A brand-new, high-gloss floor in Mid-Prairie’s Middle School gym is ready for action. Last year the gym’s floor was badly warped and damaged by a water leak in the boy’s locker room.

Cheryl Allen

Is teaching an individual or a collective enterprise?  Our default assumption may be that an individual teacher is responsible for their students’ learning, but research conducted in the late 1980s/early 1990s suggested the most effective schools operate as strong professional communities, where staff members share norms and beliefs and develop a collaborative culture.

Professional learning communities (PLC) in school districts developed as a result of that research.  For Mid-Prairie CSD’s superintendent, Brian Stone, developing those PLCs has been a focus during the first year of his tenure, and continuing that work is one of the things he is most excited about for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Last year, the schools – Preschool, East Elementary, West Elementary, Middle, High, Alternative Learning, Home School Assistance, and Virtual Academy  -- were “very consistent in getting everybody in the same fundamental place,” Stone says.  “We wanted to get that consistency district-wide.”

can improve educational opportunities, the more that just continues to build that all-inclusive framework.”

Superintendent Stone is also excited about the district’s restructured Teacher Leadership and Compensation system (TLC), which rewards effective teachers with leadership opportunities.  This year, for the first time, instructional coaches will be present in each school building, where they can provide additional instructional leadership.

Kristan Hunter is the district curriculum leader; instructional coaches include Sarah Ihde at East Elementary, Emily Zehr at West Elementary, Kelsi TeBockhorst at Middle, and Erin Cavanagh at the high school.

“I’m really excited about that,” Stone says.  “I think it will be great for working on that consistency with the district-wide vision of how we are looking to improve educational opportunities for our students.  I’m really excited to see how that plays out.”

Twenty-one new staff members will join Mid-Prairie this fall.  Stone notes that every district is facing a challenge with hiring and retaining enough teachers, but “the community is very supportive.  As we continue to evolve, I couldn’t think of a better place to be to go through that as a group.”

A Facilities Committee was formed this spring to identify and prioritize the ongoing needs of the district.  Stone says that although typically a facilities committee is only gathered prior to a bond, the district now wants this to be “an ongoing process.”  About 40 community members are involved in the committee.

The work of a previous facilities committee is currently underway: the construction projects at East Elementary and Middle schools are ahead of schedule; the new track is complete; and new softball lights were installed earlier this spring.  The middle school gym also has a beautiful new maple floor, the “silver lining” of a flooding issue last year.

The custodians have worked hard to sparkle the campuses so they are ready for a new school year, something Stone is also proud of as he looks forward to the first day of school.

“I’ve got the best job in the world.  I never graduate,” he says.  “I get to experience that first day with so many kids as they all start their journey on their path to education.  That’s just fun.

A PLC is a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and students’ academic performance.  Mid-Prairie designates Wednesday afternoons – their early-out days – for staff to engage with their PLC.

“For the first time, we are in a place where everyone knows what we’re doing with our professional learning communities,” Stone says.  “We’ll continue to be intentional about making sure that we give people time to work in those atmospheres.”

He says that a PLC can be created for any group, not just teachers; custodians, cooks, and district leadership might have their own PLC.

“It’s just a way to come up with a systematic agenda to continue to look for ways to improve educational opportunities for our students,” he explains.  “It also builds on the culture and climate of the building, because the more you have the opportunity and designate that time to get together and collaborate in ways that

can improve educational opportunities, the more that just continues to build that all-inclusive framework.”

Superintendent Stone is also excited about the district’s restructured Teacher Leadership and Compensation system (TLC), which rewards effective teachers with leadership opportunities.  This year, for the first time, instructional coaches will be present in each school building, where they can provide additional instructional leadership.

Kristan Hunter is the district curriculum leader; instructional coaches include Sarah Ihde at East Elementary, Emily Zehr at West Elementary, Kelsi TeBockhorst at Middle, and Erin Cavanagh at the high school.

“I’m really excited about that,” Stone says.  “I think it will be great for working on that consistency with the district-wide vision of how we are looking to improve educational opportunities for our students.  I’m really excited to see how that plays out.”

Twenty-one new staff members will join Mid-Prairie this fall.  Stone notes that every district is facing a challenge with hiring and retaining enough teachers, but “the community is very supportive.  As we continue to evolve, I couldn’t think of a better place to be to go through that as a group.”

A Facilities Committee was formed this spring to identify and prioritize the ongoing needs of the district.  Stone says that although typically a facilities committee is only gathered prior to a bond, the district now wants this to be “an ongoing process.”  About 40 community members are involved in the committee.

The work of a previous facilities committee is currently underway: the construction projects at East Elementary and Middle schools are ahead of schedule; the new track is complete; and new softball lights were installed earlier this spring.  The middle school gym also has a beautiful new maple floor, the “silver lining” of a flooding issue last year.

The custodians have worked hard to sparkle the campuses so they are ready for a new school year, something Stone is also proud of as he looks forward to the first day of school.

“I’ve got the best job in the world.  I never graduate,” he says.  “I get to experience that first day with so many kids as they all start their journey on their path to education.  That’s just fun.