By Diana Whittle
The new school year is moving with lightning pace, but Kyrene’s new superintendent, Dr. Jan Vesely, still found time to develop her personal-performance targets for the next 90 days.
She presented those goals as a report, titled “A Journey of Discovery: Transition, Entry and Planning,” to the district’s Governing Board during a recent retreat.
While the retreat was not televised, the 90-day plan is expected to figure prominently in the district’s work over the next three months, as Vesely focuses on how best to align the resources in the Kyrene district, so that “all students are college- and career-ready and that achievement gaps are closed.”
The plan’s content resonated particularly well with Governing Board President Bernadette Coggins.
“I was impressed that Dr. Vesely was able to key in on several areas that the board has been working to address for some time.
“It is encouraging that those areas are reflected as priorities in her 90-day plan.
“And, not only did she identify priorities that are consistent with the board’s priorities, she outlined very specific and measurable actions to move forward to address them.”
Her plan outlines three key outcomes, which she plans to complete by the end of this calendar year, including:
• Delivery of a comprehensive summary, to be shared with the Governing Board and the community, on the results of the superintendent’s listening and learning activities;
• Creation of an outline of the process to be used to review the current strategic plan;
• And, implement work by district staff on the strategic plan and an outline of any needed performance changes.
Vesely’s first step, she says, is to conduct a district-wide audit to help gather the data needed to build and plan for the future.
All the goals outlined in Vesely’s 90-day plan are important, says Board President Coggins, “but perhaps one of the key initiatives is the district-wide audit.”
“With the data collected as part of the audit, the board can cooperate with Dr. Vesely and her staff to ensure that all of our work in Kyrene is aligned with the goal of supporting teaching and learning in our schools,” explained Coggins.
During the audit, Vesely expects to looks at the district’s organizational efforts and resources.
“The results of the audit will drive our tasks moving forward, from updating our strategic plan, to strengthening our support of our schools and teachers, to guiding our budget priorities. “
Another very important focus of the next 90 days is for Vesely is to continue with her community outreach initiatives.
She already has announced a new series of “Let’s Talk Tours,” which enable district staff to meet in person with parents and to listen to their feedback on Kyrene and its future.
There is already a “Let’s Talk” link visible on the district’s webpage, along with an invitation to submit a question, concern or comment directly to the superintendent.
Another accomplishment under Vesely’s tenure so far is to establish a new ombudsman position to respond directly to questions or concerns from parents and the community. Rosalie Hirano, a district employee from the Community Relations group, was named to the new ombudsman role.
“She is responsible for recording each contact and following up to make sure the issue is resolved or information provided,” said Vesely.
The new position is a positive service for the community, says Governing Board President Coggins.
“The Board receives weekly reports on the number of inquiries received and the main topics of those inquiries.
“For us, it is helpful to have a central point of contact to refer our constituents and community members when they have a concern. We can then be assured that they will receive an answer or the information they are seeking.”
Once the 90-day plan and the audit are complete, Vesely wants to review the findings and establish a Curriculum Council to implement changes.
“While no decisions have been made yet on who will serve on the Curriculum Council, typically such a group is represented by the assistant superintendent, who oversees the Curriculum Department, along with members of the curriculum team, who provide content and expertise in state standards, as well as school administrators,” said Vesely.
Board president Coggins believes that the superintendent’s recommendations display her leadership qualities.
“The Board selected Dr. Vesely in part because she demonstrated the ability of being a strong leader, with the skills required to take us to the next level.
“We support her in her focus on teaching our students and preparing them for the future,” concluded Coggins.
