Meeting Notes - 12/19/17
Superintendent Michael Bregy kicked off the meeting by thanking the group for the time and work that everyone has invested over the past three months, and continues to dedicate to the Future Focused Schools process. Dr. Bregy reminded the group of the charge of the Future Focused Schools Team, as stated to the Board of Education when he first proposed the plan at its meeting on September 12, 2017:
Charge: Develop Future Focused School plans with viable options for BHUSD Board consideration that will improve and enhance educational opportunities for students while ensuring long-term financial sustainability.
Future Ready School Team: Approximately 20 mixed-stakeholder participants from the BHUSD community who will work to plan, design and create with consensus.
Support: BHUSD cabinet members will serve as participants and as resources throughout the process.
The FFST also reflected on the vision statement that has framed the group’s work from its first meeting:
“What opportunities should a TK-12 BHUSD student experience to competitively thrive in a global society?”
This question serves as the starting point for every aspect of the Team's research and ultimate goal of developing configuration opportunities for the district.
Team members then formed small groups to refine data, develop talking points, and discuss pros & cons for each configuration option they are investigating - focusing on these areas of interest:
- Educational Value: General Ed, Special Ed
- Finances
- Facilities
- Cultural and Social/Emotional Issues
- FAQs from the community: (Q & A’s will be posted and printed as handouts for community forums)
These groups will serve as the basis for the topic-focused, small group portion of the Community Forums to be held on January 10th and 11th. This format for the Community Forums will allow attendees to ask questions, offer input and engage in dialogue with FFST members and educational experts from the district.
Team members and the Cabinet are also collaborating on an FAQ document for the community. The FAQ’s include all of the community input that has been submitted via the district’s websites, (42 submissions as of the 12/19/17 meeting), as well as questions raised in staff meetings, PTA meetings, and personally to Team members throughout the process.
The Team will be continuing its work in smaller groups over the BHUSD Winter Break, and decided to add another official Team meeting to its schedule on Monday, January 8th.
