Superintendent Cole: 'Our kids need this work to happen now'

Klamath County School District will begin work on a new strategic plan this fall, with a goal of launching it in July 2027. The decision follows Superintendent Melissa Cole’s first 100 days on the job gathering input from staff, families, and community members.

Cole shared the findings of her 100-day report with the school board Oct. 15, outlining five priority areas that emerged from community listening sessions and research on improving student outcomes. The district initially anticipated beginning strategic planning in 2027-28, but Cole said consistent feedback and a willingness among staff and community members to move forward made it clear the work should begin sooner.

“Our kids need this work to happen now,” she told the board. “Each student gets one year of kindergarten, one year of second grade, one year of ninth grade. We cannot wait another year to do strategic planning and then another year to implement it.”

The district plans to convene work groups that include school and district leaders, teachers, classified staff, specialists, coordinators, and student representatives. The groups will develop recommendations in five areas: high-quality instruction and student success; student services and support; people and culture; systems and operations; and communication and engagement.

The district aims to complete the initial phase by April 1, 2027, then return to the community for a second round of listening sessions to gather feedback and refine the plan. Work groups will incorporate that input in May and June, with the new strategic plan scheduled to launch in July 2027.

LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY
During her first 100 days, Cole attended community meetings, visited schools, engaged with district employees and families, and connected with stakeholders throughout Klamath County. A survey available through listening sessions, social media, the website and newsletters gathered input from 275 parents and staff.

The feedback identified academic achievement and instructional support as the leading priority, followed by student mental health and well-being, student behavior and discipline, support for teachers and staff, and communication and transparency.

“We aren’t just listening and engaging for visibility’s sake,” Cole said. “We’re here to learn and do something about it.”

The findings also reinforced the need to address student outcome data, particularly in mathematics and attendance. District data for 2025-26 showed that regular attendance -- defined as attending at least 90% of school days -- varied by grade level. Nearly 76% of elementary students met that benchmark, compared with 70% of middle school students and 69% of high school students.

Cole also highlighted disparities among student groups, including students with disabilities, English language learners and students experiencing poverty. Among students experiencing poverty, regular attendance rates were 59.4% at the middle school level and 54.8% at the high school level.

TURNING PRIORITIES INTO ACTION
Several initiatives are already underway or identified for further development as part of the district’s response to the feedback.

In teaching and learning, the district has begun work on mapping K-12 priority standards in mathematics, English language arts, science and social studies. Other priorities include strengthening kindergarten readiness, improving the elementary report card, expanding access to useful student data tools, and examining access to courses and extracurricular opportunities, particularly in rural schools.

In student services, the district plans to redesign how it serves students with disabilities to ensure every student receives the individualized support, specialized services, and high-quality instruction they need to thrive. This work will include developing a more comprehensive and coordinated system of academic and behavioral supports, building upon the Student Success Rooms introduced this school year, establishing staffing models aligned to student needs, and expanding access to specialized professionals and community partnerships. 

“Our goal is to move beyond addressing immediate needs to building a sustainable, student-centered system that strengthens services, removes barriers to learning, and improves outcomes for every student,” Cole said.

The district also plans to develop coordinated recruitment and retention strategies, expand job-embedded instructional coaching and cross-school collaboration, and improve operational procedures and access to data. Communication efforts will focus on consistent districtwide platforms, multilingual and two-way communication, opportunities for student and parent input, and a clearer process for responding to community feedback.

Cole emphasized that engagement must extend beyond sharing information. The next step is to partner with families and staff to ensure the new strategic plan reflects their vision and needs.

 “We are one team, and we do not do education alone,” she said. “We do it with our families. We do it with our staff and our community.”