Prismatic Services is the consulting company chosen by the ConVal School Board to analyze the pros and cons of consolidation/reconfiguration for the school district. On November 15th, Prismatic shared the data they have generated with the ConVal board members, district leaders, and school principals.
"We call this event a 'data party', said Tatia Prieto, the president of Prismatic. "It's a way to enable organizational leaders to engage with key data elements before the project recommendations and report are finalized. We gathered this information over the last five months through extensive interaction with the ConVal community."
At the three hour public meeting, ConVal representatives reviewed the data 'placemats', which were organized into 4 categories: Background Data, Community Input Data, Constituent Input Data, and Beliefs and Research Data (see also the linked file list below). After analyzing each placemat in small groups, the leaders came back together to share key insights, discussion points, and questions. Prismatic will use the input provided from this meeting to shape its recommendations for reconfiguration options as the firm begins to develop its project report.
Dick Dunning, the school board chairman, said, "Prismatic has done their job well. They started with no preconceived outcomes, and their data has been expertly and thoroughly compiled. I look forward to hearing what they recommend for the long-term success of our school district, both educationally and financially. And then, as always, the final decision will rest with the voters."
There are multiple ways to run a project the size and importance of Consolidation/Reconfiguration.
The typical way is to lay out all activities, assign responsibilities and target dates up-front. Another way is more iterative (assigning target dates and responsibilities as the project moves along). For many reasons, we (Prismatic and Conval) decided in the beginning of this project to use the iterative approach. These two approaches have the same goals and objectives and will accomplish the same end.
It is now time to lay-out the activities done, in-progress and to be done with the assigned delivery dates. The best venue for this is the bi-weekly school board meeting. It is open to the public, supports on-line viewing and there is no practical limit to the number of on-line attendees. Of course you can also attend in person if you so choose.
During this meeting we will be presenting the activities that have already taken place, the ones in progress and the upcoming ones with dates. At a higher level we will be presenting the goals of the project, its phases and schedule.
Please take the time to attend either in person at the SAU Board room or on-line. The logistics are as follows: Date November 7, time 7:00 PM on line access address https://www.youtube.com/@ConValEvents , select "2023 November 7 School board meeting" and you will be on-line. If you plan on attending in-person just show up and grab a seat.
To note: this is a recorded meeting so if you can;'t attend at the scheduled time or date you can click on the above on-line access address at any time subsequent to the live meeting that is convenient for you.
Remember this is an official school board meeting so there is no discussion between the board and public either in-house or on-line.
We are, as always, open and transparent and sincerely want community involvement. Be involved.
We had a great turnout at the individual town meetings and response to the Survey with a significant number of diverse opinions and input as to the multitude of areas we should be looking at as we proceed in our multi-faceted analysis that will provide for the development and implementation of the best possible physical model allowing for the efficient use of our educational resources. This analysis will result in an educationally sound, safe, socially responsive, community sensitive, financially responsible, organizational model while providing enhanced diversity and cultural understanding, and possible transportation savings. All to support the ConVal community and students.
The attendance at the 9 community meetings exceeded 472, not counting Prismatic folks, ConVal School Board Members etc. Responses to the On-line Survey exceeded 1,555. These are great figures and will be detailed in a further correspondence.
ConVal supports 11 physically separate schools. 8 Elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 1 high school. Our school population has been on a steadily decreasing track with ConVal now having approx. 1993 students with a capacity of 3,530 students as of Nov. 2022. Our school capacity far exceeds our current enrollment and enrollment is not expected to significantly increase in the foreseeable future. The latest demographic projections suggest a very small growth in enrollments over the next decade.
The key to this process has been and continues to be community engagement and being open and transparent in our activities.
With the analysis taking place on the opinions and input received from the individual town meetings and on-line survey we felt it better to continue with this analysis and schedule the on-line forum and follow up On-line Survey for October 23 through October 27 inclusive. Details of both and upcoming activities are below:
On-line forum
Prismatic will launch an asynchronous, online, moderated forum for ConVal residents that will be available for a week. There will be 3 options within the forum:
Participants can ask questions of the consulting team. Prismatic will respond to questions within 48 hours.
Participants will be provided with an overview of select district costs and asked to provide their thoughts.
Participants will be provided with an overview of recent student performance data and asked to provide their thoughts.
Participants will be able to view the comments of other participants and may choose to respond to them. Participants may choose to give their names, but it is not required. Inappropriate comments will be deleted.
The forum will be hosted in IdeaFlip and will look similar to post-it response activities of the Town Meetings
The on-line forum will be available for use 24 hours a day for the 5 days noted (October 23 thru October 27 inclusive).
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Follow-up survey.
Prismatic will launch a short, online, confidential follow-up survey that will provide participants with an overview of select district costs and recent student performance data, then ask for input. As both input opportunities will be focused on similar topics, community members may choose to only participate in one or they could choose to participate in both.
The follow-up Survey will be available for use 24 hours a day for the 5 days noted (October 23 thru October 27 inclusive).
On-going analysis of input received from the individual town meetings, on-line survey, on-line forum and follow-up survey.
This input analysis shows that there are many thoughts on the community’s collective minds on how to address this issue, as expected. We are in the process of summarizing this input into a cohesive form to present to you and the community. With over 1,500 on-line survey responses and over 472 community members attending the individual town meetings it will take a while to complete. We expect that this part of the input analysis will be completed by the end of October. By that time the results of the scheduled On-line forum and follow-up survey will be in process with a scheduled completion date of community input being November 15. On November 15 we (Prismatic, ConVal School Board, ConVal administration, staff etc.) will be holding a data analysis meeting (Data party) to make sure all are on the same page as relates to understanding the input received and its completeness. We will also be providing input on areas that we feel need clarification and detail figures.
The end of the data collection (input) phase is scheduled for a few days after November 15. Subsequent to the completion of this phase we will be diligently working on formulating our recommended approach to this complex and far-reaching issue.
We expect to have this project completed by the middle of December, in time for the community to review and for placing a warrant article on the school ballot, if needed.
We will keep all informed as to the results of the data gathering and analysis phase.
Individual town meetings have been designated to have town residents learn about the consolidation/reconfiguration project, provide input, ask questions, and receive answers. These meetings will be held in person, with no online participation. Please see the dates and times below.
Our continuing commitment in the Consolidation/Reconfiguration project is to be open, transparent and inclusive with the residents of all ConVal member towns. In accomplishing this commitment there are two interrelated activities that are currently becoming ready to take place:
1 Individual town meetings.
The Individual town meeting is important to attend. It has been designed to have town residents learn about this project, provide input, ask and receive answers, and participate in this important activity etc, This meeting will be hosted by Prismatic Services This meeting will be an in-person meeting with no on-line participation. .
Each town will have their own town meeting (see schedule below).
2. On-line survey.
This survey has been made available and is now live until October 6. You can participate in the survey by clicking here. All town residents are asked to respond to this online survey. Prismatic will be seeking input from those with children currently in ConVal schools as well as those without. All responses will be held confidential by Prismatic and only aggregate results will be shared with district staff and public.
Your School Board has formed the Strategic Organization Committee (SOC) to embark on an open, transparent, community-involved review to completely analyze our physical environment.
The goal of this committee is to determine the best possible, educationally rich, safe, socially responsive, community sensitive, financially responsible, and organizationally sound physical model while providing for enhanced diversity and cultural understanding in support of our ConVal community and students.
ConVal supports 11 physically separate schools: eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. Our school population has been on a steadily decreasing track with ConVal now having approximately 1,993 students with a capacity for 3,530 students as of November 2022. Our school capacity far exceeds our current enrollment, and enrollment is not expected to significantly increase in the foreseeable future. The latest demographic projections suggest a very small growth in enrollments over the next decade.
We are in the process of selecting an outside organization that is experienced with activities like this from working with other school districts and states. The selected organization will provide their expertise and assist us in this project. We have issued a Request for Information, received replies, selected three organizations to receive our Request for Proposal and will shortly select our partner organization.
The key to this process will be community engagement. We will have as involved partners in our committee: community members, parents and students, Select Board members, School Board members, ConVal District Administration, teachers, and staff.
The SOC will be holding Community Forums and individual community meetings to share, discuss and receive input. We will produce a report detailing the committee’s work and determined proposals in proposing a redesign for the district.
There can be more than one viable approach recommended. Any change to the number of active elementary schools will require a 2/3 public vote to amend our Articles of Agreement.
We expect this critical activity will take approximately 6 months to complete once we select and engage our partner organization.
It is important to note that we do not enter into this activity with a preconceived notion of what, if anything, should be done. We proceed with open minds fulfilling our mandate to provide the most educationally rich, cost-effective, safe, and responsive environment for our students and community.
The ConVal School Board has been wrestling with a seemingly intractable problem for many years. All 11 ConVal schools are significantly under-enrolled. This negatively impacts the students, causing educational inadequacies and inequities.
It also negatively impacts the taxpayers, who are paying to operate these underutilized buildings. Additionally, the School Board has concerns about the high cost of maintaining safe conditions for students and staff in so many buildings. Conversely, the Board is acutely aware of each town's concerns about any changes to the status quo. Lastly, another issue related to this issue is ConVal's ability to hire and retain qualified academic staff.
But the reality is that the School Board doesn't have the authority to determine what should be done to address this problem. School Board Chair Dick Dunning notes, "Because of the 1967 Articles of Agreement, the voters have to approve any changes made to our elementary school structure. And it has to be approved by a 2/3's majority."
So the School Board decided to hire a consultant to examine the issues facing ConVal and how best to move forward. Prismatic Services, the company selected, has extensive experience working with school districts in planning their futures, including here in New Hampshire. Prismatic will be analyzing our district and gathering input from our nine towns over the next several months, and issue their recommendations in December.
"We wanted to go with an outside consulting company like Prismatic Services so ConVal residents would have an objective evaluation of our district's issues," said Mr. Dunning. "And then we as a community have to decide if we want to move forward with their recommendations."
"Prismatic Services will host a meeting in each town at a time and place to be determined by Town leaders.", said Dr. Tatia Prieto, President and founder of Prismatic Services. "The meetings will be scheduled for September and October. The objective of the meetings will be to gather input from town residents about the district’s current school configuration and possible reconfigurations.
Prismatic has designed the meetings to allow residents to provide input via a variety of formats, including written responses to posted questions, prioritizing different options, short videos, and sharing with Prismatic Services consultants. Residents will be able to provide meaningful input in their preferred format, even if they only have 15 minutes to drop in."
In addition, Dr. Prieto said that Prismatic Services will be conducting a forum online in which all ConVal residents will have the opportunity to give their input. Residents will be able to respond to posted questions, view the responses of others, and respond to those responses. This forum will be monitored and moderated by Prismatic Services.
Finally, Prismatic Services plans to gather information through an online survey. The survey will give residents a third opportunity to share their thoughts about the current status of ConVal and its future.
School Board Vice-Chair Alan Edelkind is excited about what he sees. "We are about to enter a strategic school reconfiguration journey, with the goals of bolstering education quality, fostering community collaboration and optimizing our resources.", he said. "Recognizing that transitions can be challenging, we have asked a consulting firm, Prismatic Services, to carefully analyze our district, gather input from our nine towns, staff members, parents, students, and community members and help us create an educational environment that prepares our students for lifelong success and strengthens our community."
The School Board has stressed to Dr. Prieto the importance of listening to the ConVal community in drafting their report. Mr. Dunning said, “We are committed to community engagement and developing a sense of unity, and we hired a consulting company who shares that commitment."
"Our student population is shrinking, we now have just under 2,000 students with empty classrooms throughout the district," continued Mr. Dunning. "This is unsustainable and not the best use of our resources or best learning environment. The time has come to gather data, analyze and come up with a plan to ensure long-term sustainability of our educational programs and facilities."
The ConVal School Board wishes to thank you, the voters, for your continued support of our students, staff, and programming. Even three feet of snow, power outages, and a delayed vote could not stop your dedication to our community and our schools.
Voter approval of the 2023-2024 operating budget ensures a continued excellent and supportive education for the children of our district. For the Board and administration, this was a months-long process, developing a budget that is both educationally sound and fiscally responsible in financially difficult times. We also appreciate your support of all remaining articles, from the building capital reserve trust fund to the health maintenance trust fund.
Please help us welcome both new and re-elected School Board members: William Bryk (Antrim), R. Michael Hoyt (Bennington), Thomas John Kirlin (Francestown), Dan Harper (Hancock), Greg Kriebel (Peterborough), and Jim Fredrickson (Sharon).
Thank you again for your support. For a .pdf file with detailed results, please click here.
The ConVal School Board wishes to remind residents of the 9 district towns of the upcoming interactive community forum the board and district administration are hosting in-person and online.
The forum will take place Monday, March 6, from 6-8 p.m. at the Lucy Hurlin Theater at ConVal High School, and will also be accessible via live stream.
The forum will feature four presentations highlighting different aspects of the budget development process and will detail the budget figures that are most consequential for the community to know. The presentations will include a layman’s view of the budget, an explanation of the budget process, an overview of significant budget drivers, and highlight the goals and initiatives of the proposed budget and detail how property taxes are impacted by the School Budget.
Throughout the evening, there will be opportunities for the in-person and online audiences to ask questions. Each question will be answered by the presenter or by a member of the School Board or Administration. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions on district-related topics other than the budget
The live stream will be done as a YouTube event that will be available as it happens, and a recording will be accessible after the event concludes. To view this forum via live stream at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 6, click here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ConValEvents) and select the “2023 March 6 Community Forum” video from the list of available videos.
To send in a question via e-mail please use Forum@conval.edu.
Ahead of the forum, community members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the work that has been done already on the development of the budget by clicking here (https://schoolboard.convalsd.net/budget/).
At the conclusion of the forum, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and speak with board members and district administrators.
The ConVal School Board is pleased to invite stakeholders to an upcoming community forum, where they will have the opportunity to engage with the board and learn more about the district’s work with students and the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The forum will take place Monday, March 6, from 6-8 p.m. at the Lucy Hurlin Theater at ConVal High School and will be accessible via live stream.
“We believe in providing a venue where the ConVal community is engaged and informed and all can discuss, share knowledge, and talk to each other about topics of mutual interest,” School Board Chair Janine Lesser said. “These forums are a way for our community to stay connected with the District and have an active role in the work we do, so I’m hopeful our community will take part.”
The forum will feature four presentations highlighting different aspects of the budget development process and will detail the budget figures that are most consequential for the community to know. The presentations will include a layman’s view of the budget, an explanation of the budget process, an overview of significant budget drivers, and highlight the goals and initiatives of the proposed budget and detail how property taxes are impacted by the School Budget.
After the second and fourth presentations, there will be an opportunity for the in-person and online audiences to ask questions. Each question will be answered by the presenter or by a member of the School Board or Administration. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions on topics not related to the budget.
The live stream will be done as a YouTube event that will be available as it happens, and a recording will be accessible after the event concludes. To view this forum via live stream at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 6, click here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ConValEvents) and select the “2023 March 6 Community Forum” video from the list of available videos.
To send in a question via e-mail please use Forum@conval.edu. Ahead of the forum, community members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the work that has been done already on the development of the budget by clicking here (https://schoolboard.convalsd.net/budget/).
At the conclusion of the forum, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and speak with board members and district administrators. To view the agenda for the forum, click here.
Prismatic Services is the consulting company chosen by the ConVal School Board to analyze the pros and cons of consolidation/reconfiguration for the school district. On November 15th, Prismatic shared the data they have generated with the ConVal board members, district leaders, and school principals.
"We call this event a 'data party', said Tatia Prieto, the president of Prismatic. "It's a way to enable organizational leaders to engage with key data elements before the project recommendations and report are finalized. We gathered this information over the last five months through extensive interaction with the ConVal community."
At the three hour public meeting, ConVal representatives reviewed the data 'placemats', which were organized into 4 categories: Background Data, Community Input Data, Constituent Input Data, and Beliefs and Research Data (see also the linked file list below). After analyzing each placemat in small groups, the leaders came back together to share key insights, discussion points, and questions. Prismatic will use the input provided from this meeting to shape its recommendations for reconfiguration options as the firm begins to develop its project report.
Dick Dunning, the school board chairman, said, "Prismatic has done their job well. They started with no preconceived outcomes, and their data has been expertly and thoroughly compiled. I look forward to hearing what they recommend for the long-term success of our school district, both educationally and financially. And then, as always, the final decision will rest with the voters."
Prismatic Services is the consulting company chosen by the ConVal School Board to analyze the pros and cons of consolidation/reconfiguration for the school district.
We had a great turnout at the individual town meetings and response to the Survey with a significant number of diverse opinions and input as to the multitude of areas we should be looking at as we proceed in our multi-faceted analysis that will provide for the development and implementation of the best possible physical model allowing for the efficient use of our educational resources.
Individual town meetings have been designated to have town residents learn about the consolidation/reconfiguration project, provide input, ask questions, and receive answers. These meetings will be held in person, with no online participation.
Our continuing commitment in the Consolidation/Reconfiguration project is to be open, transparent and inclusive with the residents of all ConVal member towns. In accomplishing this commitment there are two interrelated activities that are currently becoming ready to take place:
Your School Board has formed the Strategic Organization Committee (SOC) to embark on an open, transparent, community-involved review to completely analyze our physical environment.
The goal of this committee is to determine the best possible,
The ConVal School Board has been wrestling with a seemingly intractable problem for many years. All 11 ConVal schools are significantly under-enrolled. This negatively impacts the students, causing educational inadequacies and inequities.
The ConVal School Board wishes to remind residents of the 9 district towns of the upcoming interactive community forum the board and district administration are hosting in-person and online.
The ConVal School Board is pleased to invite stakeholders to an upcoming community forum, where they will have the opportunity to engage with the board and learn more about the district’s work with students and the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.