The Park Hill School District Board of Education heard an update on the district’s long-range planning process and outcomes of public surveys last month.
Kevin Nelson with Hollis and Miller Architects and Superintendent Dr. Mike Kimbrel updated the board on Park Hill 2034 at the Thursday, Dec. 14 meeting.
So far, the district hosted six community meetings, held staff chats with certified and classified staff, hosted four Park Hill 2034 meetings both online and in person and more. A stakeholder engagement survey was conducted with 900 patron and staff survey responses and 750 student survey responses.
The district is facing the issue of aging facilities, and asked respondents to define what they thought of when asked about aging facilities. Common answers included physical maintenance issues such as deteriorating surfaces, cracked tile, discolored ceiling tiles and more, including “dated” aesthetics and faded carpet or paint. Aging facilities also lacked amenities when the building was first built and lacked specialty learning spaces.
Safety and security continue to be a concern as well and respondents were asked to prioritize a list of options with most stating they were concerned about student and staff safety at building entries, in classrooms and learning spaces and in common areas, as well as concerns about safety at athletic events. Respondents were also concerned about psychological safety and creation of safe spaces for mental health support and crisis intervention.
With this in mind, the Park Hill 2034 plan will strive to ensure safe and secure facilities and play spaces; welcoming, up-to-date facilities; inclusive learning and play spaces for all physical and mental needs; support for student and staff well-being; equitable opportunities; properly sized facilities with capacity flexibility; support for programs beyond the core curriculum and maintaining high quality and sustainable systems.
The final plan is scheduled for adoption in May or June.
Also at the meeting, the board considered the proposed 2024-2025 academic calendar, with Monday, Aug. 19 as the first day of school in the fall.
Just before the meeting, Dr. Chris Daniels, director of special services, announced his June 30 retirement. The calendar features a full week off for students for Thanksgiving, a lengthy winter break from Dec. 20 to Jan. 6, 2025, spring break from March 24-28, 2025 and the last day of school on May 23, 2025.
He joined Park Hill in 2012, where he was entrenched in learning about our population of students who need the greatest amount of support.
“I had the opportunity to work with an incredibly skilled staff of professionals whose vision is to build successful futures with each student, every day,” Daniels said.
Before joining Park Hill, his career path included teaching at a Title 1 elementary school. He went on to serve as an assistant principal at a large suburban elementary school and worked as a principal at a diverse, multicultural elementary school.
His work there earned him the honor of National Distinguished Principal from the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). He also served as a Federal Programs Coordinator.