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products. Russell said the need to move forward with the stadium turf project became evident this past fall when the Freeman football team and girls soccer team qualified for the state playoffs — but were unable to host games because early winter weather conditions had made the field unplayable. The teams ended up playing at University High School in Spokane Valley. Russell said the field turf will save the district money and stress on its water supply by reducing the need for irrigation and other forms of maintenance, which runs about $60,000 a year. “The savings here will go to future purchase of new turf, which will likely be needed in 12 – 15 years,” Russell said. “That will involve putting the new carpet over the existing, which will take care of us for the next 25 years.” The district is also working on improvements with its middle school fields through utilizing new maintenance techniques. One of these is “fraze” mowing, a process used in Europe since 1996 and recently employed in the U.S., including locally at Gonzaga University, Washington State University and Mead School District. According to information from the Foundation for Safer Athletic Fields, the process involves a special rotary tiller that removes the top 2 inches of turfgrass surface. This allows for removing thatch, black and incompatible soil layers, shallowly rooted weeds and weed seeds to leave turfgrass roots, rhizomes and crowns with a better ability to regenerate. The district is also using the dirt removed from the interior of the stadium in other areas to level slopes and fill in areas to create more playing surfaces. All the work being done will be utilized not only by sports teams but by physical education classes and other school activities. Russell said “teams of people” have worked on the project. District staff members selected on project committees have analyzed mounds of information and toured other facilities to learn best practices, while students and parents conducted interviews of turf contractors. Russell believes that process helped vest the community in the work, and should lead to better facilities in the long run. “We learned a lot ahead of time,” he said. “It saved us time. It saves us heartache. It saved us money, which is good.”
COVER STORY
AUGUST 2023 • 11
CV adopts The key to any school and any school district is to make children feel they belong, Parker said. Research new Strategic like shows that if children feel like they belong, that they are welcomed, their Plan learning will improve and they’ll
will change how it offers preschool classes for children ages 3-5. Previously, all classes have been held in the district’s Early Learning Center on East Sprague, but preschool classes will also be offered in one elementary school in each of the three Learning Communities.
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Parker said he wants to expand the work the Early Learning Center has been doing to include students with diagnoses such as autism and ADHD into the classroom. “We are doing preventative and inclusionary work,” he said. “When they hit kindergarten, they already have skills above and beyond other students to self-advocate.”
statements.
By Nina Culver
After more than a year of open houses, meetings and discussions, the Central Valley School District board of directors have approved a new five-year strategic plan to provide a road map for everything from computer systems to student learning. In addition to staff and administrators, the district also sought input from students and parents. “We wanted to have representation, solid representation, from our students,” said Superintendent John Parker. “We wanted to have a voice from parents and parent groups. People are very vested in their children’s education.” Other community groups, including local businesses and the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, were also consulted. The question posed to everyone was simple: what do students need to feel prepared for their future and to thrive academically, socially and emotionally? “We kept it pretty broad,” he said. “Based on that, ideas flowed.” After data and community input was gathered, a 27-person core planning team was assembled to determine the bones of the strategic plan. The team included students, parents, alumni, teachers, administrators and community members in addition to representatives from local businesses and colleges. The basics of the plan identified by the planning team was then further refined by an executive team that included principals, administrators and two school board members. The new strategic plans identifies four key directions for the district: pursuing a culture of belonging and equitable opportunities for all, reimagining systems and structures, prioritizing district-wide support for the whole child and launching infinite possibilities. The district’s mission and vision statements were also updated. “We really feel these are 21st century statements that say who we are,” Parker said of the vision
succeed academically.
Another key tenant is to make sure that students in all parts of the 80-square mile district get the same educational opportunities no matter which school they attend. With that goal in mind, the district is being broken into three smaller community-oriented areas called the Western, Central and Eastern Learning Communities. Each learning community is centered around the elementary and middle schools that feed into the district’s three comprehensive high schools. The district has launched a new CVSD Link newsletter and plans to host Community Link events in each of the three Learning Communities this fall. It’s not like we’re trying to create three smaller school districts within the school district,” Parker said. “It’s almost like creating three houses. We’re giving identity to that.” As part of the new emphasis on building community, the district
Changes have also been made at the administrative level. The district no longer has a director of elementary education and a director of secondary education. Instead, there are new academic officer positions for each of the three Learning Communities. “They are going to be leading the charge in the big picture,” Parker said. The new strategic plan touches nearly all areas. It calls for recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff, equitable resource See STRATEGIC PLAN, Page 22