By Stacey Tinsley, stinsley@bossierpress.com
With Bossier Schools about to embark on the 2019-20 school year, Bossier Parish Schools Superintendent Mitch Downey is excited about the potential of the district.
Downey unveiled Bossier Schools’ new vision and mission statement.
Vision: Win the Day; Every Student, Every Way.
Mission: We EMPOWER all through Engagement, Motivation, Purpose, Opportunities, Welcoming, Excellence, Relationships.
“A win for us means whatever is needed. We are going to win the day by empowering all,” Downey said.
This new vision and mission statement is a collaborative message that grew out of a recent meeting with an estimated 15 area principals.
“I think we have some very creative, talented, and intelligent people and we are going to take advantage of their ideas,” Downey said. “Everyone had a part in it. Their suggestions and opinions matter.”
A major goal for the upcoming year is to focus on more inclusion regarding the decisions being made in the district.
“We want to make sure we are including as many different opinions as we possibly can, as far as stakeholder input. I think it’s important that they have a voice,” Downey said. “We discussed town hall meetings and parental committees. Those ideas are continuing to evolve.”
One goal that Superintendent Downey will continue to focus on is employee pay for all Bossier employees.
“We are going to continue to look at ways to supplement our employees pay and improve their quality of life. This is going to be an ongoing effort. Even with the additional money we were able to make permanent along with the state’s portion, we still have work to do,” said Downey.
The Bossier Parish School Board approved a pay increase for all teachers and qualified support personnel at a meeting in July after making cuts in its budgets from several financial meetings.
Lastly, another major goal for Downey in the upcoming school year is focusing on Bossier’s Title 1 schools.
“We want to make sure we are giving them the resources they need to be successful,” he said.
Downey also noted several of the positive things that have recently occurred in the district.
“Our schools got great news recently with the LEAP scores and (W.T. Elementary Principal) Lisa Burns being named Elementary School Principal of the Year for the entire state,” Downey said. “We want to continue to concentrate on the positive things.”
