Mead School Administrators Planning Education Summit Event To Give Community Members Chance To Discuss District’S Goals

The Mead School District is setting aside some time to look at its future.

But instead of having a small group of administrators make decisions, officials are handing the task to those who will feel the effects of those decisions the most: teachers, students, parents and community members.

The Mead Education Summit, Oct. 15 and 16 at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds, is designed to include as many people as possible in a discussion about the district’s goals and planning how to reach them.

“What we need is for the entire community to come together to identify (the school district’s) role in providing support for the community,” said Joan Kingrey, assistant superintendent of the Mead School District.

The decision to hold the education summit stemmed from talks about how to give an opportunity to those - such as parents and students - who feel they don’t often have a chance to express their concerns.

“We decided we needed to have some kind of event to allow everyone to have a voice,” Kingrey said.

The education summit will hum with 1,900 voices, including all 860 school district employees, 290 students from the middle and high schools, 570 parents and 180 Mead community members, such as business owners, church leaders and senior citizens.

The summit is being planned in part by consultant Kathleen Dannemiller, co-inventor of what is called the “whole-scale strategic change approach.” The process focuses on getting the people who make up an organization to shape that organization’s vision and help develop an action plan.

Dannemiller has facilitated large-scale events with corporations throughout the country, including Ford Motor Co. and Boeing. But the whole-scale process has never been done in a school district before, Kingrey said.

Interaction will be the summit’s focus. On the first day, participants will watch a number of presentations, then discuss them in small groups made up of a mix of people, such as teachers, students, administrators and business people. They will also be able to ask questions of the presenters.

A student video, for example, will explain students’ needs and what they think the school district needs to do for them. Local business people will talk about the future from their perspective and explain their needs. A teacher/student panel will describe life in the classroom.

The second day of the summit will be devoted to figuring out what changes can be made, planning how to make those changes and how to stay committed.

The summit’s anticipated budget is $122,500 - a sum to be raised by direct and in-kind contributions. The costs cover the facility rental fee, consultant services, sound/video/ technical support, video production, advertising, supplies and food.

“We think it will be worthwhile,” Kingrey said. “It’s not a discussion that goes nowhere. It adjourns with concrete action steps that people agree to.”

EDUCATION SUMMIT Registration Organizers of the Mead Education Summit are looking for participants now. Business owners, church leaders, senior citizens, agency representatives, parents, students and other community members are invited to register by calling the district office at 465-6000. More information is also available at that number, or at any Mead school.