Carson City schools continue to implement strategic plan

Members of the community met with officials with the Carson City school district to talk about its Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan was created last year as a way to document measurable goals for the district to improve student learning. These goals include exceptional staff, curriculum that matters, engaged parents and staff, healthy generations and community engagement.

Nearly two dozen people met Wednesday night to continue to brainstorm different ways the district can work toward meeting its goals. The groups have met three times so far this year, breaking up into five groups to individually focus on one goal and how to work to achieve it.

For example, members involved in the community engagement group discussed ways to circulate a survey to parents, how to create easier communication tools online for parents and community members and ways to increase efficiency so it’s easier for parents and guardians to get involved in the schools.

Superintendent Richard Stokes also informed the group some would be going to the school board over the next few months to start implementing some of their ideas.

“We want to get moving, to show progress,” Stokes said.

He also emphasized the importance of more community members getting involved.

“We encourage you to keep coming, invite more too because we can benefit from everyone’s skills and insights and the people who benefit from that are our students,” Stokes said.

The meetings are open to anyone in the community to come and join.

In addition, Stokes and other district members updated the group on the different things going on around the department. They talked about the curriculum materials updates that have been implemented in the high school and middle schools; the national problem of teacher shortages and how and where the district recruits; the capital projects finishing up at Fritsch with their new classrooms, Pioneer’s process to building more brick and mortar to replace the portable classrooms, the Carson Middle School STEM lab construction and Carson High School parking lot and locker room updates; as well as looking for a Work-Based Learning Coordinator to help introduce work, career and college options to all students in the district.

The next Strategic Plan meeting will be held May 9 at 6 p.m. in the Carson High School Library.