August 5, 2026 at 8:30 AM - School Board Retreat

Description:  Time: 8:30 AM

Description:  Alma Lozano, Brisa Franco, Kristy Kottkey, Linda Harrington, Pete Truax

Description:  The consent agenda consists of routine, noncontroversial items that are acted upon under a single motion. Any item requested by a Board Director or the Superintendent may be removed from the consent agenda for separate discussion and consideration.

Description: 

Personnel action items are routine actions that support the District's staffing and operational needs. Actions may include resignations, hiring, leaves of absence, changes in status, contracts, and retirements.

Description: 

1. Welcome & Orientation to the Day (15 mins)

• Focus: Review the day's agenda, establish desired outcomes, and complete a brief round of introductions to welcome our newly appointed director.

2. Board Reflection & Role Check-In (30 mins)

• Focus: Individual and collective reflection on the prior school year.

• Discussion Points: What worked well? What operational adjustments do we need to make? Where do we need to provide additional support to one another? How are board members settling into their respective roles, and what are our primary hopes for the year ahead?

3. Board Internal Agreements & Modern Communication Flows (45 mins)

• Focus: Reviewing the explicit agreements governing how board members communicate, collaborate, and maintain professional relationships with one another.

• Discussion Points: Shifting communication structures. Without the weekly Friday Memo, what does systematic, predictable, and transparent communication from the district to the School Board look like moving forward?

4. Foundational Governance vs. Executive Management (45 mins)

• Focus: Deep dive into the structural alignment of the district, utilizing the "Ecosystem of Education" framework.

• Discussion Points:

  • Understanding the Roots (the community's local values and input).

  • Standing firm as the Trunk (the School Board’s role in structural policy governance and "what to do").

  • Empowering the Branches and Leaves (the Superintendent and staff’s role in executive management, daily operations, and "how to do it").

  • Reviewing the Board’s clear boundary: employing and evaluating exactly one person, the Superintendent. Connect this baseline layer to our overarching strategic goals. Forecast strategic plan conversation.

• District organization:

  • Review a functional org chart.

  • Review a high-level overview of how the work gets done, inclusive of philosophy and practice.

5. Board-Superintendent Working Agreements (30 mins)

• Focus: Reviewing and refining the established protocols that guide the direct operating relationship between the Board as a governing body and the Superintendent as the chief executive officer.

6. Strategic Plan Progress, Monitoring, & Long-Term Forecasting (45 mins)

• Focus: Reviewing the annual report and assessing our current strategic plan progress.

• Discussion Points: Clarifying the Board’s governance role in monitoring strategic progress. Looking ahead, establishing the multi-year forecast that the district will need to formally refresh or rebuild the strategic plan during the 2027-2028 school year for full implementation by Fall 2028.

7. Performance Growth Targets (30 mins)

• Focus: Review, refine, and finalize the specific district performance growth targets required for formal state or localized submission this year.

8. Board Goals and Commitments, Future Planning, and Open Floor (45 mins)

• Focus: Synthesizing the morning’s conversations into a clear, unified set of actionable board goals and commitments for the 2026-2027 school year.

• Discussion Points:

  • Review proposed work session topics

  • Legislative committee

  • Open floor for any emergent/other items before adjournment.

Description:  The meeting is adjourned at ____ p.m.

Next Meeting: August 5, 2026 Executive Session