Story provided by Stillwater Public Schools

The Stillwater Board of Education (SBOE) has announced it will host its first listening session for 2021 at 7PM on Thursday, January 28.  

The product of a suggestion from Board Member Dr. Steve Hallgren, Listening Sessions allow district stakeholders, including parents, guardians, teachers, and staff, to interact directly with the board on a deeper level than they can during a typical board meeting.

“One of my goals for the Stillwater Board of Education was to increase visibility, communication and accountability,” says Hallgren. “Due to the pandemic it has been difficult to engage in communication with the community. Hosting these sessions has been extremely valuable.” Hallgren likes that the online nature of the meetings makes them more convenient for potential participants and allows the community to easily learn the concerns and comments of other parents and teachers.

During these sessions, up to eighteen participants each have three minutes to provide feedback to participating Board members and SPS administrators. Hosting Board members also have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with participants to learn more about issues facing the school community. When the entire Board is gathered during regular meetings, members may hear comments from the community but are not allowed to respond to those comments during the meeting.

SBOE Vice President Tim Riley and Superintendent Marc Moore will lead the January 28 session. Future sessions that are yet to be scheduled may focus on specific topics or groups, but the first Listening Session of 2021 is open to any topic and all participants.
Parents, guardians, teachers, staff, and community members are invited to participate by signing up to speak at stillwaterschools.com/SchoolBoard/Meetings or by watching at facebook.com/onwardpioneers.