With the community’s involvement in Clayton360, the District seeks to rewrite its guiding principles.

On the far side of the Board of Education (BOE) meeting room on the lower floor of the administrative

building, the School District of Clayton’s mission statement and guiding principles hang on the wall, softly faded from years in the glare of the lights.

Now, the District is looking to revise these over 15-year-old guiding principles through a comprehensive process called Clayton360 that will honor the history, involve the community and refine the vision of the District.

“Clayton360 is a time to revisit with the community who we are and what we stand for as a District,” Superintendent Sharmon Wilkinson said.  “It is a time to bring together the stakeholders: the students, parents, staff, community members and alumni to ensure that the direction that we are taking for the work we are doing is going to meet the needs of our students now and in the future.”

Clayton360 is the first phase of a two-year process that will redefine the guiding principles and long-term strategic plan for the District.  Through a five-month process of community involvement and data gathering, Clayton360 will refine the mission, vision and core values of the District under the direction of a visioning committee composed of administrators, teachers, parents, students and members of the community.

According to BOE member Kristin Redington, who is a co-chair of the Visioning Committee, Clayton360 will facilitate a thoughtful conversation about the direction and guiding principles of the District at an important time when education is evolving to adapt to an ever-changing world.

“Our world is changing and you always have to look purposefully at what we’re doing to make sure that we are preparing our students for their futures,” Redington said.  “The kindergarten students who are coming in this fall will grow up in a very different world than when I graduated from high school or when the seniors graduate this spring.”

Clayton360 will feature a series of several town hall meetings open to the public where members of the community can provide feedback about what they value in terms of a Clayton education.  At the community kick-off event on Feb. 15, a panel including students, teachers and alumni shared their perspective on the history, present and future of the District.

“The one thing that I’ve realized from this whole process is just how much we really do value everyone’s voice,” junior Emma Riley, who is a member of the Visioning Committee, said.

The Visioning Committee is set to present a summary of the new mission, vision and core values for the District at the June 13 BOE meeting. Redington hopes that the BOE and administration will actively adhere to these new guiding principles in making decisions.

“I believe that the new mission, vision and core values will guide decisions at all levels in the District,” Redington said.  “It will be the common language between the administration, teachers and students in helping us understand who we are and where we want to be in the future.”

In addition, the committee hopes that these new guiding principles will help  evaluate and outline the financial priorities of the District in the future.

“The vision will hopefully help us to define priorities,” CHS history teacher Paul Hoelscher, who is a member of the Visioning Committee, said.  “In challenging economic times, it’s difficult to know where the district needs to continue or expand its spending, as opposed to places that can be consolidated.  Without a true collective vision that includes a sense of where education is going in the next 10 years, it’s impossible to pick and choose without direction.”

Ultimately, Clayton360 will refine the mission, vision and core values of the District to maintain the high quality of a Clayton education for many years to come.

“This is an exciting time to really take a deep look at who we are and to engage the community in a very thoughtful way to help guide the work that we do as a District in providing each of our students with the best possible education,” Wilkinson said.