Board members during the Aug. 8 board meeting for the Lebanon Community School District dug into improving community engagement, facilities use, building maintenance and staffing issues.
The meeting was held virtually, making it difficult to identify who spoke during the meeting.
The board discussed a proposal regarding community engagement with various initiatives to improve interactions as well as collecting resident feedback more effectively, including the integration of technology to make use of real-time feedback.
“We should explore mobile apps and digital platforms,” a board member suggested, “to make it easier for community members to provide feedback as events and issues arise.”
The board elected to move ahead with the proposal and established plans to arrange community listening sessions as well as tech-based feedback tools by some time in September.
The facilities use report made clear the complex nature of facility use management, particularly when involving various needs and stakeholders. There was a proposal made for a budget increase of $50,000 intended to help streamline facility management primarily through process automation.
“The current process is cumbersome and we’re seeing a lot of administrative overhead,” explained Linda Moore, director of facilities. “…This budget adjustment will help us implement new software and improve our booking process.”
There were several building updates; Seven Oak’s building renovation has been completed successfully and they plan to hold a grand opening event to showcase and celebrate the updates.
Progress has been made on the room repairs for Lacomb, though there is more work to be done. The college and career center remodel is well underway with kitchen enhancements and floor grinding.
“The new kitchen facilities will greatly enhance our career center’s functionality and support our vocational programs,” Collins said.
The board discussed turnover stats with a focus on new hire success rates so they can work on developing retention strategies.
“Understanding our turnover rates is crucial for developing effective retention strategies,” a board member commented.
The board also talked about including student representatives in meetings, and the state school board conference some board members will attend for networking and professional development opportunities.
“Including student voices in our meetings will provide valuable perspectives and help us make more informed decisions,” a board member said.
Green also supported the idea of better communication strategies, especially via social media, saying, “We need to leverage social media to reach younger audiences and keep our community informed about board activities.”
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