Parkers Prairie ISD 547

Superintendent Saga

November 1, 2022 

Day 77 in District

“We have to go from what is essentially an industrial model of education, a manufacturing model, which is based on linearity and conformity and batching people. We have to move to a model that is based more on principles of agriculture. We have to recognize that human flourishing is not a mechanical process; it’s an organic process. And you cannot predict the outcome of human development. All you can do, like a farmer, is create the conditions under which they begin to flourish.”

~Sir Ken Robinson

 

7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

Habit 3: Put First Things First:. This habit is based on the principles of focus, integrity, discipline, and prioritization. We continue to use and build on the 7 Habits. Last week we focused on preparation for the audit presentation. John Hagen from Eide Bailey presented the audit. The District was given a “clean” audit opinion. The audit showed a General Fund balance as of June 30, 2022 of $2,633,477 which includes an Unassigned Fund Balance of $2,090,756. The District’s fund balance policy recommends an unassigned fund balance of 16.67% of expenditures. Currently we are over 25%.

Strategic Planning

We  Put First Things First with our Visioning and Strategic Planning process by beginning to gather input from District stakeholders.  This will begin with a community listening session on Thursday, November 3, 2022. Join us for a screening of the documentary Most Likely to Succeed at 6:30 p.m. Viewing will take place in the media center at Parkers Prairie High School. Following the showing we will have time for reflection and discussion regarding why change is needed.

If there is enough interest expressed we will have additional showings at a later date.

All teachers will be viewing the documentary on Friday morning. We also will be doing visioning work from the educator/learner perspective.

For those looking for schools on the journey I would recommend looking at the website of Northern Cass District 97 in Hunter, ND for a vision of personalized learning. At High Tech High, in San Diego, CA students engage in authentic work that matters to them and to the world beyond the classroom.  Element Education is also on the journey.

Respectfully,

Peter E. Haapala, Interim Superintendent

“If we create a culture where every teacher (employee) believes they need to improve, not because they are not good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.” —Dylan Wiliam