,
00:19:16.820 --> 00:19:18.170
we talked about how there
00:19:18.204 --> 00:19:19.138
are three or four
00:19:19.173 --> 00:19:20.314
main concepts, and
00:19:20.349 --> 00:19:21.664
under them are the corresponding
00:19:21.698 --> 00:19:22.757
goals. They have a different
00:19:22.790 --> 00:19:23.859
number of goals, and
00:19:23.891 --> 00:19:25.154
they are separate for each area
00:19:25.186 --> 00:19:27.426
. And the eighth is
00:19:27.460 --> 00:19:28.507
strengthening trust
00:19:28.541 --> 00:19:29.386
through transparent
00:19:29.419 --> 00:19:32.138
communication. I won't
00:19:32.175 --> 00:19:33.521
read everything,
00:19:33.558 --> 00:19:34.868
but it's about ensuring an
00:19:34.904 --> 00:19:36.178
interaction that
00:19:36.215 --> 00:19:37.379
values ​​feedback from
00:19:37.416 --> 00:19:38.799
students, the community, families,
00:19:38.835 --> 00:19:40.182
and, of course, the staff
00:19:40.218 --> 00:19:43.583
who work there. And
00:19:43.615 --> 00:19:44.807
another goal, the ninth,
00:19:44.807 --> 00:19:45.902
is to optimize and
00:19:45.934 --> 00:19:46.771
responsibly
00:19:46.803 --> 00:19:48.027
allocate resources
00:19:48.059 --> 00:19:49.154
so that we
00:19:49.186 --> 00:19:50.152
use
00:19:50.185 --> 00:19:51.118
taxpayers' money rationally
00:19:51.151 --> 00:19:51.763
and
00:19:51.795 --> 00:19:53.051
use existing
00:19:53.083 --> 00:19:53.598
facilities with
00:19:53.630 --> 00:19:54.403
maximum
00:19:54.435 --> 00:19:58.479
efficiency. And these are,
00:19:58.515 --> 00:19:59.705
in fact, the goals that
00:19:59.741 --> 00:20:01.003
are under
00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:02.373
point nine, and you say,
00:20:02.409 --> 00:20:03.634
Bridget, that this is like the
00:20:03.670 --> 00:20:04.644
foundation on which everything else
00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:06.086
is based or under which
00:20:06.122 --> 00:20:07.168
everything else works.
00:20:09.412 --> 00:20:09.707
Yes.
00:20:09.870 --> 00:20:11.916
Aha. In fact, we were
00:20:11.949 --> 00:20:12.900
looking at one
00:20:12.933 --> 00:20:14.213
option, and Bridget and
00:20:14.246 --> 00:20:15.197
another person—my
00:20:15.197 --> 00:20:16.280
father, who is also a
00:20:16.313 --> 00:20:17.462
graphic designer
00:20:17.494 --> 00:20:18.413
or artist—
00:20:18.413 --> 00:20:19.430
created part of
00:20:19.463 --> 00:20:20.546
our design (you
00:20:20.579 --> 00:20:21.334
can even
00:20:21.366 --> 00:20:22.088
see it in "
00:20:22.088 --> 00:20:23.368
prosperity" everywhere
00:20:23.368 --> 00:20:24.024
) where the tree
00:20:24.057 --> 00:20:24.779
represented
00:20:24.812 --> 00:20:25.632
governance as a
00:20:25.665 --> 00:20:26.584
foundation, like the
00:20:26.617 --> 00:20:27.864
roots that allow
00:20:27.896 --> 00:20:29.111
everything else to grow.
00:20:32.793 --> 00:20:33.865
Because if we
00:20:33.898 --> 00:20:35.138
don't have trust and there's not
00:20:35.171 --> 00:20:36.109
that transparent,
00:20:36.143 --> 00:20:37.449
personal commitment to
00:20:37.483 --> 00:20:38.354
each other as a
00:20:38.387 --> 00:20:39.694
community—of course, as a
00:20:39.727 --> 00:20:40.934
district, but also as a broader
00:20:40.967 --> 00:20:42.106
community—it's hard
00:20:42.140 --> 00:20:43.413
to feel like we can
00:20:43.446 --> 00:20:44.217
do anything
00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:44.954
worthwhile and
00:20:44.987 --> 00:20:46.260
purposeful if there's
00:20:46.294 --> 00:20:46.964
doubt about the
00:20:46.997 --> 00:20:48.203
integrity of all of these
00:20:48.237 --> 00:20:53.592
things. Our community, and
00:20:53.624 --> 00:20:54.647
I truly believe the
00:20:54.679 --> 00:20:55.638
broader community,
00:20:55.670 --> 00:20:56.757
was in a state of
00:20:56.788 --> 00:20:57.715
anxiety and
00:20:57.747 --> 00:20:58.386
genuine
00:20:58.418 --> 00:20:59.537
confusion about
00:20:59.569 --> 00:21:00.815
what was happening
00:21:00.815 --> 00:21:01.295
as we
00:21:01.327 --> 00:21:02.094
discussed
00:21:02.126 --> 00:21:03.308
the possibility of closing
00:21:03.340 --> 00:21:04.267
two buildings and
00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:05.098
then suddenly
00:21:05.130 --> 00:21:06.377
found ourselves in a situation
00:21:06.409 --> 00:21:07.431
where our finances
00:21:07.463 --> 00:21:08.614
could come under
00:21:08.646 --> 00:21:11.923
government oversight. And
00:21:11.957 --> 00:21:12.949
my communication
00:21:12.983 --> 00:21:13.976
throughout
00:21:14.010 --> 00:21:14.968
this has been very
00:21:15.002 --> 00:21:16.339
transparent. It was like this:
00:21:16.370 --> 00:21:17.400
we couldn't just
00:21:17.431 --> 00:21:18.585
say, "Here's everything
00:21:18.616 --> 00:21:19.833
we know, here's what we do
00:21:19.864 --> 00:21:21.050
n't know, and here's what we're
00:21:21.081 --> 00:21:22.017
going to do about it
00:21:22.048 --> 00:21:23.766
." So
00:21:23.800 --> 00:21:24.883
part of this goal
00:21:24.917 --> 00:21:25.899
for governance is to
00:21:27.117 --> 00:21:28.268
look at how to
00:21:28.302 --> 00:21:29.284
help our
00:21:29.318 --> 00:21:30.604
community understand: it's
00:21:30.638 --> 00:21:31.924
easy to pay attention
00:21:31.958 --> 00:21:32.737
in times of crisis. It's
00:21:33.953 --> 00:21:35.109
much harder
00:21:35.143 --> 00:21:36.399
to stay attentive
00:21:36.432 --> 00:21:37.688
when everything seems to be going
00:21:37.721 --> 00:21:39.100
well. So, like we did,
00:21:39.145 --> 00:21:40.574
for example, in 2023–24
00:21:40.618 --> 00:21:42.136
, I took
00:21:42.181 --> 00:21:43.922
office in December 2023,
00:21:43.967 --> 00:21:45.708
and the following fall
00:21:45.753 --> 00:21:47.449
we had a new
00:21:47.494 --> 00:21:49.191
CFO.
00:21:50.004 --> 00:21:51.045
We looked at our
00:21:51.077 --> 00:21:51.988
budget from different
00:21:52.021 --> 00:21:52.704
angles, and we
00:21:52.736 --> 00:21:54.005
found ourselves in a situation
00:21:54.038 --> 00:21:55.274
where we could end
00:21:55.307 --> 00:21:56.250
the year with a negative
00:21:56.283 --> 00:21:57.552
balance, so
00:21:57.584 --> 00:21:58.560
our only goal was to
00:21:58.593 --> 00:21:59.764
come out at least $1 positive
00:21:59.797 --> 00:22:00.155
.
00:22:01.414 --> 00:22:02.146
Of course.
00:22:02.465 --> 00:22:03.501
Which, you know, is not the
00:22:03.544 --> 00:22:05.474
best situation. Over
00:22:05.510 --> 00:22:06.672
the years, we are
00:22:06.708 --> 00:22:07.976
now at a point
00:22:08.011 --> 00:22:09.174
where we hope
00:22:09.209 --> 00:22:10.513
to end the year with an
00:22:10.548 --> 00:22:11.782
annual budget of
00:22:11.817 --> 00:22:13.871
$72 million. We
00:22:13.917 --> 00:22:15.243
hope to
00:22:15.289 --> 00:22:16.889
have
00:22:18.124 --> 00:22:19.770
approximately 17 days of cash reserves by August 2027.
00:22:19.870 --> 00:22:21.335
That's kind of a good
00:22:21.373 --> 00:22:22.801
financial figure,
00:22:22.838 --> 00:22:24.304
about $3.4 million
00:22:24.342 --> 00:22:25.481
. Therefore, we
00:22:25.512 --> 00:22:26.717
really need to be
00:22:26.748 --> 00:22:27.699
responsible
00:22:27.730 --> 00:22:28.649
managers,
00:22:28.681 --> 00:22:29.663
show that we
00:22:29.695 --> 00:22:30.931
know what and how to do
00:22:30.931 --> 00:22:31.786
, and be able to talk about it
00:22:31.818 --> 00:22:33.999
. This was
00:22:34.033 --> 00:22:34.797
really important
00:22:34.830 --> 00:22:36.092
to reflect in our
00:22:36.126 --> 00:22:37.388
plan because I want
00:22:37.421 --> 00:22:38.285
people to be able to
00:22:38.318 --> 00:22:39.514
come up to me at TNC,
00:22:39.547 --> 00:22:40.245
on the ferry,
00:22:40.278 --> 00:22:41.507
or wherever
00:22:41.541 --> 00:22:42.836
and ask how things are,
00:22:42.869 --> 00:22:43.966
and I could easily
00:22:43.999 --> 00:22:45.159
tell them. Like this
00:22:45.185 --> 00:22:45.936
podcast, I don't
00:22:45.962 --> 00:22:46.791
need to prepare for it
00:22:46.817 --> 00:22:47.620
because it's
00:22:47.646 --> 00:22:48.714
just our lives. This is what
00:22:48.742 --> 00:22:49.847
we talk about
00:22:49.875 --> 00:22:50.919
and what we do. I
00:22:50.944 --> 00:22:51.824
don't need a separate
00:22:51.850 --> 00:22:52.627
presentation to
00:22:52.653 --> 00:22:53.584
talk about our
00:22:53.610 --> 00:22:54.524
work. It's simply an
00:22:54.552 --> 00:22:55.534
authentic way of
00:22:55.562 --> 00:22:56.432
our daily
00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:57.274
lives and how we
00:22:57.302 --> 00:22:58.172
communicate
00:22:58.200 --> 00:22:58.790
our work to
00:22:58.818 --> 00:22:59.716
staff,
00:22:59.744 --> 00:23:00.839
community members, and students.
00:23:00.939 --> 00:23:01.918
No part of this
00:23:01.947 --> 00:23:02.869
work should
00:23:02.898 --> 00:23:04.030
be a secret. Therefore,
00:23:04.058 --> 00:23:05.155
this should have been brought
00:23:05.183 --> 00:23:05.999
to the forefront and
00:23:06.027 --> 00:23:07.432
clearly stated. I think
00:23:07.432 --> 00:23:09.244
, especially because
00:23:09.296 --> 00:23:11.263
2023–24 and 2024–25
00:23:11.314 --> 00:23:12.401
were so
00:23:12.453 --> 00:23:14.100
difficult. But we have already moved past
00:23:14.132 --> 00:23:15.259
this and are on the
00:23:15.290 --> 00:23:16.073
path to real
00:23:16.104 --> 00:23:16.731
fiscal
00:23:16.762 --> 00:23:18.345
responsibility. And
00:23:18.389 --> 00:23:19.180
actually,
00:23:20.317 --> 00:23:21.624
yes, I applaud you for
00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:22.756
that and I recognize that you
00:23:22.791 --> 00:23:24.099
were very transparent,
00:23:24.134 --> 00:23:25.089
and I think that was
00:23:25.124 --> 00:23:26.503
appreciated not only by the people
00:23:26.503 --> 00:23:27.811
who work closely with you
00:23:27.846 --> 00:23:28.836
, but by the entire
00:23:28.871 --> 00:23:37.288
community. It seems like you're
00:23:37.320 --> 00:23:38.028
trying
00:23:38.060 --> 00:23:39.250
to incorporate this into your
00:23:39.282 --> 00:23:40.504
way of communicating in
00:23:40.536 --> 00:23:41.501
the future so that
00:23:41.533 --> 00:23:42.562
trust grows and
00:23:42.594 --> 00:23:43.784
strengthens, because
00:23:43.816 --> 00:23:45.006
we still have many
00:23:45.038 --> 00:23:52.073
challenges. We
00:23:52.105 --> 00:23:52.829
talk a lot about the
00:23:52.860 --> 00:23:53.962
aging population
00:23:53.993 --> 00:23:55.221
on Bainbridge Island.
00:23:58.992 --> 00:23:59.947
As the Executive
00:23:59.985 --> 00:24:01.362
Director of the Center for
00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:02.470
Seniors and
00:24:02.509 --> 00:24:03.617
Community, I clearly
00:24:03.655 --> 00:24:04.993
understand that over 26% of
00:24:04.993 --> 00:24:06.446
our population is
00:24:06.484 --> 00:24:07.746
over 65
00:24:07.784 --> 00:24:09.084
years old, and it is difficult
00:24:09.122 --> 00:24:10.231
to attract young
00:24:10.269 --> 00:24:11.454
families here if you
00:24:11.492 --> 00:24:12.868
don't have support or
00:24:12.907 --> 00:24:14.398
if you are unlucky
00:24:14.436 --> 00:24:18.300
with housing. I know that
00:24:18.333 --> 00:24:19.561
many groups are working to
00:24:19.594 --> 00:24:20.758
make
00:24:20.790 --> 00:24:22.019
this place more
00:24:22.051 --> 00:24:23.478
affordable. But this
00:24:23.511 --> 00:24:24.310
demographic
00:24:24.343 --> 00:24:25.375
situation creates a
00:24:25.408 --> 00:24:26.673
difficult future for the
00:24:26.707 --> 00:24:27.639
education system,
00:24:27.672 --> 00:24:28.970
forcing us to think
00:24:29.004 --> 00:24:30.235
about how it will
00:24:30.269 --> 00:24:32.129
function. So I
00:24:32.162 --> 00:24:33.417
understand that trust and
00:24:33.450 --> 00:24:34.606
communication will be
00:24:34.639 --> 00:24:35.729
important as we
00:24:35.762 --> 00:24:36.489
try to
00:24:36.522 --> 00:24:37.480
figure out what this
00:24:37.513 --> 00:24:38.256
means. And I'm
00:24:38.285 --> 00:24:39.344
sure
00:24:39.373 --> 00:24:40.402
you can already
00:24:40.432 --> 00:24:41.108
imagine some of this
00:24:41.138 --> 00:24:41.638
today.
00:24:41.738 --> 00:24:42.024
Yes.
00:24:42.124 --> 00:24:43.197
But there's also a lot of
00:24:43.230 --> 00:24:44.173
uncertainty,
00:24:44.206 --> 00:24:44.629
right?
00:24:44.860 --> 00:24:46.186
Yeah, I think, you know,
00:24:46.223 --> 00:24:47.218
the point that you've
00:24:47.255 --> 00:24:48.360
made is these
00:24:48.397 --> 00:24:49.724
points of tension,
00:24:49.761 --> 00:24:52.523
right? We are evolving
00:24:52.555 --> 00:24:53.686
as a school system,
00:24:53.718 --> 00:24:54.461
preparing for the
00:24:54.493 --> 00:24:55.559
future of our
00:24:55.591 --> 00:24:56.786
students, and we continue to
00:24:56.818 --> 00:24:58.013
improve our
00:24:58.045 --> 00:24:58.852
teaching and
00:24:58.885 --> 00:24:59.563
pedagogy,
00:24:59.595 --> 00:25:00.790
creating an atmosphere of
00:25:00.822 --> 00:25:02.049
warmth, belonging,
00:25:02.082 --> 00:25:05.720
and well-being. And we
00:25:05.758 --> 00:25:06.562
also need to
00:25:06.600 --> 00:25:08.093
do more, well, I
00:25:08.132 --> 00:25:11.220
don't know. It's probably not that
00:25:11.253 --> 00:25:11.875
interesting
00:25:11.907 --> 00:25:12.890
to discuss what
00:25:14.101 --> 00:25:15.215
the situation with
00:25:15.247 --> 00:25:16.348
student enrollment actually looks like. We must
00:25:16.379 --> 00:25:17.194
responsibly
00:25:17.225 --> 00:25:19.005
monitor this. This is a
00:25:19.040 --> 00:25:20.335
very important thing for
00:25:20.370 --> 00:25:22.353
us. I think, uh.
00:25:24.405 --> 00:25:25.247
You know, so as not to
00:25:25.281 --> 00:25:25.989
end up with a
00:25:26.023 --> 00:25:27.203
pedagogy that doesn't
00:25:27.236 --> 00:25:28.551
fit the current
00:25:28.585 --> 00:25:29.900
population and yet
00:25:29.933 --> 00:25:31.046
respects the diversity of the
00:25:31.080 --> 00:25:32.395
people who live here.
00:25:34.052 --> 00:25:35.274
Exactly. And you know, I
00:25:35.307 --> 00:25:36.474
can talk at length
00:25:36.506 --> 00:25:37.252
about state
00:25:37.285 --> 00:25:38.095
funding,
00:25:38.127 --> 00:25:38.970
unfunded
00:25:39.003 --> 00:25:40.008
mandates, and all of these
00:25:40.040 --> 00:25:42.091
aspects. We are very
00:25:42.124 --> 00:25:43.114
fortunate to live in a
00:25:43.147 --> 00:25:44.336
community that is so
00:25:44.369 --> 00:25:45.558
supportive of us and approves of the
00:25:45.591 --> 00:25:46.251
taxes that
00:25:46.284 --> 00:25:47.473
allow us to be where
00:25:47.506 --> 00:25:49.290
we are now. We
00:25:49.320 --> 00:25:50.198
were able to pass an
00:25:50.228 --> 00:25:50.834
additional
00:25:50.864 --> 00:25:52.014
tax levy, and that
00:25:52.044 --> 00:25:53.165
made a dramatic difference
00:25:53.195 --> 00:25:55.176
. So
00:25:55.206 --> 00:25:56.220
the opportunity to make
00:25:56.250 --> 00:25:57.356
the right choices as a
00:25:57.386 --> 00:25:58.185
responsible
00:25:58.215 --> 00:25:59.137
institution in our
00:25:59.167 --> 00:25:59.781
community
00:25:59.812 --> 00:26:00.887
using taxpayer funds is
00:26:02.053 --> 00:26:03.128
not something I take
00:26:03.159 --> 00:26:04.326
lightly.
00:26:05.790 --> 00:26:06.636
We also need to
00:26:06.669 --> 00:26:07.776
look at who
00:26:07.809 --> 00:26:09.046
our students are and what they
00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:10.078
need. Are there any
00:26:10.109 --> 00:26:11.281
needs that are currently
00:26:11.311 --> 00:26:12.483
unmet, and how do they
00:26:12.514 --> 00:26:13.655
relate to
00:26:13.685 --> 00:26:14.626
each other? And so,
00:26:14.665 --> 00:26:16.155
for example, you know, we
00:26:16.194 --> 00:26:17.448
discussed in
00:26:17.487 --> 00:26:19.016
2023 the idea of ​​consolidating
00:26:19.055 --> 00:26:20.270
or potentially
00:26:20.309 --> 00:26:21.760
closing
00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:22.896
Ordway or
00:26:22.936 --> 00:26:25.443
Commodore elementary schools. We were able to
00:26:25.477 --> 00:26:26.238
mathematically
00:26:26.272 --> 00:26:27.620
justify why this
00:26:27.654 --> 00:26:29.180
works. We don't have
00:26:29.216 --> 00:26:30.269
that many
00:26:30.305 --> 00:26:32.011
students. We have too many
00:26:32.043 --> 00:26:33.293
students to accommodate
00:26:33.325 --> 00:26:34.512
them in these spaces in a
00:26:34.544 --> 00:26:35.441
way that is
00:26:35.473 --> 00:26:36.211
fair,
00:26:36.243 --> 00:26:36.916
accessible, and
00:26:36.948 --> 00:26:38.102
meaningful to them, and
00:26:38.134 --> 00:26:38.872
our buildings are
00:26:38.904 --> 00:26:39.737
outdated and do not
00:26:39.769 --> 00:26:40.539
provide the
00:26:40.571 --> 00:26:41.564
same level of
00:26:41.597 --> 00:26:44.325
learning. So now
00:26:44.365 --> 00:26:45.815
our board is discussing
00:26:45.855 --> 00:26:47.265
the possibility of issuing
00:26:47.305 --> 00:26:48.875
bonds in February 2027
00:26:48.916 --> 00:26:50.204
, and this is an important
00:26:50.244 --> 00:26:51.162
issue. They
00:26:51.189 --> 00:26:52.016
will vote in
00:26:52.042 --> 00:26:53.056
November, so we
00:26:53.083 --> 00:26:54.124
don't know the result yet. On
00:26:54.224 --> 00:26:55.219
November 12, they
00:26:55.253 --> 00:26:55.983
will decide whether to
00:26:56.016 --> 00:26:57.311
pass a resolution
00:26:57.344 --> 00:26:58.108
on the
00:26:58.141 --> 00:26:59.610
bond issue. And if so,
00:26:59.642 --> 00:27:00.689
it will be another
00:27:00.721 --> 00:27:01.702
big conversation with
00:27:01.735 --> 00:27:02.977
the community about why
00:27:03.010 --> 00:27:03.925
we need these
00:27:03.958 --> 00:27:05.555
buildings. How does this
00:27:05.588 --> 00:27:06.472
align with the
00:27:06.504 --> 00:27:07.715
student numbers
00:27:07.748 --> 00:27:08.435
we're seeing, with
00:27:09.221 --> 00:27:10.465
demographic trends, and what
00:27:10.497 --> 00:27:12.504
that looks like? And what does this
00:27:12.545 --> 00:27:13.906
really mean
00:27:13.947 --> 00:27:15.348
for our school
00:27:15.390 --> 00:27:16.956
system over the next
00:27:16.997 --> 00:27:18.605
10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years, what do
00:27:18.646 --> 00:27:20.171
we want and expect
00:27:20.212 --> 00:27:21.779
from our facilities and
00:27:21.820 --> 00:27:23.016
their use
00:27:23.057 --> 00:27:24.383
by the community? I know
00:27:24.414 --> 00:27:25.312
you understand this,
00:27:25.343 --> 00:27:26.425
being in a
00:27:26.456 --> 00:27:27.323
senior center and
00:27:27.353 --> 00:27:28.373
community. We are in
00:27:28.404 --> 00:27:29.315
dire need of
00:27:29.345 --> 00:27:30.348
more
00:27:30.378 --> 00:27:31.532
spaces for
00:27:31.563 --> 00:27:32.869
our community to gather. We
00:27:32.905 --> 00:27:34.022
really need
00:27:34.058 --> 00:27:35.283
spaces for our
00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:36.689
community where people from 3
00:27:36.725 --> 00:27:37.878
to 83 years old can
00:27:37.914 --> 00:27:38.851
gather to
00:27:38.887 --> 00:27:40.221
play basketball.
00:27:40.321 --> 00:27:41.151
You know, we
00:27:41.177 --> 00:27:42.168
really have a problem with
00:27:42.195 --> 00:27:43.239
the number of
00:27:43.266 --> 00:27:43.986
gyms. We have a
00:27:44.013 --> 00:27:44.881
problem with a lack of
00:27:44.908 --> 00:27:46.029
playing fields. We have a
00:27:46.055 --> 00:27:46.950
problem with places
00:27:46.977 --> 00:27:47.979
to socialize. We
00:27:48.007 --> 00:27:49.100
talked about Bainbridge Prep
00:27:49.100 --> 00:27:49.968
, something our
00:27:49.996 --> 00:27:50.641
community is very
00:27:50.669 --> 00:27:51.433
proud of. We
00:27:51.454 --> 00:27:52.109
need another
00:27:52.939 --> 00:27:53.791
emergency response center
00:27:53.791 --> 00:27:54.757
, if possible. So
00:27:54.788 --> 00:27:55.892
there are things we need to
00:27:55.924 --> 00:27:56.838
consider when
00:27:56.870 --> 00:27:57.848
considering a
00:27:57.879 --> 00:27:58.731
bond issue, and it's
00:27:58.762 --> 00:27:59.835
not just about
00:27:59.866 --> 00:28:00.662
BIISD. While my
00:28:00.692 --> 00:28:01.853
top priority
00:28:01.883 --> 00:28:03.014
is always the students and their
00:28:03.044 --> 00:28:03.967
needs, we also
00:28:03.997 --> 00:28:04.950
think about what
00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:05.813
will be beneficial and
00:28:05.843 --> 00:28:06.736
valuable to our
00:28:06.766 --> 00:28:07.838
community as a whole, because
00:28:07.868 --> 00:28:08.910
we are not an isolated
00:28:08.940 --> 00:28:10.171
school system. We
00:28:10.201 --> 00:28:10.941
belong to the entire
00:28:10.970 --> 00:28:11.474
community and
00:28:11.503 --> 00:28:12.214
are funded by
00:28:12.244 --> 00:28:13.369
taxpayers,
00:28:13.398 --> 00:28:14.227
so it's important
00:28:14.257 --> 00:28:15.607
to realize this. So,
00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:16.879
you need to weigh all
00:28:16.912 --> 00:28:18.119
these factors; Moreover,
00:28:18.151 --> 00:28:19.325
anyone who has lived on
00:28:19.358 --> 00:28:20.369
Bainbridge for even a
00:28:20.402 --> 00:28:21.543
month knows that there
00:28:21.576 --> 00:28:22.391
are certain
00:28:22.424 --> 00:28:23.239
contradictions here
00:28:23.272 --> 00:28:24.283
related to the age of
00:28:24.316 --> 00:28:25.294
the island's residents,
00:28:25.327 --> 00:28:26.468
their ability to obtain
00:28:26.501 --> 00:28:27.740
housing, and the affordability of
00:28:27.773 --> 00:28:28.752
housing—whatever that
00:28:28.784 --> 00:28:29.763
means in our
00:28:29.795 --> 00:28:31.365
realities.
00:28:31.393 --> 00:28:32.470
Healthcare and access to
00:28:32.498 --> 00:28:33.319
medical services
00:28:33.348 --> 00:28:34.339
are becoming an extremely
00:28:34.367 --> 00:28:35.547
important topic. So,
00:28:35.579 --> 00:28:36.504
all of these things still
00:28:36.536 --> 00:28:37.684
exist in the background, but
00:28:37.716 --> 00:28:38.577
we're trying
00:28:38.609 --> 00:28:39.757
to plan for the future.
00:28:39.857 --> 00:28:41.081
So, you know, we really
00:28:41.113 --> 00:28:42.275
try to take a balanced
00:28:42.306 --> 00:28:43.186
approach to all
00:28:43.217 --> 00:28:44.285
aspects and what's
00:28:44.317 --> 00:28:44.914
necessary.
00:28:45.891 --> 00:28:47.159
Well, I think about the
00:28:47.194 --> 00:28:48.427
fact that the expectations
00:28:48.462 --> 00:28:49.765
of what a classroom
00:28:49.801 --> 00:28:50.752
or learning
00:28:50.787 --> 00:28:51.914
space is—perhaps
00:28:51.949 --> 00:28:53.288
even the concept of “classroom
00:28:53.288 --> 00:28:54.627
”—are too narrow.
00:28:56.011 --> 00:28:56.731
Um, today,
00:28:56.764 --> 00:28:57.844
compared to
00:28:57.877 --> 00:28:59.121
when these buildings were built, they are
00:28:59.874 --> 00:29:02.252
outdated buildings. That in
00:29:02.287 --> 00:29:03.580
itself, you know,
00:29:03.615 --> 00:29:04.629
just...So you're
00:29:04.664 --> 00:29:05.887
planning to release what you
00:29:05.922 --> 00:29:06.935
call a
00:29:08.438 --> 00:29:09.766
strategic plan dashboard.
00:29:10.507 --> 00:29:10.801
Yes.
00:29:10.901 --> 00:29:12.211
So what would it look like
00:29:12.245 --> 00:29:13.522
and where can I find it
00:29:13.555 --> 00:29:14.866
if I were interested in
00:29:14.899 --> 00:29:16.143
following the process?
00:29:16.243 --> 00:29:17.266
Perfectly. I'll ask
00:29:17.291 --> 00:29:18.143
Bridget to answer
00:29:18.167 --> 00:29:18.946
that question, and
00:29:18.970 --> 00:29:19.603
then we
00:29:19.627 --> 00:29:20.577
can also show you,
00:29:20.601 --> 00:29:21.258
if we turn on the
00:29:21.282 --> 00:29:22.207
screencast,
00:29:22.232 --> 00:29:23.035
where
00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:23.863
to find some things on our site.
00:29:23.963 --> 00:29:25.056
That would be great.
00:29:25.156 --> 00:29:26.053
Class. I'll let
00:29:26.077 --> 00:29:26.934
Bridget answer
00:29:26.959 --> 00:29:27.816
about the
00:29:27.841 --> 00:29:28.796
dashboard, because she's
00:29:28.820 --> 00:29:29.604
been working on it
00:29:29.628 --> 00:29:30.559
internally with some of
00:29:30.583 --> 00:29:30.877
our
00:29:30.902 --> 00:29:31.783
staff, which is
00:29:31.808 --> 00:29:32.567
really exciting, and
00:29:32.592 --> 00:29:33.547
then we'll show you
00:29:33.547 --> 00:29:34.134
where to find these
00:29:34.159 --> 00:29:35.041
materials on our
00:29:35.065 --> 00:29:35.335
website.
00:29:36.473 --> 00:29:37.636
Yes, one of our
00:29:37.672 --> 00:29:38.980
technical specialists,
00:29:39.017 --> 00:29:39.962
Danny Store, and I
00:29:39.998 --> 00:29:41.669
are working on this. We have
00:29:41.702 --> 00:29:42.635
just completed the
00:29:42.668 --> 00:29:43.408
first round of
00:29:44.117 --> 00:29:45.803
performance evaluation. So we're
00:29:45.835 --> 00:29:46.577
getting this
00:29:46.609 --> 00:29:47.769
information now, and
00:29:47.802 --> 00:29:48.994
as I said, as
00:29:49.026 --> 00:29:50.283
we review all of these
00:29:50.316 --> 00:29:51.508
data sets with our
00:29:51.541 --> 00:29:52.701
steering committee,
00:29:52.733 --> 00:29:53.958
we want to share
00:29:53.990 --> 00:29:55.215
these same types of data with
00:29:55.247 --> 00:29:56.343
our community and
00:29:56.376 --> 00:29:57.407
correlate it to
00:29:57.439 --> 00:29:58.901
each of the goals. So that we
00:29:58.930 --> 00:30:00.033
can truly
00:30:00.062 --> 00:30:00.817
assess ourselves and
00:30:00.846 --> 00:30:01.630
see how we are
00:30:01.659 --> 00:30:02.588
doing, what
00:30:02.617 --> 00:30:03.691
our strengths are,
00:30:03.721 --> 00:30:04.621
and what we need to
00:30:04.650 --> 00:30:05.288
do to
00:30:05.317 --> 00:30:06.450
meet the needs of
00:30:06.479 --> 00:30:07.342
our students. On
00:30:07.373 --> 00:30:08.278
our website, on the
00:30:08.309 --> 00:30:09.339
main page
00:30:09.370 --> 00:30:10.587
it says "Our District",
00:30:10.618 --> 00:30:11.460
and you will see "
00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:12.552
Strategic Plan"
00:30:12.583 --> 00:30:13.613
as one of the
00:30:13.644 --> 00:30:14.832
top menu items. If
00:30:14.858 --> 00:30:15.902
you go there now
00:30:15.902 --> 00:30:16.732
, it says
00:30:16.759 --> 00:30:17.642
you can view the
00:30:18.205 --> 00:30:19.222
strategic plan brochure,
00:30:19.249 --> 00:30:20.159
and next to it it says, "
00:30:21.176 --> 00:30:21.925
Data dashboard coming
00:30:21.952 --> 00:30:22.988
fall 2026." And I
00:30:23.019 --> 00:30:24.260
think we've already
00:30:24.292 --> 00:30:25.118
started
00:30:25.150 --> 00:30:26.474
working on it. Our goal is
00:30:26.474 --> 00:30:27.458
to launch it,
00:30:27.494 --> 00:30:28.697
probably in the first
00:30:28.733 --> 00:30:29.973
week of November.
00:30:31.627 --> 00:30:32.902
So, if you go
00:30:32.935 --> 00:30:33.942
to the "Our
00:30:33.976 --> 00:30:35.117
District" page and click
00:30:35.150 --> 00:30:39.213
there. Um, like this.
00:30:39.614 --> 00:30:40.780
Yes, a strategic
00:30:40.816 --> 00:30:41.145
plan.
00:30:43.347 --> 00:30:44.412
And it will load
00:30:44.442 --> 00:30:45.537
here in a minute, right
00:30:45.566 --> 00:30:49.706
? That's all. Good. The
00:30:50.840 --> 00:30:51.657
data dashboard will be available
00:30:51.684 --> 00:30:52.202
soon.
00:30:52.302 --> 00:30:52.975
Yes, and if you
00:30:53.003 --> 00:30:53.845
click on this
00:30:53.873 --> 00:30:54.855
yellow square, it will
00:30:54.883 --> 00:30:55.669
take you to the
00:30:55.697 --> 00:30:56.679
electronic version of
00:30:56.707 --> 00:30:57.718
the brochure that you have.
00:30:57.818 --> 00:30:58.315
Perfectly.
00:30:58.415 --> 00:30:59.163
you can really
00:30:59.193 --> 00:31:00.249
flip it over. Um,
00:31:00.273 --> 00:31:01.197
it flips, if
00:31:01.221 --> 00:31:01.884
you click on
00:31:01.908 --> 00:31:02.477
the arrow, it
00:31:02.501 --> 00:31:03.425
flips like a book
00:31:03.425 --> 00:31:04.215
. Um, that's okay
00:31:04.315 --> 00:31:04.984
.
00:31:05.084 --> 00:31:06.607
Here is that arrow. There,
00:31:06.643 --> 00:31:07.802
on the far right
00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:08.165
.
00:31:08.945 --> 00:31:09.575
Oh, here?
00:31:09.953 --> 00:31:11.166
Yes, a little higher. That's
00:31:11.678 --> 00:31:12.275
it.
00:31:12.375 --> 00:31:13.038
Oh,
00:31:13.138 --> 00:31:14.348
I just turned to the last
00:31:14.379 --> 00:31:15.574
page. Sorry.
00:31:15.674 --> 00:31:17.052
No, everything is fine. If
00:31:17.078 --> 00:31:17.966
you go up a little
00:31:17.992 --> 00:31:19.011
higher, you can click
00:31:19.037 --> 00:31:19.978
on that up arrow.
00:31:20.078 --> 00:31:21.718
Zoom was blocking it. That's
00:31:21.761 --> 00:31:23.783
it. So, yes, this is the
00:31:23.818 --> 00:31:24.684
booklet I was
00:31:24.719 --> 00:31:25.516
looking through in
00:31:25.551 --> 00:31:26.626
anticipation of our
00:31:26.660 --> 00:31:29.179
conversation. And it is beautifully
00:31:29.214 --> 00:31:30.588
decorated. Well done,
00:31:30.623 --> 00:31:31.593
Bridget and the other
00:31:31.628 --> 00:31:32.909
designers who
00:31:32.944 --> 00:31:33.880
participated in this.
00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:34.804
Yes, Lauren Love
00:31:34.837 --> 00:31:35.991
made a huge
00:31:36.024 --> 00:31:37.205
contribution. She was
00:31:37.243 --> 00:31:37.819
wonderful.
00:31:38.157 --> 00:31:39.390
And, you know, it takes
00:31:39.426 --> 00:31:40.406
a little while to
00:31:40.442 --> 00:31:41.857
understand what that is
00:31:41.893 --> 00:31:43.200
if you're not familiar with
00:31:43.236 --> 00:31:44.615
all the work that you've
00:31:44.651 --> 00:31:47.439
done. But give
00:31:47.473 --> 00:31:48.676
it some time, because I
00:31:48.710 --> 00:31:50.051
think you'll see that
00:31:50.085 --> 00:31:51.116
everything is
00:31:51.150 --> 00:31:52.078
laid out quite clearly, and you'll
00:31:52.113 --> 00:31:53.419
be able to figure it out.
00:31:54.684 --> 00:31:55.537
And so we
00:31:55.569 --> 00:31:56.296
talked earlier about
00:31:56.328 --> 00:31:57.497
the number of people who
00:31:57.529 --> 00:31:58.699
contributed,
00:31:58.730 --> 00:31:59.552
and over a thousand
00:31:59.584 --> 00:32:00.754
students played
00:32:00.785 --> 00:32:01.355
their part.
00:32:02.192 --> 00:32:03.931
Yes. We are very
00:32:03.970 --> 00:32:05.127
proud of this. I will also
00:32:05.158 --> 00:32:06.292
say: if any of the
00:32:06.324 --> 00:32:07.111
listeners would like to
00:32:07.143 --> 00:32:08.245
receive a printed
00:32:08.277 --> 00:32:09.379
copy of the brochure, they
00:32:09.411 --> 00:32:10.608
can contact
00:32:10.639 --> 00:32:11.836
us at the district office or
00:32:11.868 --> 00:32:13.033
visit us in person, and
00:32:13.065 --> 00:32:13.884
we will be happy
00:32:13.915 --> 00:32:14.955
to meet them,
00:32:14.986 --> 00:32:15.837
say hello, and
00:32:15.868 --> 00:32:16.939
provide a copy of our
00:32:16.971 --> 00:32:17.444
brochure.
00:32:17.681 --> 00:32:18.521
And we have a few
00:32:18.551 --> 00:32:19.541
copies here at
00:32:19.571 --> 00:32:20.441
the center, right on the
00:32:20.471 --> 00:32:21.462
counter by the entrance,
00:32:21.492 --> 00:32:22.542
so you can also
00:32:22.572 --> 00:32:23.022
come into the
00:32:23.052 --> 00:32:24.193
community center.
00:32:24.293 --> 00:32:25.391
Yes, that's great.
00:32:25.609 --> 00:32:27.024
Thank you very much. Is there
00:32:27.056 --> 00:32:28.186
anything else you would like to
00:32:28.219 --> 00:32:29.628
add? Yes, Bridget.
00:32:29.728 --> 00:32:30.699
I would like to add
00:32:30.726 --> 00:32:31.644
one more quick thing:
00:32:33.182 --> 00:32:34.180
there is
00:32:34.207 --> 00:32:35.098
a lot of information
00:32:35.125 --> 00:32:35.993
about our district on the same website where the strategic plan is located. And,
00:32:36.024 --> 00:32:36.800
you know, if there are
00:32:36.831 --> 00:32:38.043
potential bonds
00:32:38.074 --> 00:32:39.099
or questions that
00:32:40.217 --> 00:32:41.335
community members have about our
00:32:41.366 --> 00:32:42.578
school district, it's all
00:32:42.609 --> 00:32:43.168
there, and we
00:32:43.199 --> 00:32:43.882
try to
00:32:43.913 --> 00:32:44.845
make sure that the
00:32:44.876 --> 00:32:45.901
information is always
00:32:45.932 --> 00:32:46.935
available. So this is a
00:32:46.969 --> 00:32:48.296
really good resource. There
00:32:48.396 --> 00:32:49.288
's a
00:32:49.965 --> 00:32:51.165
FAQ page there, where, as you
00:32:51.195 --> 00:32:52.211
said before,
00:32:52.242 --> 00:32:53.134
if you don't have
00:32:53.165 --> 00:32:54.088
kids in the district, I
00:32:54.118 --> 00:32:55.072
think it's a great
00:32:55.103 --> 00:32:56.026
way for our
00:32:56.057 --> 00:32:57.134
community to stay
00:32:57.164 --> 00:32:58.211
connected to what's
00:32:58.241 --> 00:32:59.072
going on with
00:32:59.103 --> 00:33:00.180
our amazing
00:33:00.211 --> 00:33:00.611
students.
00:33:00.711 --> 00:33:00.997
Yes.
00:33:01.097 --> 00:33:01.631
Perfectly.
00:33:01.731 --> 00:33:02.658
Yes, this is one of our
00:33:02.685 --> 00:33:03.639
biggest challenges.
00:33:03.739 --> 00:33:04.839
Yes, this is communication with the
00:33:04.868 --> 00:33:05.853
wider community.
00:33:05.953 --> 00:33:06.865
So I think
00:33:06.965 --> 00:33:08.159
Right. Well, and I
00:33:08.204 --> 00:33:09.751
know that this breakthrough
00:33:09.797 --> 00:33:11.298
happened in 23-24,
00:33:11.343 --> 00:33:12.981
when the community started
00:33:13.026 --> 00:33:14.611
to speak out. What is
00:33:14.653 --> 00:33:15.689
happening?
00:33:15.789 --> 00:33:16.093
Yes.
00:33:17.308 --> 00:33:18.589
And actually putting
00:33:18.623 --> 00:33:19.702
this stuff on a
00:33:19.736 --> 00:33:20.849
website—we all
00:33:20.883 --> 00:33:21.996
expect to
00:33:22.030 --> 00:33:23.278
be able to find everything
00:33:23.312 --> 00:33:24.627
online now—is certainly
00:33:24.627 --> 00:33:25.572
part of that.
00:33:26.886 --> 00:33:27.185
Yes.
00:33:27.285 --> 00:33:28.721
So, thank you very much. I
00:33:28.751 --> 00:33:29.516
appreciate you
00:33:29.547 --> 00:33:30.556
taking the time to
00:33:30.587 --> 00:33:31.780
tell us about this
00:33:31.780 --> 00:33:33.084
. Congratulations on your
00:33:33.120 --> 00:33:34.147
work and I wish you
00:33:34.183 --> 00:33:35.357
success in what lies
00:33:35.393 --> 00:33:36.017
ahead.
00:33:36.839 --> 00:33:38.507
Thank you, Reed, and thank you,
00:33:38.554 --> 00:33:39.064
Sheila.
00:33:39.164 --> 00:33:40.745
Thank you, Reed. Thank you,
00:33:40.791 --> 00:33:41.296
Sheila.
00:33:41.396 --> 00:33:42.341
Take care of yourself.
00:33:42.441 --> 00:33:43.114
And you too.
00:33:43.214 --> 00:33:44.784
See you later.