Csd White Paper Final

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Capital School District

Performance and PerceptionsA white paper supporting Capital School District strategicplanning

April 2016


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Table of Contents

Overview ............................................................................................................. 3

Data Collection and Methodology ...................................................................... 3

Background ......................................................................................................... 4

Aspirations .......................................................................................................... 5

Educational Program ........................................................................................... 6

Overall Perceptions ...................................................................................... 6

Core Academic Program ................................................................................ 6

Enrichment Programs .................................................................................... 9

Career Technical Education (CTE) .................................................................... 10

Special Education ....................................................................................... 11

Gifted and Talented .................................................................................... 13

English as a Second Language ......................................................................... 14

Other Academic Information .......................................................................... 15

Student Services and School Climate ........................................................................... 15

Relationships between Teachers and Students ..................................................... 15

Discipline & Safety ...................................................................................... 16

Mental Health Services ................................................................................. 17

Facilities ............................................................................................................ 18

Finance .............................................................................................................. 19

Faculty & Staff .................................................................................................. 19

Community & Communication .......................................................................... 20

Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 20


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Overview

This white paper is intended to demonstrate the current state of Capital School District(CSD) by presenting a wide range of data and perceptions about CSD.

Along with people’s individual experience with CSD this paper provides a basis for acomprehensive dialogue about CSD’s vision for the future and how best to attain it. It is alsointended to demonstrate the diversity of perspectives within the community ofstakeholders. Some of the information may match your perceptions and some may not. It isthrough these differences that people become open to learning more and become curious toexplore issues more deeply.

Also, it should be noted that the data presented is not intended to drive immediate action.Schools have improvement plans and are taking actions to improve based on their specificdata. This white paper is not intended to replace this school level analysis; rather it is

intended as a platform from which collaborative dialogue will begin.

Based on the interviews and meetings described below, common themes emerged. Thesethemes then provided a structure for this paper and the content within it. Where appropriate,available data were integrated into the appropriate sections of this paper.

Data Collection and Methodology

School districts are complex entities. There are some areas where data and perceptions align.There are some areas where there are no readily available data so anecdotal perceptions maydominate. To describe the range of performance and perceptions about CSD, numerous datawere gathered during the early spring of 2016. Some examples are:

Academic data from the Delaware System of Student Assessments (DeSSA). TheDeSSA includes the Smarter Balanced assessments for both English language artsand mathematics and the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) forSubject area assessments in science and social studies.

Perceptual data gathered through the 2014 Delaware School Survey that measuresdrug use among students and factors related to the school environment such asschool safety, violence and student behavior. The survey is administered tostudents in 5th, 8th and 11th grade.

Perceptual data gathered from approximately 165 people who attended twocommunity forums, one staff forum and one student forum.

Perceptual data from one-to-one, small group and phone interviews with the CSDSchool Board Members, community residents, CSD administrators, teachers, staff,community members, elected officials, and volunteers.


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Perceptual data gathered from a board workshop conducted with CSD School BoardMembers in fall of 2016.

Background

Capital School District is a K-12 public school system that serves approximately 6,665 studentsin 12 schools:

Elementary Booker T. Washington Elementary School (K-4)East Dover Elementary School (K-4)Fairview Elementary School (K-4)Hartley Elementary School (K-4)North Dover Elementary School (K-4)South Dover Elementary School (K-4)Towne Point Elementary School (K-4)

Middle William Henry Middle School (5-6)Central Middle School (7-8)

High School Dover High School (9-12)

Other Kent County Community School (KCCS)Kent County Secondary ILC

CSD students fall into the following ethnicities:

Caucasian – 32%

Hispanic – 9%

African American – 53% Asian - 3%

American Indian/Alaskan Native - 1% Multi-Racial - 2%

Other student demographics include:

English Language Learners – 4% Special Education – 17%

Low Income – 49%

The 2015 School Choice data documents that 409 CSD students choiced to a school other thantheir feeder school within the district, 913 CSD students choiced to charter schools, 448 CSDstudents choiced to other districts and 328 students choiced into CSD. In the current 2016


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school year, 976 CSD students choiced to charter schools and 447 students choiced to otherdistricts.

CSD operates within an annual budget of approximately $97.5M in expenditures.

The District is located in central Kent County, Delaware covering a 125-square-mile area thatis comprised of rural, suburban and urban communities. Towns served by the district includeCheswold, Hartly, Little Creek, and most of Dover as well as the Delaware side of Marydel.Dover is approximately 90 miles south of Philadelphia, PA, and 90 miles east of Washington,DC. While its population is significantly less than that of Wilmington, Delaware, Doverencompasses a larger area than any other city on the Delmarva Peninsula. In contrast to mostmajor cities in the Northeast United States, Dover is continuing to grow economically, inpopulation, and in land area.

Aspirations

There is a fairly consistent perception that CSD is a good school district that has a caring anddedicated staff. The diversity of the District is perceived as one of its biggest strengths aswell as a major challenge. There is a consistent desire for CSD to become a premier districtin the state and nation. People believe that public perception of the District is skewed andthat there is a need to share the great things happening in the District with the community.People want a district they can be proud of and that is the center of the community.

One staff member stated, “Capital has many outstanding educators who have a heart for our families and education. I want Capital to shine like it should in thecommunity.”

Ideas expressed about how to achieve premier status include:

preparing every graduate for college or for work of their choosing;

reaching non-traditional learners through blended learning, flipped classrooms,internships, hands-on-learning and other engagement strategies;

supporting the social-emotional development of learners through increased mentaland behavioral health services;

continuing to expand the Career Technology Education Program; and

offering robust Visual, Performing and Related Arts Programs.

Finally, there was a strong desire to address the developmental and individual needs of everychild. This manifests in comments that stress the strong desire for CSD to increase the social-emotional, mental health, behavioral health and academic supports provided to students andfamilies. At the same time, there is a strong desire to increase opportunities to provide


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programs that engage students while enriching their lives through arts, music, sports, andother extra-curricular activities.

Educational Program

Overall Perceptions

The perception of CSD is one of being a good district that offers a wide variety of programsfor students. Repeatedly, there were perceptions about students “in the middle” being lost,and a general perception that access to challenging programs, in particular the giftedprogram at the elementary and middle level, was limited and not available to all students.There is also a strong desire to improve mathematics performance across all grade levelswhile increasing opportunities for students in the visual and related arts. Many individualsbelieve that while there are a variety of academic courses offered to students, there is aneed to differentiate instruction to better meet the individual needs and interests of thestudents. There is a perception that the grading system is in need of revision and thepromotion guidelines need to be consistently implemented.

A parent stated, “I think we need to change our grading policy. The top end of thescale is 6 points so an A equals 94% or higher. This causes anxiety in students. TheDistrict needs to consider chan ging this to something that is achievable for students.”

Another person commented, “We need to trust the teacher. An A means somethingand an F means something. When we give students a C when they did nothing, we’vetaught them nothing.”

“Math needs to be a priority. In K-8, students are told they don’t need to pass mathand they get promoted on to the next grade level but when they get to the high schoolthey must pass four years of math,” stated a high school math teacher.

Core Academic Program

Capital’s core academic program includes English language arts, mathematics, science andsocial studies and is a standards-aligned curriculum. English language arts and mathematicscurricula are aligned with the national Common Core State Standards (CCSS) while the scienceand social studies curricula are aligned with state and national standards. The perception isthat the core academic program is strong with adequate resources.

One parent commented,“ There is an outstanding and rigorous curriculum in place in

Capital.”

A faculty member stated, “ Capital School District has a great deal of materialresources, such as text materials for K-12 mathematics, classroom software supportsand other educational materials.”


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There is also a perspective that while the curriculum is strong, there is a need for greaterstudent engagement and to differentiate instruction so that students receive moreindividualized instruction based upon their needs.

A teacher commented, “ Every child learns differently so we need to use differentapproaches to meet the needs of the children in our classroom.”

Student performance in the core content areas is measured using the standards-alignedDelaware System of Student Assessment (DeSSA) and local district assessments. Currently,DeSSA includes the Smarter Balanced assessments for both English language arts andmathematics that focus on writing, listening and research, and measure real-world skills likecritical thinking and problem solving. Achievement in science and social studies is measuredusing assessments from the former Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS).

An examination of the assessment results for school year 2014-2015 provides the followinginformation about academic performance in reading, mathematics, science and social studies.

Based upon these assessments, students in CSD in grades 3 and 4 are performing above

the state average while grades 5 through 11 are performing below the state average.

In mathematics, students in CSD perform below the state average in all gradesassessed, 3 through 11, with 50% or less meeting the mathematics standards across allgrades.


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In science, the percentage of students scoring proficient (meeting the science

standards) in grade 5 is at the state average (47%), grade 8 performance is below thestate average (44%) and grade 10 is above the state average (47%).

In social studies, the percentage of students scoring proficient (meeting the socialstudies standards) in grade 4 is slightly above the state average (64%) while the

percentage of students scoring proficient in grade 7 is below the state average (47%).


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While the overall academic achievement in the core content areas is below that of the state

average in the majority of grades and subjects, the growth data available from 2011-2013 inreading and mathematics demonstrates that the amount of growth students are making inthese subjects overtime is higher than the growth made by other students in the same gradeacross the state.

Enrichment Programs

CSD curriculum includes a variety of classes that are designed to enrich and enhance theeducational program. Dover High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Program offers coursesin music, art, drama, communication and dance.

There is a common perception that these programs offer opportunities for students to engagein high-quality learning experiences that align with their interests. At the same time, there isa strong to desire to expand more engaging opportunities for students within the normalschool day and to consider these programs as essential.


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As one stakeholder said, “ While Capital offers a lot of different types of arts programs for students; I would like to see the visual and related arts having more of a presencein the daily curriculum and not something extra that has different value. These typesof opportunities need to reach more students.”

“ All classes matter! These classes need to be graded and we need to stop pulling kidsout of them for extra help in other subjects,” stated one teacher advocating for thespecials and related arts.

Another teacher shared, “ We have an amazing drum line!”

Career Technical Education (CTE)

Capital School District currently provides Career Technical Education in the followingpathways (series of 3 or 4 consecutive courses) at Dover High School:

Animal Science Environmental & Natural Resources

HVAC/Sheet Metal Culinary & Hospitality Management

Early Childhood Education

Computer Aided Drafting Communications Technology

Certified Nursing Assistant Business & Corporate Management Marketing

In addition, the following state approved programs will be implemented school year 2016-17:

Academy of Finance

Manufacturing Production Technician Manufacturing Logistics Technician

At Central Middle School the CTE programs includes:

Agriscience Family & Consumer Science

Exploring Health Sciences

Exploring Business

Both Dover High School and Central Middle School offer Jobs for Delaware Graduates programming (grades 7-12). Kent County Community School and Dover High School also offerSpecialized Technical Experiences to our special education population including the Print


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Shop and Project Search. All CTE programming is inclusive. CTE course offerings continue toexpand and more students are taking advantage of unique course pathways that are relevantand align with their individual interests and talents. Future possible programming updates inAgriscience, Certified Nursing Assistant and Computer Aided Drafting are being discussed.

Students can earn dual enrollment credits, articulated college credits, and certifications aftersuccessful completion of the programs through Delaware State University, University ofDelaware, Delaware Technical & Community College, Goldey Beacom College, and WilmingtonUniversity.

A parent said, “We have good CTE programs but we need more offerings for ourstudents.”

Special Education

The Capital School District participates fully in inclusion practices at all schools to thegreatest extent possible for all special education students. In 2015, 17% of the students inCSD were identified as special education receiving specially designed instruction through thespecial education programs. This includes two schools, Kent County Community School andKent County Secondary Intensive Learning Center (ILC).

Kent County Community School (KCCS) / Delaware Autism Program (DAP) at CapitalThe Kent County Community School (KCCS) is located in the Capital School District and servesapproximately 225 students ranging in age from three to twenty-one who exhibit a variety ofdisabilities that include physical, sensory, cognitive communication, and those that aremedically fragile. The primary purpose of the program is to provide an educationally

appropriate program for each student designed around the needs of the student supported byrelated services. A consultative and integrated approach to service delivery is used whereteachers and therapists work collaboratively in designing and delivering educational andtherapeutic strategies in the classroom.

The Kent County Community School provides specialized programming for students withautism through the Delaware Autism Program (DAP) located within the district. There arecurrently 100 students throughout the district enrolled in the program. The classes andprograms are located in peer appropriate settings as the District strives for placing students inthe least restrictive environment possible to maximize opportunities for social as well asacademic development.

Kent County Secondary Intensive Learning Center (KCSILC)Kent County Secondary Intensive Learning Center (KCSILC) is a county-wide program in theCapital School District. The purpose of this program is to provide an alternative placement forstudents with disabilities who are behaviorally involved to the extent that they cannot access


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their education in the general school environment. The school currently serves over 100students and offers additional levels of support for the students.

Early Childhood Programs

Capital provides a variety of early childhood programs for students in the District. Theseinclude:

Early Childhood Assistance Program (ECAP) – ECAP is a state funded program thatprovides services for children from birth to age five in low-income families or fostercare. Ten percent of the children enrolled in ECAP are children with disabilities.

Itinerant Speech – This early childhood special education program is for three and fouryear old children with speech delays. Children are provided early childhood specialeducation and related services within their community in such settings as their homes,preschools, child care centers and family day care homes.

Pre-K Programs – CSD offers half-day Pre-K programs at East Elementary, FairviewElementary, and Hartly Elementary and a full-day program at Kent County CommunitySchool (KCCS).

According to the spring 2015 IDEA Parent Engagement Survey, there is a consistent perceptionthat the special education procedures and practices in CSD are implemented appropriately.Sixty-six parents of special education students responded to 18 questions related to specialeducation program procedures and practices in CSD. Of the 66 respondents,

94% strongly agreed that “ The school encourages and supports my involvement in mychild ’ s education in order to improve services and results for my child.”

96% strongly agreed that “ I am considered an equal partner with teachers and paraprofessionals in planning my child ’ s IEP.”

There is a perception in CSD that there are great services for special education students atKCCS, however, there is a need to strengthen and improve support for students identifiedwith special needs across the district. There is a belief that special education students are“falling between the cracks” because they are in regular education classes and not getting theindividualized instruction they need and that IEP’s and 504 accommodations are not beingimplemented appropriately or, in some cases, at all. At the same time, individuals believethe quality of education can improve for special education youngsters by providing more one-on-one support in classrooms, increasing the alignment of programs across the district andproviding additional training for staff on meeting individual needs of students withdisabilities.


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“ Capital needs to improve special education. The teachers don’ t consider all of the

individual needs or meet all requirements in the IEP. These kids are capable oflearning but get written off and fall through the cracks. We need to learn how tobetter educate these kids. This is a systematic problem,” stated a parent of a special

education youngster.

The Early Childhood Programs are consistently viewed as positive. There is a strong desire toincrease access to these programs and to house them in one location in order to strengthenthe services provided to young children and their families.

One administrator stated, “Ideally we would like to have all early childhood programsin one facility to similar to the way services are provided in Appoquinimink, CapeHenlopen and Christina. This would strengthen our programs and help build capacityof the staff.”

Gifted and TalentedCSD offers a variety of programs for students identified as gifted and talented beginning inthird grade through twelfth grade. The Gifted and Talented programs offered in CSD are asfollows:

Elementary Programs (Grades 3-4)

Accelerated Curriculum and Technology Program (ACT) - ACT provides eligiblestudents in grades 3 and 4 with enrichment to the basic curriculum delivered by theLibrary/Media Specialist. Students are pulled from their regular classrooms for about 2

hours each week to work with other students in their same grade.

Alternative Learning Program for High Achievers Program (ALPHA) - ALPHA is a self-contained class for eligible students in grades 3 and 4 across CSD. The program ishoused at Booker T. Washington Elementary School and provides a compactedaccelerated program covering the basic curriculum.

Middle School Program (Grades 5-8)

Gifted and Talented Environment Program (GATE) - GATE serves eligible students ingrades 5 through 8 by placing them on GATE teams. Students are grouped

homogeneously based upon academic performance level. The curriculum is alignedwith state and Common Core standards and designed to challenge high-ability studentsto reach their full academic potential.

High School Programs (Grades 9-12)


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Honors & AP Courses – Honors courses (accelerated courses) and Advanced Placement(AP) courses are offered at Dover High School. Participation in these classes is basedon students’ academic strengths and interests.

While the Gifted and Talented Programs are considered strengths of the district, there is aperception that these are exclusive programs at the elementary and middle school level andnot all students have access to them.

One parent commented, “CSD has excellent programs at all grade levels for studentslike the ACT, ALPHA, and Odyssey of the Mind (OM), Robotics.”

Another parent stated, “There needs to be consistency in identifying children for ACTand GATE. More information needs to be made available to all parents so morestudents have access to these programs.”

At the secondary level, Dover High Schoolhas worked to increase access to honorsand AP courses by permitting any studentinterested in taking one of the classes toenroll in the course. As a result of theefforts to increase access and participationin AP courses, there has been an increasein the number of students taking AP coursesat the high school from 241 students in2011 to 416 students in 2015. There were819 exams that were taken by these 416

students enrolled in an AP courses.Although enrollment has increased, thepercent of students passing the exams witha score of 3 or higher has declined andcontinues to be much lower than the stateand global averages.

English as a Second Language

The English as a Second Language Program (ESL) in Capital School District is provided to helpstudents, whose dominant language is other than English, become fully English proficient and

meet or exceed the academic standards set by the State of Delaware. Capital’s ESL program,provided by four ESL teachers, is a pull-out program at the elementary and middle schoollevel and a scheduled course at the high school level. Over the past several years, there hasbeen a steady growth in the ESL population in CSD with 212 ESL students in 2012 to 298 in the2016 school year. Currently in the 2016 school year, there are a total of 298 studentsenrolled in the ESL program with 31 native languages spoken.


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Other Academic Information

Indicators for high school academic performance are typically different than other grades. Afew examples for Dover High School (DHS) are:

In school year 2012-14, 91% of seniors took the SAT. CSD students scored below thestate average in all areas (mathematics reading, writing). CSD overall averagetotal score was 1210 while the state average score was 1303.

CSD offers several options for students to earn college credit while still in highschool. These include courses offered through Delaware Technical and CommunityCollege, Wilmington University, Delaware State University and Wesley College.Currently, 75 CSD students are enrolled in Dual Enrollment courses.

The overall graduation rate in CSD has increased for all students from 75.6% in2013 to 83.4% in 2015 which is just slightly lower than the state graduation rate in2015 (84.3%).

Student Services and School Climate

Several recurring themes were voiced in the community forums and interviews, namely:

Relationships between teachers and students

Discipline & Safety

Mental Health Services

Relationships between Teachers and Students

Overall, the relationships and caring of the teachers for the students were noted as strengths.

There is a perception that some students, in particular at the middle school, do not showrespect for their teachers. One action to improve relationships between teachers andstudents involves providing specific training for staff on managing difficult behavior. Studentsexpressed a desire for teachers to utilize more hands-on activities within their lessons toincrease student engagement, eliminate misbehavior and improve relationships betweenstudents and teachers.

A student shared, “I know from personal experience that there is a drastic differencebetween the level of teaching from some of my teachers, especially those who are soinvolved in the student’s work and care so much about how we do and our testscores.”

One parent stated, “We need to create a place where every child knows that they arecared for deeply and believe they can do great things.”


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Discipline & Safety

Parents, students, and staff all voiced concerned about discipline, especially at the middleand high school levels.

One parent stated, “When disruptive behaviors interrupt learning, we need to domore to address the behavior and not just send the misbehaving child back into theclassroom to repeat the same behavior. There are too many warnings and no actionto refocus students.”

The Delaware School Survey for 2014 for CSD reported that of the students in the district thatparticipated in the survey, 74% of 5th grade students, 75% of 8th grade students and 68% of11th grade students reported that fighting is a problem at their school – all higher than thestate average. When asked if the students at their school obey the teachers, only 38% of 5th grades students, 22% of 8th grade students and 15% of 11th grade students responded

affirmatively.

CSD’s discipline data demonstrates that there was a decline in the number of referrals at alllevels from 2012 through 2014. In 2014-15, there were a total of 4,163 discipline referrals. Ofthese referrals, the majority were male students (65%); African American students had thehighest representation of the total referrals (76%); middle and high school students (grades 5-12) accounted for majority of the incidents (74%); and over a quarter of the offenders werespecial education students (28%)

There is a perception that the newly revised Student Success Guide is not being implementedconsistently which is contributing to the discipline issues. It was expressed repeatedly, that

there is a need for clarity in discipline policies and procedures and alternative methods ofdiscipline need to be explored. Many voiced the need to provide continuous training andsupport for teachers in practices and techniques for managing complex behaviors.

“The Student Success Guide is a good beginning but implementing it with fidelityrequires training teachers in restorative practice. Also, behavior data is skewedbecause some incidents regarding the same students are “bundled” and appear as oneinfraction. Keeping honest data while helping students learn self-regulation is achallenge,” expressed one teacher.

A stakeholder commented, “I would like to see a more thoughtful and reflective

approach to discipline where the consequences and reward for behavior eventuallybecome intrinsic rather than extrinsic.”


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Mental Health Services

The Capital School District provides a range of mental health services to students andfamilies. Services include individual and small group sessions by school counselors; behavioral

interventionists; school psychologists and/or Behavioral Health Consultants on loan from theOffice of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services. Therapists from community-basedagencies (with parent consent) provide services to students at school, paid for by parentsand/or insurance. CSD has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Center for ChildDevelopment to provide mental health services a minimum of one time per month at theparent’s expense and/or insurance. Case management services are available in the followingschools by Family Crisis Therapist (FCT) from Office of Preventative Behavioral HealthServices (OPBHS): North Elementary, East Elementary, Booker T. Washington Elementary,Fairview Elementary and Town Point Elementary.

There is a consistent perception that CSD has a changing student population with more varied

needs than ever before. As a result, students and families are perceived as needingadditional support services in order for children to be successful in school. While there is aconsistent concern regarding the lack of mental health resources, there is a persistent desireby the faculty and staff to work collaboratively with other agencies and organizations tobetter serve the students and families in CSD.

One teacher noted, “Kids bring so much stuff into the classroom. Some kids come from terrible situations that spill over into the school and sometimes teachers don’ tknow what these situations are about. We need more mental health resources tohelp kids and families.”

“ We need more proactive interventions and supports for our students fromacademics, discipline, self-esteem and morale. Teachers need support and training indealing with these type of situations with children and families,” said one parent.

From a staff member, “ We lost our family crisis therapist (FCT) and really need moreof these type resources not less.”


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Facilities

The Capital School District completed its Building and Facility Plan in 2015 with constructionof the new Dover High School and the renovations at Booker T. Washington Elementary

School. Several buildings in the District have not been updated in many years (see tablebelow). In addition, a recent assessment of furniture in schools identified a lack ofconsistency available and a need for updates to align with current methods of teaching andlearning.

Name of Bldg.Date of Original

ConstructionLast Renovation

Quality of OriginalConstruction1-Excellent

to4 - Low Cost

Age# of

Portables

Booker T. Washington 1923 (1958) 2015 4 93

East Dover 1956 2004 3 60

Fairview Elementary 1957 2004 3 59

Hartly Elementary 1924 2004 3 92 2

North Dover 1996 2 20 2

South Dover 2009 2 7

Towne Point 1967 2003 3 49

William Henry Middle School 1953 2004 4 63

Central Middle School 19232004 Auditorium

&Field House 2008

4 93

Dover High School 2014 1 2

Kent County CommunitySchool

1976 2015 2 40

Kent County Secondary ILC Leased Space

Administrative Office 2012 1 4

There is a perception that the facilities in CSD have improved greatly over the past severalyears yet there still exists a need to continue to update some buildings. Stakeholders spokeproudly of the newly built Dover High School but at the same time expressed concern that themiddle schools need renovations and upgrades.


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One parent stated at the community forum, “The middle school is old and crowded.We need to build a new middle school to match the high school.”

Not only were material conditions of the schools noted, the grade configuration in the

buildings is perceived as problematic. Currently there are 7 elementary schools (K-4) withrelatively small student enrollment. In 4th grade, all students transition into one middleschool for two years. In 7th grade, there is another transition for two years into a differentmiddle school followed by a fourth transition in 9 th grade into the high school. There wasconsiderable discussion in the community forums and phone interviews regarding the need toexamine the grade configuration across the schools and address transitions from one school toanother.

One parent suggested, “Presently, CMS has too many students. Capital School Districtneeds another middle school. I would like WHS to become an elementary and keep 5th

graders in elementary. We should align grades with the Department of Education

standards (K-5, 6-8, 9-12). A second middle school could be built on the older DoverHigh property.”

Finance

The financial position of the Capital School District is perceived as a challenge bystakeholders. Stakeholders voiced concern regarding the future of the district and theimportance of adequate long-range planning to ensure the district continues to be financiallysound. There is a strong desire to ensure for equitable resource allocation across academic,enrichment and athletic programs and the view that competing priorities could createproblems if District priorities are not clearly established. There is a consistent perceptionthat technology resources (hardware, software, training) are essential to the educationprovided for students, however concern regarding the costs associated with these expenses.

A community member stated, “Capital needs a comprehensive long-term strategic financial plan. How are we going to maintain the changes that are needed to makeCSD a success?”

Faculty & Staff

CSD currently employs over 554 certificated and highly-qualified teachers. Over 397 of theteachers hold a Masters Degree or a Masters Equivalency Certificate. The average age of CSDteachers is 42. In addition to the teaching staff, in CSD employs a workforce of over 548

support staff employees including instructional aides, administrative assistants, cafeteriaworkers, custodians, and maintenance workers. CSD employs 38 administrators across theDistrict. Many employees reside in the community and have children currently attending (orhave attended) CSD schools.


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In the community forums, staff voiced a strong desire to work hard but at the same timevoiced that they needed more support from administrators and parents and there needs to bea greater understanding of the workload of a classroom teacher. One teacher shared thatsometimes teachers feel overwhelmed with all that is expected of them.

One teacher commented, “We provide an excellent education for our children hereand it comes with a lot of blood, sweat and tears from our staff. We get wonderful

programs. We have great professional development. And to do a good job takes time.I think sometimes we feel overwhelmed. You know, it is like I’ve got this and that andthen there are 18 deadlines. It is really tough.”

Community Communication

There is a strong perception in Capital that many positive things are happening across theDistrict. At the same time, many believe that the District has a poor reputation that in mostcases is unfounded. All parties expressed a desire to “get the good news out about CSD”.

More events need to be written about in the newspapers, on the website and other mediaformats to inform and increase community pride in CSD.

As stated by one stakeholder, “I hope the District can find a way to bring peopletogether and change the perception of the District not being as good as surroundingdistricts. I am a graduate of Capital School District and chose to raise my children inthis District. It saddens me that the community believes this District is not as good asit truly is. Public perception needs to be changed.”

There is a consistent desire to improve both internal and external communications and publicrelations. Many believe that parent involvement and community engagement need to beimproved. Stakeholders voiced a desire to redefine “parent involvement” and to buildpartnerships with businesses, outside agencies and post-secondary institutes in an effort toimprove relations across the District. Better communication and relationships can set thestage for an improved level of belief, trust, support, and involvement in the district.

Conclusion

Although this report focused on many areas where people believe CSD could be better, CSDhas many things for which it is rightly proud. There is also room for improvement. There is awellspring of expressed desire across all stakeholder groups for CSD to strategically tackle theissues with the highest leverage and move CSD towards a premier level of performance.

As stated by one stakeholder, “We are a good district. But we can be great! Every person, every school, every district employee should be aspiring to be better. Wehave to be willing to listen to new ideas, try new things, omit programs that aren’tworking and work through the rough spots to achieve greatness!”

Documents

Csd White Paper Final