The best school districts share certain essential and enduring characteristics. These elements are key for building the brightest futures possible for our students:

• Caring teachers and staff who work as a team
• Students who feel safe, connected, and valued as unique people
• Parents and families who are engaged
• Thoughtful leaders who listen and act
• Graduates who are prepared for college, career, and a fulfilling life
• A community that understands its schools are an irreplaceable element of economic development and invests accordingly.

These characteristics also represent the aspirations of our district and the goals of this Hickman Mills Strategic Plan. This plan is our roadmap for growth. The Pillars and Focus Areas represent our greatest needs. The Targets and Strategies will ensure our progress with accountability. We commit to academic growth and continuous improvement at the very heart of our work. We also commit to increasing student attendance and decreasing teacher turnover, making every school safe and supportive for all students. We therefore commit to leading courageous conversations about diversity and equity, and raising quality engagement with each student’s family through enriched community partnerships.

I believe no challenge is too great, when good people work together toward a shared vision of something better. For this reason, we are optimistic for the work that lies ahead. We will build upon the legacy of togetherness between people of diverse backgrounds and interests throughout Hickman Mills, to respond to community needs. Our historic consolidation in 1902 proves we did it before, and we will embrace an ever-brighter future. Our success requires hard work, patience and perseverance by Our District, Our Schools and Our Community. Today, our work helps secure the lasting change we all desire to give students the future they want.

Sincerely,
Yaw Obeng

The mission of the Hickman Mills C-1 School District, a proudly diverse and historic community, is to provide a foundation for our students that maximizes academic success and fosters civic engagement as distinguished by:

• Highly effective teaching focused on rigor and individual student needs
• Building strong family, community, and school partnerships
• Collaborative and data-driven decision making
• The integration of technology across the curriculum and the district
• Commitment to early childhood and ongoing college or career preparation

Our vision is to empower our diverse student population as lifelong learners to think critically, communicate effectively, achieve and innovate in the rapidly changing world. We will engage all stakeholders in pursuing an environment that promotes inclusive communication.

“Students will have success today and be prepared for tomorrow.”

•  

  Hickman Mills C-1 School District made history in 1902, when the Hickman Mills area schools became the first consolidated school district in Missouri. Over the past 100 years, the district has grown from less than 100 students to an enrollment of 5,200 students.

  The Hickman Mills area is a diverse, first ring suburban community located approximately 10 miles southeast of downtown Kansas City and includes 56 square miles. The area is within the 5th and 6th council districts developed in the decades following World War II (1950-1970). During that time, Interstates 435 and 470 were built and postwar housing developed at a rapid pace. Each of the district's schools strive for academic excellence. The schools include:

  2 - Early Childhood Centers (PK)
  7 - Elementary Schools (K-5)
  1 - Sixth Grade Center
  1 - Senior High School (9-12)
  1 - Middle School (7-8)
  2 - Alternative Centers (Special Education and Real-World Learning Programs)

  The district also offers a gifted program, an alternative school, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) curriculum to all schools. The Hickman Mills C-1 School District is proud to be one of the few districts in the country making STEAM and Project Based Learning a priority in the classroom and offering such teaching to all students regardless of their grade or academic standing. The patrons of the community have always strongly supported our schools. Working together with people of diverse backgrounds through various groups and organizations. The Hickman Mills C-1 School District strives to stay on the cutting edge of all areas of instruction. Ethno-Cultural diversity in the schools reflects that of the community.

  RECOGNITION & HIGHLIGHTS

  • HMC-1's Pre-Kindergarten Program provides free, full day instruction and bus transportation to every 4-year-old in the district.
  • HMC-1 has Pre-K through 2nd grade Literacy Interventionists in every school to support Reading proficiency.
  • By the end of the 20-21 school year, over 40% of students in grades K-3 were reading at or above grade level.
  • We offer 1:1 technology device for PK-12.
  • STEAM and Project Based Learning fully implemented district wide. Project Lead the Way, First Lego League, and Makerspaces are utilized in every building.
  • HMC-1 has one of 17 nationally recognized Project Lead the Way Distinguished Districts. Ruskin High School is a 3-year recipient of the Kauffman Foundation’s Real-World Learning (RWL) grant to promote and expand opportunities for high school students to earn a Market Value Asset (MVA).
  • Social Emotional Learning Supports include district-wide SEL curriculum and SEL/Wellness clubs focused on self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making skills.
  • HMC-1 is working towards district wide implementation of restorative practices.

In July 2019, The Hickman Mills C-1 School Board of Education approved a five-year Strategic Plan for the 2020 - 2025 school years. The plan is a road map for growth and includes three focus areas - Our District, Our Schools, and Our Community. The emphasis is on the district's greatest needs and includes the steps to ensure HMC-1 progress with complete transparency.

In August 2020, the new superintendent released his post-entry plan, which included revised Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) goals. The changes plot a new pathway driven by "Teaching & Learning" strategies with a focus on building instructional practices that measure improved student achievement.

In July of 2022, the superintendent's Post-Entry Plan was combined with the original HMC-1 Strategic Plan 2020-2025. The school district’s restructured strategy maintains the core concepts and “Pillars” of the original strategic plan while including the focus areas, targets, strategies, and measurable outcomes that the current administration considers necessary for student success. Resulting in an updated 2022-2027 Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plan.

The three pillars are the foundation of what we must do well to create student success. The pillars represent our greatest needs, the Focus Areas will ensure our progress with accountability and our Targets set the final destinations for the future. The Three Pillars are:

Pillar A – Our District

Establish and maintain best practices in staffing, ethno-cultural equity, finance and facilities that will support the recruitment and retention of the very best teachers and staff to serve Hickman Mills students.

• Focus Area 1 – Staffing: Recruit and Retain Quality Staff
• Focus Area 2 – Equity: Equitable Access, Opportunities and Outcomes
• Focus Area 3 – Business: Finance and Facilities

Pillar B – Our Schools

Increase academic success of students’ attendance, college, and career readiness, while ensuring a safe and supportive environment required for learning.

• Focus Area 4 – Student Achievement: Academic Growth & Attendance
• Focus Area 5 – Student Readiness: Success Ready Students
• Focus Area 6 – Student Safety: Safe and Supportive Climate

Pillar C – Our Community

Improve the quality of communications between district and community, establish and expand partnerships with families, service organizations, and businesses to benefit our schools and help strengthen the Hickman Mills community.

• Focus Area 7 – Communications: Improve District and Community Communications
• Focus Area 8 – Family Engagement: Establish and Expand Partnerships with Families
• Focus Area 9 – Partners: Expand Partnerships with Business and Community

1. Appreciation & Recognition
2. Career Development
3. Culture Fit
4. Job Satisfaction
5. Meaningful Work
6. Relationship With Colleagues
7. Relationship With Supervisor
8. School Management

The schools of Hickman Mills are the heart and soul of our learning community. Successful implementation of our plan requires the investment of everyone who depends on Hickman Mills. From employees and students, to families and partners in the community - we are one.

Without question, full accreditation is an urgent focus. As such, we must create a solid and dedicated focus on maximizing daily attendance for each student – and creating the safe and supportive environment required for the best learning to happen. Only then will we lay the foundation of full accreditation and establish a long-term path of continuous improvement.

Current State:

HMC-1 serves approximately 5200 students in grades PK-12. As measured by iReady Benchmark Assessments (K-9) from the 20-21 school year, formative data illustrates that approximately 24% of students are on grade level in Reading and 19% in Math. Graduation rates have increased by over 10% in the last five years; however, they still fall below the state average. HMC-1 has evidence of success in improving college and career readiness outcomes for high school students and is strategically planning how to expand programming into K-8, as evidenced in this strategic plan.

FOCUS AREA 4 – Student Achievement: Academic Growth and Attendance

Target 1 – Increase grade level performance in ELA by 12% (3% annually)

FOCUS AREA 4 – Student Achievement: Academic Growth and Attendance

Target 2 – Increase grade level performance in Math by 12% (3% annually)

FOCUS AREA 4 – Student Achievement: Academic Growth and Attendance

Target 3 – Increase Average Daily Attendance (ADA) to 90% consistently

FOCUS AREA 5 – Student Readiness: Success Ready Students

Target 1 – Implement SUCCESS READY PROGRAM in 100% of K-12 schools (Including Focus Students)

FOCUS AREA 5 – Student Readiness: Success Ready Students

Target 2 – Increase district graduation rate of all students (including Focus Students) to 90% or higher

FOCUS AREA 5 – Student Readiness: Success Ready Students

Target 3 – Increase the percentage of students (including Focus Students) participating in realworld learning and earning Market Value Assets (MVA's) to 50% of graduates by year 2025

FOCUS AREA 5 – Student Readiness: Success Ready Students

Target 4 – Increase by 10% the percentage of students (including Focus Students) earning a qualifying score on college and career assessments

FOCUS AREA 5 – Student Readiness: Success Ready Students

Target 5 – Increase IEP transition opportunities by 10% annually

FOCUS AREA 6 – Student Safety: Safe and Supportive Climate

Target 1 – Reduce the number of OSS and Superintendent referrals (including Focus Students) by 10%

We at Hickman Mills fundamentally depend on partnerships with classrooms, families, volunteers, non-profits, and businesses for our continuous growth and long-term success.

Demands our district families face are different today than they were a decade ago. To strengthen partnerships with families, we must engage in new and different ways. Accessible meetings during school days for our student's families help leverage everyday technology, increasing other approaches that have the potential to benefit everyone and ultimately serve students better.

Surrounding any successful school system is a community that understands the unique role that its schools play in economic and workforce development. The work we have outlined will help establish and expand partnerships with service organizations and businesses. This growth will not only benefit our schools but also help strengthen the community of Hickman Mills.

Current State:

The south Kansas City community that Hickman Mills C-1 Schools serves has dealt with a changing population over the last 25 years. Enrollment peaked in the school district in the early 1990s. As a result, what at the time was a suburban community, has transitioned to more of an urban population that experiences similar challenges typically seen in inner-city school districts.

The change in the population has required HMC-1 to change our approach to family and community engagement. New strategies include focusing on parents as teachers’ programs, parent university programs, and increasing the number of mentors, volunteers, and community partners, including area businesses, to support student success. HMC-1 also understands the changing social-political climate, and that equity remains a top focus for all of our stakeholders.

FOCUS AREA 7 – Communication: Improve District and Community Communications

Target 1 – Improve the positive perception of the district

FOCUS AREA 7 – Communication: Improve District and Community Communications

Target 2 - Improve the quality of consistent communication between district and community

FOCUS AREA 8 – Family Engagement: Establish and Expand Partnerships with Families

Target 1 – Increase the number of quality opportunities to build supportive relationships with staff

FOCUS AREA 8 – Family Engagement: Establish and Expand Partnerships with Families

Target 2 – Increase the number of quality opportunities for families to engage in the learning process

FOCUS AREA 9 – Partners: Expand Partnerships with Business & Community

Target 1 – Increase the number of quality opportunities for the business and community to build supportive relationships with students