Athens preps for referendum
Citizen feedback sessions are scheduled for June and July
The Athens Board of Education last week Wednesday held its first strategic planning session to prepare for the school district’s referendum on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Drew Howick, owner of Howick Associates in Waunakee, gave a presentation in the Athens middle/high school gym to Athens school board members and the school district’s leadership team of staff members about the following five items needed in a strategic plan: slogan, vision, mission, three pillars and collective commitments of the school board.
Athens School District’s goal is to have a five-year strategic plan completed by the end of this summer. Members of the school board and school district leadership team will update the school district’s vision and mission statements. They identified the three pillars of focus as students, staff and community for the school district during the next five years. Within each pillar, school district priorities will be established as strategic plan draft goals.
Meeting attendees identified 19 Athens School District residents living in the village of Athens and surrounding townships to be invited into a community advisory team to help the school district prepare for the upcoming referendum.
The Athens leadership and advisory teams will meet in early June to refine draft goals. The school district advisory team will receive feedback from the school board during its next meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 20, in the middle/high school library. In June, the community advisory team will create and communicate an engagement process for Athens School District residents so they can learn about the referendum.
Athens School District residents will be invited during June and July to participate in referendum feedback sessions. The school board and school district leadership team will update the strategic plan to incorporate community feedback during the school board’s meeting on at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 18, in the middle/high school library.
Finally, the school board in August will finalize the school district’s strategic plan for 2022-26.
Athens School District’s slogan of “One Town, One Team, One Dream” originated from the high school football team’s success many years ago. Howick asked school board members and the school district leadership team if this slogan is still pertinent today, or if it needs to be changed.
One person asked if “One Town” should be changed to “One Community” in the school district’s slogan now that it has attached Maple Grove Charter School in the town of Hamburg? In a show of hands, meeting attendees preferred to keep the current school district slogan intact.
Tim Krueger, Athens school board president, said the school district students should determine whether or not the school district’s slogan needs to be revamped, because it was students who created the current slogan. The group plans to let students in the 2022-23 school year determine if the school district choose between keeping the current slogan or a few different other options.
Meeting attendees discussed what the school district’s vision statement should be in the future. People mentioned the following key words that could be used in a vision statement: inclusive, culture, dignity, diverse, integrity, responsible, respectful, compassionate, strive and prepare.
A team of Chris Czech, Athens Middle School mathematics, pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade Title Math and school district data specialist, Allison Kerkman, school district program support teacher and Tom Ellenbecker Jr., Athens school board member, volunteered to draft a new vision statement for the school district.
The same group of people will work with school principals Joy Redmann, Juli Gauerke-Peter and Robin Hanson to draft a school district mission statement. School board members decided on a list of the following collective commitments to school district residents during its school board retreat at the end of its March meeting: open and honest communication, collaboration and teamwork, prepare and plan and leadership, leaning, empower and encourage.
