We often find ourselves falling into the same cycle year after year. We make New Year's Resolutions such as "I will lose weight," "I will read more books," "I will work out four times a week" or "I will give up sugary snacks." Often, we do quite well holding firm to our resolution in January. We may start feeling better, looking better, or even notice ourselves changing for the better. All too often, however, we lose sight of our goal as time goes by, our lives get busier, and we end up abandoning our goals well before the year even ends.
I lead a school district, and school districts operate on the school calendar rather than the traditional calendar. That doesn't, however, stop me from making my New Year's Resolution. It is my resolution as the District Administrator for the School District of Monroe to help our board develop our district's mission, vision, values and goals. I also resolve to lead the board in keeping these goals at the forefront as decisions are made, both throughout the year and into the foreseeable future.
As a district, we have not updated our district goals in quite some time. The last time we developed a set of goals was in 2012 when the district developed a "District Improvement Plan." This plan had some very lofty, data-based goals. They were based on researched educational best practices, and they were developed at the administrative and board level.
While well-intended, these goals were rich in educational terminology and they were hard for the general public to understand. Additionally, the district did not revisit or report annually on the goals and they soon became forgotten, much like far too many of our New Year's Resolutions.
When we decided to rewrite our district goals, we decided to take a different approach. We reached out to staff, parents and guardians, and the community at large. Instead of 15 to 18 people developing our goals, we had about 60 people collaborating on this plan for two 31/2-hour sessions in November and December. These community forums led to rich discussion regarding our district's past, present and future. While there were a wide variety of opinions on what specific goals the district should set, there was agreement on five major themes that we will build these goals around. These themes are:
n School and Community Partnerships
n Wellness and Life Skills
n Academic Success
n Recruiting and Retaining Staff
n Modernizing Infrastructure and Facilities
Our board of education will work on developing goals from these common values during our January and February board meetings. It is our hope that the board will approve the final plan in March, and from that point forward these values and goals will be held at the forefront as district decisions are made.
We also pledge to revisit the goals formally on an annual basis to report to the board and the community how we are doing in meeting the goals that have been set. This process cannot be a New Year's resolution that fades as we get busy being busy. Instead, the values and goals need to serve as a constant reminder of why we are serving in the roles we are and what we are committing to accomplish.
We have a lot to be proud of, and there are new stories every day that demonstrate just how truly important the work our staff does in serving students and families. It is an honor to serve the School District of Monroe community and it is with deep resolve that I look forward to the successes that 2018 will bring for our families and the community.
Go Cheesemakers!!
- Rick Waski is the District Administrator for the School District of Monroe. He can be reached at (608) 328-7109 or
rickwaski@monroe.k12.wi.us
I lead a school district, and school districts operate on the school calendar rather than the traditional calendar. That doesn't, however, stop me from making my New Year's Resolution. It is my resolution as the District Administrator for the School District of Monroe to help our board develop our district's mission, vision, values and goals. I also resolve to lead the board in keeping these goals at the forefront as decisions are made, both throughout the year and into the foreseeable future.
As a district, we have not updated our district goals in quite some time. The last time we developed a set of goals was in 2012 when the district developed a "District Improvement Plan." This plan had some very lofty, data-based goals. They were based on researched educational best practices, and they were developed at the administrative and board level.
While well-intended, these goals were rich in educational terminology and they were hard for the general public to understand. Additionally, the district did not revisit or report annually on the goals and they soon became forgotten, much like far too many of our New Year's Resolutions.
When we decided to rewrite our district goals, we decided to take a different approach. We reached out to staff, parents and guardians, and the community at large. Instead of 15 to 18 people developing our goals, we had about 60 people collaborating on this plan for two 31/2-hour sessions in November and December. These community forums led to rich discussion regarding our district's past, present and future. While there were a wide variety of opinions on what specific goals the district should set, there was agreement on five major themes that we will build these goals around. These themes are:
n School and Community Partnerships
n Wellness and Life Skills
n Academic Success
n Recruiting and Retaining Staff
n Modernizing Infrastructure and Facilities
Our board of education will work on developing goals from these common values during our January and February board meetings. It is our hope that the board will approve the final plan in March, and from that point forward these values and goals will be held at the forefront as district decisions are made.
We also pledge to revisit the goals formally on an annual basis to report to the board and the community how we are doing in meeting the goals that have been set. This process cannot be a New Year's resolution that fades as we get busy being busy. Instead, the values and goals need to serve as a constant reminder of why we are serving in the roles we are and what we are committing to accomplish.
We have a lot to be proud of, and there are new stories every day that demonstrate just how truly important the work our staff does in serving students and families. It is an honor to serve the School District of Monroe community and it is with deep resolve that I look forward to the successes that 2018 will bring for our families and the community.
Go Cheesemakers!!
- Rick Waski is the District Administrator for the School District of Monroe. He can be reached at (608) 328-7109 or
rickwaski@monroe.k12.wi.us
