Transparency in other Districts

TRANSPARENCY

Parents and taxpayers deserve a best practices school district with open and honest communication within the education community.  We will investigate what other districts in Westchester and Fairfield counties provide for their constituents and provide a list of suggestions for our BOE regarding what could be implemented to improve HCSD’s website and provide for better parent/administration communication.

The HCSD website http://www.harrisoncsd.org/  offers less pertinent information regarding the district’s policies, results, and future direction than most other school district websites in Westchester and Fairfield counties.  

This month we will highlight the websites of one school district from Westchester and one school district from Fairfield. 

Westchester

BEDFORD:  This district has a highly comprehensive website with up to date district information.  http://www.bcsdny.org/district.cfm 

HOT LINKS:

Links to long term planning

Future focus in focus

District Reports

Advisory committees – 6 committees with parent representation    

Quarterly Newsletter - The Bedford Dateline Newsletter

What we like:  Bedford holds an “All Call” every July for new members from the parent community to participate on their 6 advisory committees.  We feel that parent participation on district advisory boards is crucial for any school community.

Fairfield

GREENWICH:  This district has a highly comprehensive website with extensive district information.  http://www.greenwichschools.org/

HOT LINKS:

Reports, Studies, Surveys

News Archives

Strategic Improvement

Policies and Procedures

Strategic Roadmap

What we like:  “The Vision” for Greenwich schools was established by a cross-role representative task force in 2008-2009, including teachers, students, parents, elected officials, administrators, members of the Board of Education, and representatives from corporations and higher education.  Having the whole community involved in forming and implementing school district goals is a key component of a best practices school district.