Greetings Thompson School District Students, Parents, Staff and Community Members:
Last month I had the opportunity to participate in five community forums where I received feedback, questions and comments from throughout Thompson School District. In total, nearly 150 students, staff, parents and community members were in attendance. The comments and feedback shared were not only poignant and illuminating, but they also go a long way in providing us with a pulse and sense of what is on the minds of our very important stakeholders throughout this District. Any good leader knows that it is important to listen carefully and seek to understand in order to be responsive and goal-centered. The information and insight gained from these forums will provide my senior staff and me with an excellent launch-point to begin to dig into the important work we have before us during the 2018-19 school year.
While there were an array of topics and issues raised at the community forums, the following four key themes and questions were shared with the greatest frequency:
- How can we better reach out to, communicate and engage with our senior community and other citizens who do not have children in our schools?
- How do we provide more information and education regarding school funding and how tax dollars are utilized to support school district expenditures?
- How can we better promote and publicize our students, schools and achievements?
- How do we address and manage class sizes and school population sizes?
In addition, please know that a collective primary focus will always be on students and student achievement—from early literacy and math instruction through graduating 100% of our student body. Included with this focus will be a strong and unwavering commitment to safety—both physical and emotional—for our schools and those who work and learn within them.
Our attention now shifts to addressing this feedback and providing responses to these important questions. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be posting links within our website, providing direct media outreach (both digital and print) as well as continuing to go out directly into the community. Our plan is to answer these questions and continue to promote and publicize the work of Thompson School District.
Please know that I am committed to being responsive and in tune with the needs of our stakeholders and our community. We all have a collective responsibility to provide the very best educational experiences for our students, exceptional working environments and support for our staff and a World Class school district that evokes pride for our community.
Thank you again for your partnership and commitment to Thompson School District.
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District