After completing a six-month listening tour, USD 232 in De Soto’s superintendent is looking at ways to improve the school district.
From April to October, the tour provided Superintendent Cory Gibson feedback from a wide swath of groups, including students, parents and business leaders, who brought up issues they believe need to be addressed.
Calls for more supports for teachers and students
While the feedback was mostly positive, Gibson said he identified areas that the district found it could strengthen.
Those areas include:
- Mental health and behavioral support: Making sure staff and students are supported
- Professional development: Ensuring its staff is continuing to develop and grow
- Communication and collaboration: Strengthening social media presence
- Instructional support: Expanding opportunities for students post-secondary success, such as internships and real-world learning
- Professional development and human resources: Using the district’s resources to the best of its ability.
“Those five areas don’t necessarily mean that the district was underperforming or not doing well,” he said. “It just meant that, ‘Hey, this is an area of focus going forward.'”
The district is creating an action plan
While the district is already making changes to address some of the issues brought up, administrators are looking to ensure they’re doing a more thorough job, Gibson added.
Starting this Friday, the feedback will be given to a board comprised of people involved with the district in the past to craft a plan on how to address some of the issues brought up during the tour.
“[They will] take the information I’ve gained and give me deeper insights into why would people say that, for example, professional development, how might that be better improved,” he said. “So what is happening now is we’re going, ‘Hey, I was listening, I’ve heard you. And now we need to do something as a result.'”
A strategic plan is coming
Having started the listening tour before he took over as superintendent on July 1, Gibson said he was happy to network with people and use their feedback to craft a future plan for the district.
During the new couple of months, the board will create a strategic plan with long-term goals, which will likely be unveiled this summer.
“We can launch next school year with ‘Here’s kind of our direction. Here’s where we’re going,'” he said. “It’s not that we’re gonna overhaul it or make dramatic changes, just build upon our current success.”
Other USD 232 news: USD 232 in De Soto adopts open enrollment policy
