In a concerted effort to deepen the partnership between schools and the community, Davis School District recently hosted a series of meetings with Community Council chairs, co-chairs and school principals. These gatherings, held at various high schools across the district, are part of an ongoing initiative to align school efforts with district-wide priorities, specifically focusing on High Reliability Schools and belonging and inclusion.
District leaders, including Superintendent Dr. Dan Linford, Asst. Superintendent Dr. Logan Toone, and School Board President Liz Mumford, emphasized the significance of these meetings in fostering meaningful collaboration.
"Our goal tonight is to present the same information that we present to our administrators and other leaders directly to our community council leaders," said Dr. Linford. "Our intention and belief is that after tonight, we've seeded really important conversations about our two key initiatives — belonging and inclusion and High Reliability Schools."
Board President Liz Mumford highlighted the strategic importance of these gatherings, stating, "Gathering with council chairs and principals was a powerful way to prepare for the upcoming planning cycle. We're excited to see councils catch the vision of High Reliability Schools and a culture of belonging as they tackle the greatest academic needs in their unique schools."
The meetings were designed not just to inform but to empower Community Council leaders. Dr. Linford emphasized the potential impact of these gatherings on school planning and improvement efforts.
"We've empowered community council leaders to talk to their principals, who have an incredible amount of knowledge in these two spaces," he noted. "Hopefully, we've begun really important conversations between our community leaders, who have been elected to serve on Community Councils, and our principals who lead our schools as they make decisions about their school improvement plans and their trust lands."
Mumford expressed the board's gratitude for the dedication of Community Council members.
"The board is grateful for all those who serve on Community Councils. When parents, teachers and principals are unified on goals and plans, we really see the magic happen in DSD schools."
She encouraged council chairs to take an active role in their planning efforts, advising them to use the data, lead collaboratively with their principal and look for long-term impact with their spending.
Dr. Toone also stated, "With the divide and conquer approach, we'll have every Community Council in the room catching the message and knowing where we are with our district priorities".
The events included a welcome from a school board member, a presentation from district leaders and dedicated time for team collaboration on school-specific plans. One of the key goals was to align Land Trust and Teacher Student Success Act plans with district priorities.
These meetings are part of Davis School District's broader outreach strategy to engage with the community, listen to their feedback and work collaboratively towards a shared vision of success for all students.