Similar to the student wellbeing responses, leaders acknowledged a trade-off between immediate ease and future sustainability.
● Immediate Stability: Some respondents noted that Options 3 and 4 offer opportunities for "more targeted staff support in year one" simply because fewer staff members are physically moving. ● Long-Term Strategy: However, the consensus was that while Option 5, v2 has "high adjustment demands in year one," it creates a "stronger foundation" for consistent instructional practices and responsive staffing in the long run. Leaders felt that maintaining the status quo (Options 3/4) would perpetuate "uneven access to support.”
3.0 Welcoming & Inclusive Communities
Based on the detailed qualitative responses in the Leadership Strategic Assessment , the rationale for the rankings in Welcoming & Inclusive School Communities reveals a strong preference for Option 5, v2 as the most supportive pathway to create a truly equitable "fresh start," while Options 3, 4, and 6 were viewed as carrying significant risks of exclusion or disconnection.
3.1. The "Fresh Start" vs. The "Newcomer" Dynamic
A central argument for Option 5, v2 was that it eliminates the dynamic of "new students" entering "established cultures." Leaders noted that under Options 3 and 4, displaced students would be forced to integrate into pre-existing communities with established routines and relationships, inevitably feeling like outsiders. ● Organic Community Building: In contrast, Option 5, v2 ensures that everyone creates a new community simultaneously. Because all staff and students enter a "shared new beginning," the community-building process is viewed as more "organic and equitable.” ● Level Playing Field: Respondents emphasized that Option 5 allows the district to "re-start things," ensuring that "no one community receives greater importance over another, whether real or perceived."
3.2. Avoiding Resentment and "Targeted" Harm
Leaders expressed deep concern that Options 3 and 4 would create lasting division by signaling that specific school cultures (Merriam or McCarthy-Towne) were less valuable than others.
● Enduring Resentment: Respondents warned that "singling out" one or two schools for closure would cause communities to harbor "long-term resentment and mistrust," viewing the reorganization as an exclusive rather than inclusive process. ● Repairing Harm: Several leaders noted that choosing Options 3 or 4 would require significant, intentional work to "repair harm" caused by the vote itself, particularly given the "hurt around this topic" regarding which leaders voted to close which schools.
3.3. Scale and the Feeling of "Being Known" (Option 6)
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