During the January 16, 2024, meeting of the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) Board, Superintendent Katie Flynn presented an update on the district’s strategic planning and goals for the coming school year. Flynn, who has now completed a full year in her role, shared insights on the district’s progress and future initiatives aimed at enhancing educational services across the district.
Focus on Strategic Planning and Improvement
Flynn emphasized the importance of the district’s strategic plan, stating, “This is really important, the strategic plan piece. We are really digging in and spending some time to start to organize, to focus on how we will do the internal and external feedback in August to begin our strategic planning cycle.” She noted that a representative from the Michigan Association of School Boards is expected to present during an upcoming board meeting to guide officials through the strategic planning process.
Part of Flynn’s strategy includes gathering diverse ideas and feedback from various stakeholders. She mentioned that the MAISD may adopt some of the strategies used by Greenville Public Schools in creating the “Portrait of Jacket,” which aims to identify goals for enhancing educational outcomes. “ISDs operate a little differently than our local school districts, but we are thinking about what we would have a portrait of here, focusing on our learners, how we innovate and provide great service,” she explained.
District Capacity Assessment and Collaboration
Another significant focus for Flynn is the MAISD’s District Improvement Team. She reported the completion of the District Capacity Assessment, designed to identify areas for improvement based on evidence. “We’re very excited about the conversation we had and the improvement plan that we are creating. We will really take a look at how our students are performing, what curricular assessments and instructional materials we have, and how we will improve all of those pieces,” Flynn said.
In collaboration with local school districts, the MAISD plans to schedule individual meetings to discuss specific areas for improvement. Flynn stated, “We have scheduled dates with our local school districts to have conversations about service delivery from the ISD. Really, it’s a temperature check around what services they need because that’s unique to every single school district that we work with.”
Board Vice President Deb Snyder raised concerns about the potential for MAISD staff being overextended if additional requests arise from local districts. She asked, “Will that be very specific to each district? Is there a process you will go through to keep it honed in for your staff?” Flynn responded affirmatively, suggesting that a “menu” approach would be adopted to clarify the services available to each district.
Flynn clarified that discussions would revolve around available programs, including early college enrollment, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and special education services. “What we will use as a conversation piece for the meeting is the menu we have right now. It will identify early college enrollment, CTE, MACC enrollment, special education enrollment, and other programs and services that we offer,” she explained.
With these initiatives, Katie Flynn is poised to lead the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District into a new phase of strategic planning and improvement, ensuring that educational services are tailored to meet the unique needs of each local school district.
