Task force

Three dozen district and school staff members spent four hours together Monday, April 24, in the first meeting of our new task force on school climate and culture. The group is taking a collaborative approach to address disrupted learning and related issues that educators with Bend-La Pine Schools have flagged as a high priority.

The objective of this initial meeting centered on developing a shared understanding of the current state of our challenges related to school climate and culture in Bend-La Pine Schools.

"I am excited about the progress we’ve made in our initial meeting and filled with hope to solve really complex problems that are impacting our students and staff across the district," said Dr. Steven Cook, Superintendent.

The discussion was led by Whitney Swander, an external facilitator.

"I am thankful for the facilitator who did a great job managing a large group, encouraging deeper thought, and did a wonderful job of not leading the conversation in any particular direction," said Sarah Barclay, President of the Bend Education Association.

The task force is composed of 12 certified staff, with seven chosen by BEA; six classified staff, with three selected by the Oregon School Employees Association; association leaders; six school administrators; and nine district administrators. See the full list here.

"I was encouraged by the Bend-La Pine Schools staff who were in the room, ready to roll up their sleeves and dig into these complex issues with thoughtfulness," Sarah said. "The task force members dug into the work of problem identification right away. I am assured that this process will elicit mid-term and long-term solutions that support students and educators. I am confident the task force will also determine short-term solutions that can be implemented right away to support all students, staff and the community.”

Although it took time to introduce everyone on the task force, it was valuable in creating community and helping to build trust quickly, said Kristy Knoll, Assistant Principal at Cascade Middle School. "I mean, that was a room full of smart, experienced people from all levels, and it was valuable for us all to see that."

Kristy added, "It was interesting to see the similarities between tables and hear from all of the different perspectives. It's clear this task force is needed, and I'm glad to be part of it. I hope we can make some big, easy-to-implement changes soon, and some even bigger, takes-a-while to implement changes for the future."

The task force was convened in response to teachers, administrators and support staff who have expressed growing levels of concern about our students with the highest needs for mental, emotional, and/or behavioral supports.

These issues have been apparent in the district since at least 2018-19. That year, state legislators made a compelling case for additional funding to support students with the Student Investment Account, and it was the highest priority in our district’s SIA plan.

"The stresses of the pandemic have exacerbated these needs. It is critical that leaders of all employee groups solve problems collaboratively so that we can establish clear priorities and action plans," Dr. Cook said.

Here are the goals of the group:

• Members will build a shared understanding of the greatest challenges facing our students and staff.
• With this shared understanding, the task force will establish prioritized recommendations for action steps, both short-term and long-term.
• The work of the task force will be shared openly and regularly with all internal stakeholders.

The task force is scheduled to meet two more times in May, with a focus on these topics:

• Emerging strategies and opportunities to act: Tuesday, May 16, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Change in complex systems and next actions: Wednesday, May 31, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Independent consultant Whitney Swander of Bend is the facilitator for these task force meetings.

Whitney is a results-driven leader specializing in equity-centered facilitation, inclusive engagement, outcome-driven change processes, and human-centered approaches to evaluation.

Her focus is in the early learning, K-12, higher education, business and industry, human services, health and local government sectors.

Do you have questions about this task force and process? Please let us know. Contact Deputy Superintendent Lora Nordquist at lora.nordquist@bend.k12.or.us

Educating Thriving Students

Email: scott.maben@bend.k12.or.us
Website: www.bend.k12.or.us/district
Location: 520 Northwest Wall Street, Bend
Phone: (541) 385-1006
Facebook: facebook.com/BendLaPineSchools