3 Goals cover school safety, community access, fiscal responsibility

The PRJUSD Board of Trustees set its sights on improving communication with the public, ensuring school safety and security, and fiscal management at a Feb. 27 meeting designated for setting goals for the first half of 2018.

The Board’s first goal covered community communications: “by June 30, 2019, we [The PRJUSD Board of Trustees] will identify the communication tools that are most widely accepted and increase our communication to all stakeholders, as measured by quarterly reports.” The board discussed how current avenues such as a newsletter had not been working.

“Newspapers are no longer at the readership they used to have…we need to get new ways to connect with the community,” board trustee Tim Gearhart said.

The Board’s second goal covered school safety: “PRJUSD School Board Trustees will continue to ensure school safety (physical and psychological) is a priority in funding, professional development and review of quarterly reports.” In the wake of the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the Board wanted to reiterate the importance of school safety, through security measures, mental health services for students, and other means. “There definitely needs to be an extreme high focus on this…we’ve received hundreds of emails about what we’re doing to ensure safety…[school safety is] the big picture, we need to look at the small” of specific strategies, PRJUSD superintendent Chris Williams said.

The Board’s third and final goal covered finance: “by June 30, 2019, PRJUSD School Board Trustees will analyze and review a report quarterly that identifies current fiscal status, challenges and local/state funding opportunities and statewide fiscal trends.” “We need to make sure there is sufficient reserve funding in case of a recession or in case of decreased revenue from federal or state sources,” board trustee Field Gibson said.