SMITHFIELD – On Monday, March 18, 2024, Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) held a Community Town Hall at Swift Creek Middle focused on incorporating community feedback and weighing in on the school district’s progress thus far.
In the Fall of 2023, the district asked for the community’s input on how to move the school district forward over the next five years. Over 12,000 members of the JCPS community responded.
The meeting was co-facilitated by JCPS leaders and partners from RTI International’s Center for Education Services. More than 70 community members, stakeholders, and staff members gathered and shared thoughts, strategies, and information. Town Hall attendees were provided an opportunity to preview the drafted vision, mission statement, core values, and goals before engaging in table discussions that will help to inform revisions moving forward.
Participants were present with the four priority areas, and then engaged in facilitated conversations regarding the priority areas. The four priority areas are:
- Priority 1: Future Focused Academic Excellence
- Priority 2: Exemplary and Valued Personnel
- Priority 3: Sustainable and Intentional Operations
- Priority 4: Supportive Environment and Community
Like most meeting attendees, JCPS parent Diana Riggsbee was extremely grateful to share her insight and engage in the conversations. “These meetings are important because they provide an opportunity for the community to give feedback on what we are seeing in the schools from our perspective.”
One of the primary goals for the preparation of the plan is to ensure community input is integrated within. “With strategic planning, hearing from the community throughout the process is so important in ensuring the plan the district creates really reflects the will of the community,” stated W. Kyle Canuette, RTI International Education Consultant.
The district has been purposeful in providing the community with opportunities to provide feedback. “Our team has been blown away by the response here in Johnston County—from the over 12,000 responses on the questionnaire, to the focus groups across the county back in the fall, and now the participation in the town hall tonight, the community has been incredibly invested in sharing what they need from the district’s next strategic plan to best support their schools,” shared Canuette.
The feedback provided through the various platforms will be considered as the district continues to develop the plan. JCPS will present the drafted plan to the Johnston County Board of Education during the April regular scheduled meeting. The Board will vote on the plan during the May or June regular scheduled meeting.
All for show. They don’t care one bit about what the public thinks. Don’t be fooled
No doubt this article was written by the chief communication officer from jcps. How about them drop out rates?