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From the Desk of Dr. Halley: District Communication

By Halley, Heath on March 05, 2019

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Today, I want to discuss Putnam County R-I’s desire to be a school district that is effective and efficient in communicating with all constituents. To begin that journey, I want to provide you some of my history and family background.

I went to elementary school in Milan, Missouri. At age twelve, my parents moved to our family farm in Northern Putnam County where I still reside today with my wife and children. Then and now raising cattle. My educational perspective is another family tradition. I have grandparents, aunts, uncles, both parents, sister, and wife, who all are educators. With that in mind, I set out to ensure that we break down preconceived notions and ensure we are providing a higher level of communication.

Putnam County R-I is a tremendous school district. We have great students, wonderful teachers, and outstanding community support. Continually the school board and I discuss how to improve as a school district. I entered this school year with the vision to improve internal and external communication. A difficult task, one that is tough to measure with a diverse audience.

In September, Britten Hicks, Jane McDonald and I attended an effective communications planning workshop in Edina, Missouri, presented by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) Upon return, we expanded our team to include Kathy Rhodes, Tiffani Klinginsmith and Haley Watt. After a couple of meetings, we decided to recruit ten individuals from across our community to help support us in this endeavor.

If you can believe this, our first meeting was canceled due to inclement weather. We are scheduled to have four meetings as a group. These meetings will have very specific yet simple goals. Back to the questions asked by English teachers everywhere! (Specifically for me, Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Casady) Who, What, When, Why and How! Are we communicating? We want to ensure the tools we are using to communicate are effective, and to be certain what we communicate is of value. When...Time of day, week, or month is purposeful. And, finally, are we communicating with and engaging our entire community appropriately?

Your thoughts might go to: why is this important? Putnam County R-I covers approximately 500 square miles. We have the largest geographical school district in the state of Missouri. Our district encompassed many different rural communities. Today 61% of our HS students are considered at-risk; 59% of our MS students are considered at-risk; 67% of our ES students are considered at-risk, and 64% of all Putnam County R-I students are considered at-risk. At-risk factors include: being on free and reduced lunches, living in a non-nuclear family (at home with Mom and Dad), receive mental health support, transient lifestyle. Therefore, you can see how important it is for us to communicate and engage our entire community for the betterment of our children’s lives. It is more important than ever for the Village to help raise the child.