A Vision for Success

A Vision for Success
Posted on 07/29/2015

Summer months in the school district are quite busy for the administrative team. With over 3,300 students, 400 staff members, a total annual budget approaching $50 million, and an immeasurable number of special programs, policies, laws, and mandates to manage, there are many important responsibilities to keep the administrative team, executive assistants, and some year-round clerical staff members working hard for the school district throughout the year.

Currently, our school district’s administrative team in Menomonie includes five elementary school principals, two middle school principals, three high school principals (including the athletic director), six directors (business, technology, pupil services, buildings and grounds, food service, and community education/pool/fieldhouse), and one district administrator. Since the director of human resources position was eliminated as part of this year’s budget cuts, the responsibilities for that position are now being shared by other administrators and executive assistants.

In addition to managing summer programs and completing many mandated reports, principals and other school district administrators across the state are busy overseeing summer maintenance projects, hiring new staff members, working on the budget, updating policies and procedures, and setting goals for the new school year. In Menomonie, we have also taken time during our summer administrative meetings to review the shared vision for our school district and identify ways that our school district can better meet the expectations set forth by our school community.

The shared vision that was previously set by the school board, with consideration of input from community, encompasses six main areas of what we intend to create in the School District of the Menomonie Area:

  • Strong partnerships with students, families, and the community in order to increase trust and shared responsibility.

  • The alignment of district fiscal resources with established priorities.

  • A high quality, well-rounded educational experience for all students that is rigorous, culturally relevant, healthful, and engaging.

  • ALL students performing at or above grade level in all academic areas.

  • Graduates prepared for college, career, and life in the 21st century.

  • Systems that will provide a diverse staff of competent, dedicated, caring professionals.

This summer, the school district’s leadership team has taken time to celebrate achievements, identify areas where improvement is needed, and develop plans for future growth and success. While we can be proud of many wonderful accomplishments that our school district has enjoyed in alignment with this vision, there are other areas where more work is needed.  

The district’s leadership team appreciates the value of accentuating partnerships and continuing to move forward in collaborative fashion in order to maximize success. This fall we will be asking the community and staff to be involved in this process as we update our school district’s strategic plan and advise the school board for how our district can continue to align our limited resources with the expectations of our school community. A schedule of these strategic planning committee meetings will be shared in a future edition of this School Crossing column.

Should school stakeholders have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for how our schools can best achieve our shared vision, I invite you to visit the Administrative Service Center on Pine Avenue or contact me at 715-232-1642.  More information about our schools can be found on the school district website (www.sdmaonline.com) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/sdmaonline).