Post Messenger Recorder -

Over the past few years, the School District of Belleville has transformed into a stronger learning community. Along with our staff and students, we have reached out to the community as a whole to help guide us through this process.

As the district looks forward, we want to work with community to create the best environment we can for our students. Together, we will discover, engage, and achieve building a community of life-long learners.

Beginning two years ago, the School District of Belleville held two community summits. These meetings offered community members an opportunity to give their input on the schools. The district asked those who participated in the summits a series of five questions. The information discovered from responses painted a picture of how people view the district, how they want to be viewed in the future, and how we should move forward. We learned that people generally view the schools positively, but also realize that we have room to grow. The community noticed untapped potential within the district and wants to see us become a destination for both students and staff. Participants also offered ways to reach these goals.

As a district, we value the engagement with the community. We took the feedback and made changes to our curriculum and other areas to enhance our students’ educational experience. For example, we heard that we needed a stronger emphasis on the trades and this we introduced Project Lead The Way. The district also strengthened personalized learning with the Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy model. We value your opinion and have worked to implement new curriculum to best serve our students.

To fully achieve many of these desired goals, we need to continue to examine our facilities. Last year, we started the conversation and looked into the current state of our buildings concerning three areas: safety, condition, and instruction. We found that we do have areas that need attention.

For example, we found that each building has space needs that we should investigate. Support services do not have much room for pull out sessions; special education needs more space, as well as the auditorium, cafeteria, and gymnasium spaces. The School Board and district administration will discuss these issues at upcoming board meetings.

At the School District of Belleville, each of us wants the best for our students and staff. As we search for the solution that fits Belleville, we hope you take an interest and look for ways to get involved. If we work together we will build stronger relationships and grow our community of learning.