Hemet Unified School District believes that students shouldn’t be the only ones learning. We believe in order for our District to be successful, we all must continually grow and learn so we can better support the students and families that we serve. This expectation is shared by the Governing Board of Education, which is why the Board attended a workshop facilitated by Kent Bechler, Ph.D., Lead Partner, Executive Leadership Development, for Leadership Associates.
The workshop focused on what the District’s vision and goals are and how to continue to set the District up for success. Throughout the workshop, trustees learned the two requirements for a successful district and how to ensure employees feel valued. They talked about their overall leadership personality and how they can work together to ensure students are succeeding. They delved into what makes a great district and what they can do to continuously improve the District as a whole to become a smarter and healthier organization.
“The District is fortunate to have the leadership of this board. They are cohesive and share a common mind that focus on student success,” said Bechler.
The Board will used this conversation to provide their input to staff as they create the District’s vision and goals. Throughout the school year, Superintendent Barrett has asked all employees to participate in a See, Hear, Feel activity. Every staff member within the organization is being asked what they always see, hear, and feel in a good school district and what they see, hear, feel in a bad school district. This input will be collected and used to create the District’s vision and goals. During the Board’s See, Feel, Hear activity, they stressed the importance of providing a safe learning environment, a place where students are challenged academically, and an organization that is student centered.
“This workshop provided the opportunity for our Governing Board to gain a better insight into the leadership work the Cabinet team has been engaged with. It is important that we are able to align our leadership philosophy with the Governing Board and provide them the opportunity to contribute to the development of the shared vision of the District,” said Superintendent Christi Barrett.
The Board walked away from the four-hour workshop with a more concrete idea of employee expectations and responsibilities as well as the Board’s role and participation as we strive to make Hemet Unified the Premier Choice School District.