Phase One:

In order to accomplish our task, we need to have a shared vision for success. 

In the fall of 2019, Springfield Public Schools began the first phase of community involvement in preparation for applying to received the Student Investment Account funds associated with the Student Success Act. 

Phase one included asking our community to help define success. SPS asked our stakeholders to share what qualities a 'Life-Ready graduate would posess. From there, we began to collect responses to the more specific charge "What areas of investment do you believe direcly support a 'Life-Ready' student?"

Following the collection of nearly 1,700 thoughts and more than 52,00 ratings, along with feedback received at in-person meetings, SPS worked to consolidate themes. You can explore community input here. 

Many important ideas emerged, however, it quickly became evident our community was interested in having further conversation on two of the tarted investment areas outlined in state law:

• increasing adults in our system/addressing class-size concerns
• supporting the health and safety of students

Phase Two:

In the second phase of refining community feedback to infom the crafting of the SPS Student Investment Account application the district will now be working directly with smaller focus groups to dissect the larger themes into actionable recommendations. Individuals who are or have student and family members who identify with a historically underserved populations are specifcally invited to attend the upcoming meetings to share their thoughts on the planning process. 

Focus Group Sessions:

• February 11, 2020, 6 - 8 pm, Guy Lee Elementary, 755 Harlow Road, Springfield, OR
• February 12, 2020, 6 - 8 pm, Riverbend Elementary 320 N 51st Street, Springfield OR

Sessions will include dinner, child care and Spanish Interpretation. 

Phase Three:

Following a second round of staff and focused community involvement district staff convened, by level (Elementary, Middle, and High), to review the input areas provided. These teams further analyzed Springfield student data – graduation rates, third-grade reading scores, and attendance to name a few. This data helped the teams to identify the suggestions that are known to have the greatest impact on targeted student achievement.

From this information a high-level outline was created and presented to the Springfield School Board on March 9, 2020.

• Board slide presentation (English) (español)
• One-page investment overview

In the coming weeks, district staff will continue to refine and build out the specifics of our proposed plan, to be finalized by early April.

Please continue to check back for additional information, or sign-up to receive updates as they are released.