Building strong schools requires strong connections with the community, and a group of local leaders is learning how listening can help strengthen both.
Members of the SCUC Community Leaders Fellowship (SCUC CLF) gathered Aug. 19 for their latest session with Raise Your Hand Texas, continuing a yearlong experience designed to deepen their understanding of public education and strengthen community engagement and advocacy.
The fellowship brings together community members who are learning more about the opportunities and challenges facing SCUC and Texas public schools while developing tools to engage others in meaningful conversations about public education.
During the recent learning session, fellowship members focused on a fundamental part of that work: listening.
Participants discussed the importance of building relationships with families and community members consistently, rather than waiting until the district is facing a major decision or initiative.
“You don’t just engage your community when you’re going out for an election,” Superintendent Paige Meloni said. “The only way to take care of your students, your staff, district, is to lock arms with your community all the time.”
That philosophy aligns directly with Partnerships, one of the priorities in SCUC ISD’s strategic plan, which calls for meaningful connections with families, businesses, civic organizations and community leaders to support student and district success.
One of the fellowship's next steps will be putting those lessons into practice through a series of small listening circles with parents and other stakeholder groups.
Rather than presentations or traditional community meetings, the listening circles are intended to create space for participants to share their experiences, concerns and priorities while fellowship members and district representatives focus first on understanding what they hear.
“Connection before content,” Carla Barnes, SCUC CLF member, capturing a central lesson from the session.
The fellowship will also continue exploring ways to strengthen connections between the SCUC community and elected officials, including opportunities for policymakers to hear directly from families and community members about the programs, people and experiences that matter to students.
The goal is not simply to engage the community around a single issue. It is to develop an ongoing network of informed community voices and create stronger connections among SCUC families, community leaders and those making decisions that affect public education.
Through the Community Leaders Fellowship, listening circles and continued legislative engagement, SCUC is working to make partnership an ongoing practice and ensure community voices remain part of conversations about the district and the future of Texas public schools.