As the committee, we've been discussing a lot about how we can hear the voices of the community more, and how we can tap into the wisdom, knowledge and experience that people have that we don't have as the board.”

Elaine Mikel-Mulder, school board member

About 70 residents, students, staff members, and community leaders gathered April 1 at Hastings High School for a community collaboration event hosted by the Hastings School Board, an effort district leaders described as part of an ongoing process to strengthen communication and rebuild relationships across the school community.
The hourlong session invited participants to reflect on what is working well between Hastings Public Schools, the school board, and the broader community, while also identifying areas for improvement and offering ideas for moving forward.
Superintendent Dr. Kristine Wehrkamp Herman opened the evening with a brief welcome, and a light note about a possible weather-related school decision the following morning.
“I want to thank you all for coming,” she said. “The question of the hour, will we have an E learning day tomorrow? I don't know yet. We're watching it closely. I will not make an announcement until tomorrow morning.”
From there, the focus shifted quickly to the purpose of the gathering, which school board members described as one step in a longer effort to strengthen relationships and communication across the district.
School board member Elaine Mikel-Mulder, who chairs the community collaboration committee, said the board has been working to create more opportunities for community voices to shape district conversations.
“As the committee, we've been discussing a lot about how we can hear the voices of the community more, and how we can tap into the wisdom, knowledge and experience that people have that we don't have as the board,” she said.
She added that district leaders recognize communication gaps exist and want to address them in a thoughtful way.
“We've talked a lot about how to tap into your wisdom and experience, because we know that the thriving of our district really depends on the wisdom and the strength and the voices that we hear and are able to advocate at the board table for,” she said.
The April 1 meeting was described as the first in a continuing series of conversations intended to gather ideas and identify priorities before moving toward solutions.
“Our hope and our goal and our plan is that we can till some ground here,” Mikel-Mulder said. “We can ask some questions. We can start some good conversations. From here, we're going to come up with new questions, more questions, more conversation pieces.”
The evening followed a structured format that allowed participants to respond anonymously to questions using phones or district-provided tablets. Responses appeared live on a screen at the front of the room and were later grouped into themes.
Community Education and Communications Director Kari Gorr facilitated the discussion and explained the purpose of the format early in the session.
“Our goal this evening is simple,” Gorr said. “We are here to listen, gather ideas and identify what matters most to those of you in this room tonight.”
She emphasized that the meeting was designed as a listening session rather than a decision-making event.
“This is not a decision-making meeting,” she said. “It's an opportunity for us to listen and to hear what you have to say and structure it in a way that multiple perspectives can be shared.”
Participants were encouraged to focus on ideas rather than individuals and to approach the conversation respectfully.
“We'd like you to stay curious not furious,” Gorr said. “We want to listen to understand tonight, and we want to keep the focus on ideas.”
Attendees first reflected on what is working well in the relationship between the district, the school board, and the community. Themes that emerged included improved communication, consistent meetings, increased transparency, and expanded opportunities for engagement.
District leaders later noted that participants also identified improvements in communication and transparency as part of the district’s recent progress, along with increased opportunities for community input.
The second question asked where communication, understanding, or connection could be strengthened. Responses highlighted concerns about trust and respect, communication gaps between district leadership and staff, and the need for stronger support for teachers.
Additional themes identified by participants included valuing staff expertise and continuing efforts to move from discussion toward action steps that produce visible results.
The final question asked attendees to suggest ideas that could help build stronger relationships moving forward. Participants shared a range of suggestions, from additional forums for discussion to clearer timelines for action steps and continued opportunities for anonymous feedback.
Participants were also asked to identify which ideas they believed should be prioritized. Each person received colored dots and placed them on posters around the room representing different themes. The exercise was intended to show where the strongest interest and concern existed among those present.
The item receiving the most support from participants was building trust and respect between the school board, staff, and the community. The second highest priority identified was maintaining focus on educational priorities, followed by maintaining focus on student success, signaling strong interest in both relationships and classroom outcomes moving forward.
District leaders later identified additional priorities raised during the exercise, including strengthening communication and engagement, increasing community involvement, and continuing to elevate student voice.
School board treasurer Mark Zuzek said one theme in particular stood out as deserving deeper attention.
“I look at building trust and respect, and that's received a lot of attention, a lot of acknowledgement,” he said. “I can understand that about five different ways.”
He added that understanding what trust and respect mean to different groups will be an important next step.
“I understand all of the words,” he said. “I even understand the phrase, but I also know that I understand it differently than other people.”
Several attendees said they appreciated the anonymous format of the session, noting it allowed people to share ideas without concern about how their comments might be received.
“I think I like this platform,” one participant said. “It gives everybody a chance to voice their opinion without being looked at differently or whatever.”
Others encouraged the board to move quickly from discussion to action.
“I think time is up with the essence,” one attendee said. “Find that action item and do it so that there's action and people can continue on that momentum.”
Participants also asked district leaders about timelines for future meetings and how the information gathered would be used moving forward.
Mikel-Mulder said the committee is considering adding more structure to future sessions as the process continues.
“I think that, you know, again, I can't speak for the whole board, and I can't speak for the whole committee,” she said. “But again, the whole purpose of this is trying to figure out what are those streams of communication that we can honor the marching orders, but have them because they're not there, right?”
Others spoke about the importance of creating a space where people feel comfortable participating in conversations about the district’s future.
“I think eventually we're going to get a stronger, clearer voice,” one participant said. “More people are going to be able to come and share that, knowing that there is a process that creates a civil experience.”
Board members also noted that similar listening efforts are taking place with district staff. Superintendent Wehrkamp Herman has been meeting with employees across school buildings to gather additional feedback that will later be shared with the board.
As the evening concluded, district leaders encouraged attendees to continue participating in future sessions and to invite others to join the process.
“We need your help in that,” Wehrkamp Herman said. “We need to touch points with all of our community.”
She said the district’s long-term focus remains centered on supporting students and strengthening the community they live in.
“Ultimately, we want our students to be successful,” she said. “We do have highly talented, intelligent, kind students, and we want to continue that and always enhance that.”
Organizers described the April 1 meeting as the beginning of a continuing series of conversations intended to build stronger relationships between the school board and the Hastings community. Additional meetings are expected to explore themes raised during the session and gather more detailed feedback.
The discussion followed a structured process designed to collect information first, then reactions, then possible solutions in later sessions, according to remarks made during the meeting.
School officials said the approach reflects a commitment to sustained dialogue rather than a single event, with the goal of improving communication and strengthening trust over time.