The Vicksburg Warren School District is shelving its communitywide forums in favor of campus-by-campus public comment sessions.
District 2 school board member Alonzo Stevens made the announcement this week during his monthly town hall meeting with constituents, and Superintendent Chad Shealy confirmed the plan Friday.
“We have decided to discontinue them because of participation,” Stevens told constituents gathered Wednesday at Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library.
The next communitywide forum had been set for February.
During the forums, Shealy outlined long-term goals for the district and sought input on how to implement improvements to the school district. The forums are just one platform the district has used to reach parents and community members.
“That particular one didn’t seem to be one the community wanted,” Shealy said.
The first forum drew more than 100 people. But by October, “we had more presenters than people sitting in the room,” he said. Rather than hold single-event public forums, Shealy said, the district would focus on communicating with parents via a series of meetings targeted at a single campus.
“Those are going to be offered at the building levels,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success with those.”
During the district forums, attendees were broken up into small groups that explored “7 Actions That Improve School District Performance,” a study by The Center For Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, then provided feedback on ways the community could encourage and contribute to the success of the VWSD.
In November, Shealey presented the program to Steven’s town hall meeting.
Among the topics discussed was the implementation of Common Core State Standards. The school district will continue to provide information about Common Core for parents, Shealey said.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Stevens encouraged his constituents to have better communication and participation with the district and expressed disappointment that parents failed to show up for free information about the controversial Common Core State Standards and the school district.
“We’ve got to be on the same page,” Stevens said.