Jun 04, 2020

USD 383 Board of Education President focuses on the District's core beliefs

Posted Jun 04, 2020 2:54 PM

On behalf of the Manhattan-Ogden Board of Education the Board President Karla Hagemeister has issued a statement via the District's Facebook page.

I would like to take a moment to reflect on the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many other Black people in our nation whose lives have been taken in just the past few months. Each of their deaths brings new pain to a community that has long suffered in a country where we have yet to live up to our ideal of “liberty and justice for all”. As a board, we condemn these killings and we acknowledge that the anguish felt across the nation is present in our community as well. Black lives matter.

As a school district, it is our mission to prepare every student for a successful future- to help them find their dreams and then to instill the skills and tools so they can capture them. Too often racism, both individual and systemic, stands in the way. And also too often, we are blind to what is right in front of us.

Just last year, the district developed a strategic plan, identifying our mission as “Building foundations for dynamic futures.” In support of that mission, the Board and administration agreed on a set of Core Beliefs that resonate deeply today.

Acceptance- We create a climate that values diverse thinking, mutual respect, and working as a team for the betterment of the whole organization.

Accountability- We hold one another accountable for increasing student and staff success.

Courage- We support courageous actions in an environment that embraces ethical and thoughtful risk-taking.

Joy- We enjoy our work and recognize that happiness contributes to organizational health and generates more opportunities for success.

Trust- We presume the good intentions of others in a culture of openness for honest input and creative ideas.

These Core Beliefs were not adopted lightly and we intend to hold ourselves to them. Every person, regardless of race or any other identity, deserves no less from us. Today that means knowing that although these are our beliefs, we cannot say we are “there” yet. It is on us to listen to you- our students, families, staff, faculty, and community, and to be willing to live out these values. It means that we are willing and ready to have difficult conversations, to see our system through the eyes of our students and faculty, and that while the conversations will probably never be done, because this work is never done, we are committed to making the changes that will align our actions and policies with our beliefs.

As part of the Manhattan-Ogden community, the USD 383 Board of Education is ready to do the work. As in all things, we know that we cannot do this alone and that we are all better served when we are all at the table. The work of change is hard and the arc of justice is long, but when we are willing to look at ourselves with clear eyes, hear the experiences of others, and then mobilize the people who can lead the way, the end result will takes us ever closer to our mission to prepare young people for all that is to come.

Board President Karla Hagemeister