Quincy Reporter

Dear Unit 4 Families and Staff,

Thank you for the initial feedback you have shared with our partner, Cooperative Strategies, regarding updates to our Schools of Choice student assignment process.  Cooperative Strategies is a national firm with experience crafting models to diversify schools.  While they care about student achievement, that is not the purpose of their work on this project.  As Superintendent, I will continue to focus my efforts on strong outcomes for every student regardless of the decisions the Board of Education makes regarding how students are assigned to specific campuses.

As we continue to gather feedback, Cooperative Strategies has asked me to share an update on a few topics that have emerged.

IEP/504 Update

We understand that there have been some questions regarding students with IEPs, 504s, and other programmatic needs.  As Cooperative Strategies is reviewing the proposed changes to our Schools of Choice system, they are taking into consideration the needs of all students, including those with IEPs and 504 Plans.  Most students with IEPs or 504s can be served in any of our elementary schools.  As Cooperative Strategies further develops potential changes to our student assignment process, they will continue to ensure all students’ needs are met.

Focus Group Update

The focus group sessions are intended to supplement the online survey shared last month.  The sessions to date have included between 10 to 20 participants who pre-registered online.  The intent is to keep the focus groups small in order to have productive discussions and allow every participant to share.  Each meeting is designed to include an introduction and a brief presentation that clarifies some frequently asked questions.  The rest of the session is for open discussion and Q&A.  The feedback from the focus groups will be summarized and shared with the Board of Education.

To date, there have been over 400 community members who have completed the focus group form, and Cooperative Strategies has engaged with over 120 individuals during just two days of sessions. It is anticipated that up to 25 total virtual sessions (October 5-13) and at least 10 in person sessions (October 17-18) will be held. 

The interest form for focus groups will close on Thursday, October 13th, and every effort will be made to place all interested people in focus groups.  Please register here for a focus group if you have not already done so and wish to participate.  If you prefer not to register for a focus group but would like to stop by one of our “Open House” listening sessions, you are invited to join us on October 17, 2022 at Carrie Busey Elementary School beginning at 7:30 p.m. or on October 18, 2022 at Garden Hills Academy beginning at 7:00.

Please remember: feedback is being collected via the online survey, focus groups, and in-person open houses.  All feedback is considered with the same weight regardless of collection medium.  

We will continue to share updates and look forward to hearing from you as we work together to diversify our schools.  As I have mentioned in previous communications, the feedback you provide will be used to help formulate final recommendations to our Board of Education. While no decisions have been made at this time, it is imperative that you participate in this process and I appreciate your continued willingness to do so.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shelia E. Boozer

Superintendent

Original source can be found here.