My First 100 Days

It is a tremendous honor and responsibility to assume the role of Superintendent in the Monroe School District. I could not be more excited to be part of this team. In just a short period of time, I am finding there is a lot to be proud of and celebrate!

This plan below outlines my objectives for the initial 100 days of my tenure as Superintendent, aimed at gaining insight into pressing matters requiring immediate attention and identifying key factors that will shape our long-term endeavors to enhance educational achievements for our students.

I look forward to engaging with students, staff, families, and community members, fostering open communication and active listening. By doing so, we can gain valuable insights, understand the obstacles we face, and identify the potential for growth as we unite our efforts to ensure high levels of learning for every student.

I am eager to collaborate with you, roll up my sleeves, and build upon existing accomplishments. Together, we can strive to develop a world class educational system for our students, staff, families, and community.

If you are interested in setting up a time to meet with me, please reach out to Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, Holly Kahler, at kahlerh@monroe.wednet.edu.

Sincerely,

Shawn Woodward
Superintendent

My First 100 Days: Engage. Listen. Learn.

Engage/Listen/Learn

These activities will allow for the building of relationships, while at the same time developing a deeper understanding of areas needing improvement as well as understanding and honoring areas of strength. By listening, learning, and applying what we learn, we will be in a great position to define common goals, align resources, take strategic action, and develop a shared vision for the future.

Visit every school and as many classrooms as possible in the district.	Completed
Schedule a “Meet and Greet” at every district site to gather input from staff members.	In progress
Interview critical stakeholders in civic clubs, city government, and other vital positions in the community asking the following: What are the strengths? What are the weaknesses? What are the opportunities? What are the challenges facing the Monroe School District?	Completed
Schedule one-on-one and small group meetings to engage with parents, teachers, all administrators, parent-teacher organizations, booster organizations, and teacher and support unions.	Completed
Visit with students and student groups.	Completed
Actively participate in as many community and school based activities as my schedule will permit.	Completed
Ride an elementary and secondary bus route.
Spend time in one of our school kitchens during the school day.

Data and Document Review

These activities will serve as a natural springboard into the development of a strategic plan for the district. The qualitative and quantitative data studied will illuminate those areas in need of attention, as well as those areas for celebration.

Conduct an analysis of performance indicators and examine a wide variety of data sources. Particular attention will be paid to student achievement data to discern trends, patterns, areas of accomplishment, and opportunities for improvement. Student outcomes on Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), all district-required assessments, dropout and graduation rates, staff and student attendance rates, truancy and discipline data, English Language Proficiency assessments, Advanced Placement (AP) course enrollment and passing rates, SAT and ACT scores, college and/or career bound rates, and other relevant indicators will be disaggregated by program, ethnicity, and geography, and carefully analyzed.	In progress
Review all critical district documents, including, but not limited to the district organizational chart, board policies, collective bargaining agreements, employee handbooks, school improvement plans, and any studies done by outside agencies.	In progress
Review operating and capital budgets through the lens of effectiveness, efficiency, and equity, along with the alignment to stated commitments, goals, and objectives.	In progress
Review all survey data from the superintendent search process.
Review all pending legal matters involving the school district.	In progress
Request and review job briefs from department heads (major responsibilities, projects, upcoming and long-term work).

Continue to Develop and Strengthen the School Board/Superintendent Relationship

There is a strong correlation between district leadership and student achievement. The school board/superintendent relationship sets the tone for all other relationships in the district and positive modeling is critical to improving student outcomes.

Engage in one-on-one meetings with board members to deepen relationships, understand their aspirations for the school district, strengthen dialogue, and shared vision for the school district.	Completed
Establish a regular meeting time with the Board President and Vice President.	Completed
Partner with the Board President and Vice President to plan the first Board Retreat to gain clarity on communication protocols, roles and responsibilities, expectations for the first year, agenda setting, future retreat dates, and calendar professional learning opportunities for the school board/superintendent team.	Completed
Establish a structure and/or expectations for responding to stakeholder concerns, comments, and feedback.	Completed
Outline plan and resources for creating a district strategic plan. Share draft process with the school board for discussion, adjustments, and approval.	Completed

Reflections on My first 100 Days

We made it! I have officially wrapped up My First 100 Days as Monroe School District’s new Superintendent and am excited to have kicked-off the collaborative process of developing our strategic plan for the future. Thank you for sharing your ideas, experiences, and perspectives with me through focus groups, meetings, and emails.

It has been a busy 100 days of engaging, listening, and learning with community collaborators. I have had the pleasure of meeting with the following individuals or groups so far:

I engaged with over 100 students, staff, families, and community members through individual meetings and focus groups.
I met with the administrators from each of our ten schools and I met with, or I have meetings scheduled with, all ten of our schools to gather feedback from our staff.
I visited every operational, school and educational program site at least once — and attended numerous staff meetings, professional development and events across the district.
I met with City of Monroe officials, including Mayor Thomas, Chief Jolley, City Administrator Deborah Knight, as well as city planners.
I met with many civic and non-profit organization leaders, including the VFW, the Monroe Public Schools Foundation, Citizens for Monroe Schools/Friends of Monroe SD, Monroe Equity Community, Monroe Chamber of Commerce, ECEAP, Rotary of Monroe, Evergreen Hospital, and more!
I had individual meetings with each one of our district's department leaders.
I facilitated a retreat with the Board of Directors of the Monroe School District and have had multiple one-on-one meetings with each Board Director.

I look forward to further interactions with you as we continue charting a path for the future of the Monroe School District. Please reach out if you would like to schedule a meeting to discuss any aspect of our school district! I am proud to serve this community and to call Monroe my home.

What I heard

Many of you have provided valuable feedback regarding what we should start, stop, and continue as we chart our course for the future. The recurring themes that emerged from your input include:

Appreciation for our Transportation Department.
An abundance of positive feedback in relation to our schools, teachers, and dedicated staff.
The presence of diverse alternative learning opportunities for our students.
Kudos to the Communication Department for keeping our community well-informed.
The strength of our athletics and extracurricular activities programs.
The need to enhance safety and security measures for both staff and students.
A desire to expand early learning opportunities.
A focus on fostering a greater sense of belonging for all students, families, and staff members.
A commitment to reducing incidents of bullying, intimidation, and harassment.
A call for increased community access to outdoor recreational facilities, such as tracks, fields, and tennis courts.
A desire for the development of a strategic plan for our district.
A need for the overall improvement of facilities, along with a more streamlined process for reserving gym and field space.
A call to increase trust and transparency within the district.
Asks for regulating student cell phone usage.
A desire to create opportunities for more community input.

Your feedback has been invaluable, and it will serve as a guide as we work toward the continued improvement and growth of our educational community. Thank you for your contributions and commitment to providing the best education for our students.

What We've Done

Based on your input, we have already made some changes that will benefit our staff, students, families, and community members, including the following:

Installed new security cameras at various places throughout the district.
Made plans to increase security measures at the front entrance of school buildings.
Installed air quality indication monitors across our school district to help inform decisions in the event of wildfire smoke.
Developed a plan to pilot vape detection devices at the high school level, with the intent to implement this at our secondary schools district-wide if we have positive results.
Opening up the track and fields at Park Place Middle School for community use during non-school, daylight hours. Community members will be free to use the track and the fields, as long as there is not a scheduled user group. Tennis courts will also remain unlocked for community use at Monroe High School.
Added a Transition to Kindergarten program classroom at Frank Wagner Elementary School.
Developed a district-wide goal to increase student belonging in our schools.
Developing resources for our students and families related to Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying. This will reinforce how people can report incidents, as well as a detailed description of how we respond as a school district.

Next Steps

The input gathered thus far will help inform our strategic planning as we move forward over the next several months. As previously mentioned, key themes have emerged through the many input-gathering sessions and we will continue gathering information over the next couple of months through more focus group discussions, community-wide meetings, and surveys. I also plan on engaging at a high level with students to ensure their voices are heard.

By mid-February, we will be sending out a draft strategic plan for your feedback, before going to our School Board for their approval.

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