Shawnee Mission releases names of 30-person steering committee for extensive strategic planning process

  Jay Senter  - Shawnee Mission School District
Rev. Laura Guy (standing) and Heather Ousley (seated to her left) will be the board of education representatives on the steering committee.

The Shawnee Mission School District on Monday announced the members of the 30-person steering committee that will lead the expansive strategic planning process initiated by first-year Superintendent Mike Fulton and the board of education.

In announcing the effort in December, Fulton indicated that the goal was to set a new “north star” for Shawnee Mission.

“We are looking to create a Shawnee Mission that builds on the past to create a better future for all of our children,” he said at the time.

The steering committee will be charged with overseeing the work and with “developing a mission, beliefs, objectives, strategies and parameters” for the process.

“The 30 stakeholders on this committee are representative of the Shawnee Mission School District community,” said the district in the announcement Monday. “They bring a broad and diverse background to their work, including experience inside and outside education, and reflect the district’s demographic profile.”

The steering committee members are as follows:

Jonathan Farrell, seen here in his Briarwood Elementary classroom in 2017, was a Kansas Teacher of the Year finalist.

Superintendent

  • Dr. Mike Fulton

Board Members

  • Laura Guy (SM West area representative)
  • Heather Ousley (At-large member)

Staff Members

  • Travis Gatewood – SM South (English teacher)
  • Samantha Feinberg – SM East (English teacher)
  • Wraye Royle – Trailridge Middle School (math teacher)
  • Laura Moore – Prairie Elementary (6th grade)
  • John Farrell – Lenexa Hills Elementary (library media/instructional coach)
  • Gloria Hastings – Merriam Park Elementary (music teacher)
  • Felicia Smith – Hocker Grover Middle School (aide)
Arcie Rothrock, who is also a member of the Mission city council, will serve as a parent representative on the committee. She’s raised concerns about the district’s special education programs in the past.

Parents

  • Arcie Rothrock – SM North area
  • Laura Robeson – SM East area
  • Katy Seibold – SM Northwest area
  • Leah Mothersill – SM West area
  • Jennifer Burns – SM South area

Students

  • Harmony Bailey – SM Northwest
  • Beau Barnes – SM South
  • Sarah Bledsoe – SM East
  • Brenda Garcia – SM West
  • Nkemjika (Glory) Obi – SM North
Andre Carnegie is both the student success liaison at SM North and the parent of students in the district.

Community Members

  • Brian Brown
  • Angelique Rodriguez-Gunion
  • Maddison McDermott
  • Wanda Vaughn
  • Andre Carnegie

Building Administrators

  • Josie Herrera – Nieman Elementary
  • David Conrady – Indian Woods Middle School
  • Ryan Flurry – Center for Academic Achievement Signature Programs

At-Large

  • Linda Sieck – National Education Association – Shawnee Mission
  • Suzy Hall – Shawnee Mission Foundation

The work will commence with a three-day session bringing the steering committee together later this month. Out of that session the district expects to formalize the formation of “action teams” that will be responsible for creating specific plans to meet different objectives. The district will also be undertaking an awareness campaign at the end of this month to publicize opportunities for community members to submit input and participate in the process over the coming weeks and months.

The timeline for the process has the group working from March through May on specific action plans, and presenting the whole strategic plan to the board of eduction for consideration in late June.