PRIEST RIVER — Is the West Bonner County School District headed in the right direction in order to set students up for success?

That's the question, as well as a few others, being asked of community members as the district works to update its strategic plan.

RLR Leadership Consulting, which is partnering with the district on the strategic plan, met with WBCSD board trustees at their Sept. 16 meeting to update trustees on the process.

The pair met with a wide variety of community members in mid-September to find out how residents feel the district is doing, RLR's Randy Russell told West Bonner trustees at their Sept. 16 meeting.

"We've really appreciated people's candor and their willingness to share their thoughts about what they think the school district is doing well, what the school district can improve on, what the school district needs to stop doing, and what the school district needs to start doing," Russell said.

Whether residents like the decisions — or not — Russell said residents are committed to what's best for the community's students and school district.

"It doesn't mean that everybody loves all the decisions or that they like everything that the school district has done, but the passion is definitely there to support the kids and for this school district to be successful," he said.

The pair plan additional visits in October, November and December. They are committed to meeting with all residents who are interested in sharing feedback and are open to everything from one-on-one meetings to focus groups to public input as they work with the district on an update to its five-year strategic plan.

Questions being asked range from "Please tell me what WBCSD does well" to "Please share what you believe WBCSD needs to do next?" to "Is there anything you believe WBCSD should stop doing?"

Each group and person they meet with is being asked the same questions to ensure consistency. The information is confidential, with the goal being to garner candid conversations and honest feedback, Russell said.

That ensures the information gathered will be the most helpful to the school district, he said.

The plan gives the district a "road map" of how to achieve academic excellence and offers students programs that will set them up for success. The current plan, originally set to take the district from 2023 to 2028, aims to ensure students are college- and career-ready by the time they graduate from high school.

Organized around six pillars — teaching, culture, communication, technology, transportation and facilities — the plan outlines steps to improve as well as priorities to provide a clear direction. The plan also outlines a process to evaluate the district's progress toward the end of each year, allowing it to realign its steps to ensure a continuous five-year forward direction.

RLR Leadership Consulting is expected to work with district officials in the coming months on crafting the updated strategic plan. A draft of the plan is expected to be presented to West Bonner officials in January.