Road to Sustainable Destiny - Hickman Mills C-1 School District

Join us on The Road to a Sustainable Destiny!

HMC-1 is launching The Road to a Sustainable Destiny — an open, ongoing conversation about the future of our schools. This is your opportunity to join students, families, staff, and community members as we collaborate to align our budget with the district's needs and develop a robust, sustainable plan for the years ahead.

Through Town Halls, listening sessions, and opportunities to engage, you will help shape the roadmap for what comes next. The journey is just beginning, but together, we can ensure our community is ready for the future — because the power of one voice grows when we come together as One Team.

This is a live webpage. We will update with engagement feedback, frequently asked questions and answers, additional resources and documents, and more as we go through the engagement process.

Jan. 15 - Public Hearing Procedures
Jan. 15 - Board Regular Meeting Presentation

Jan. 15 - Public Hearing Procedures

Public Hearing Participation Procedures
As of 1/13/26

The Board of Education values parent and community feedback regarding the school reconfiguration plan, which is scheduled for Board action on January 15, 2026. The public hearing on January 15, 2026 represents the culmination of several presentations and public engagement opportunities since the initial school reconfiguration discussion held during the Board Work Session on November 21, 2025. Since the initial discussion on November 21, 2025, the District has conducted the following meetings and community engagement opportunities to inform and gather feedback on the proposed school reconfiguration plan:

PREVIOUS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DATES:

August

August 11 – Convocation
August 13 – Superintendent Meet and Greet
August 21 – Board Meeting/ Press Conference
August 22 – Superintendent Message
August 28 – Town Hall Meeting, Hickman Mills Middle School

September

September 18 – Board of Education Regular Meeting
September 25 – All Staff Meeting

October

October 1 – Town Hall, Hickman Mills Middle School
October 2 – Board of Education Work Session
October 16 – Board of Education Regular Meeting
October 23 – System's Leaders/Operations Meeting
October 28 – Community Health Commission Meeting, via Zoom

November

November 6 – Board of Education Work Session
November 10 – Principal Presentation/Staff Presentation
November 18 – Community Meeting, Hickman Mills Middle School
November 19 – Community Health Commission Meeting, via Zoom
November 20 – Board of Education Regular Meeting
November 21 – Board Work Session
November 24 – Building Re-Configuration Conversations with Affected Schools

December

December 4 – Board of Education Meeting
December 09 – Community Health Commission Meeting, Real World Learning Center, 2 sessions
December 11 – Building Leaders Update
December 18 – Community Health Commission Meeting, Truman Elementary

January

January 7 – Truman Town Hall, Alvin Brooks Middle School
January 8 – Board of Education Work Session
January 12 – Santa Fe & Alvin Brooks Town Hall, Hickman Mills Middle School
January 15 – Board of Education Regular Meeting

To facilitate the public hearing on the school reconfiguration plan, the Board has implemented the following procedures:

Complete the Speaker Request Form located at the back of the Board Room.
When called to speak, introduce yourself, provide your address, and, if you have student(s) in the District, identify the school(s) your student(s) attend.
Limit your comments to two (2) minutes or less.
Comments must relate only to issues presented in the school reconfiguration presentation.
To respect each speaker and the time allotted, audience members should refrain from interrupting or commenting during speaker presentations.
Each speaker may speak only once during the hearing.
The Board will not respond to public comments during the hearing. However, upon the Superintendent’s recommendation for approval at the Board Meeting immediately following the hearing, the Board may discuss the comments during its deliberations prior to any vote on the reconfiguration plan.

Jan. 15 - Board Regular Meeting Presentation

Under Request Board Approval during the January 15, 2026, BOE Regular Session Board Meeting, district leadership will present the “Road to a Sustainable Destiny,” outlining multiple options being considered to address the district’s budget deficit. Following the presentation and discussion, the will Superintendent recommended the Board vote on these recommendations. The following is the presentation for the January 15 Board Meeting:

011526 Board Regular Meeting Presentation

Latest Information

Videos

Timeline

Upcoming Engagements

Building a Bright Future Together in HMC-1

Hickman Mills is a proud, diverse community. We know our community cares deeply about our students, and we want to keep you in the loop about some important discussions happening right now.

Our school board and district leaders have been meeting to plan for the future – what we call our “Road to a Sustainable Destiny.” The goal is simple: to make smart, thoughtful choices now so that we can support our students, families, and amazing staff for many years to come. Nothing is finalized; however, we want to ensure you understand the important ideas we are discussing and how they could help keep our schools strong.

What We Are Discussing: Two Big Ideas

The district is looking at two main ways to ensure we have enough money to give our students the best possible education without constantly worrying about our budget.

Financial Stability:

Bond Issue: The board is discussing a special vote called a “no-tax-increase bond.” This means the district could borrow money for important building projects without raising your taxes.
Current Levy: We are also planning to add a “levy transfer” to the April ballot that would allow the district to move 30¢ of tax money we already collect for building debt into the fund we use to run the schools (our operating budget).
BENEFITS: If voters approve this change, it would bring in about $3.4 to $3.5 million more each year to help pay for teachers, books, and programs – ALL WITHOUT RAISING YOUR TAXES.

Reconfiguring Our Schools:
Even with the extra money from the levy transfer, we still need to ensure we spend it wisely. That’s why we are being bold and looking at a plan to reconfigure how we group our students.

ONE 6^TH GRADE CENTER: Santa Fe Elementary would serve as the home for all district 6th-grade students.
ONE 7^TH & 8^TH GRADE CENTER: Hickman Mills Middle School would serve as the home for all 7^th- and 8th-grade students.
ALVIN BROOKS CAMPUS BECOMES AN ELEMENTARY: Alvin Brooks Middle School would change into an Elementary School for grades K–5.
SCHOOL CLOSURE: Due to significant deferred maintenance costs, the district would shutter Truman Elementary School. All students and staff from Truman would move together to the newly configured Alvin Brooks Elementary.
ELEMENTARY CHANGES: Current Truman Elementary students would attend Alvin Brooks Elementary. Because we would go from seven elementary schools to six, we would adjust attendance boundaries for all elementary schools.

Your Voice Matters

The school board wants to hear from our community.

HMC-1 has hosted several engagement events to date, and we will host meetings with staff, families, and will host meetings with staff, families, and the community right up until the final vote.
The final decision won’t happen until the Board Meeting on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
We are committed to communicating openly and listening with care. Our goal is to protect the academic progress our scholars have made, keep our beautiful buildings strong, and hold onto the talented teachers and staff who make Hickman Mills so special.

Please stay informed by visiting our Road to a Sustainable Destiny website (information will be updated there). We appreciate your continued support as we work together to build a stable and bright future for all HMC-1 students!

Budget Reductions & Community Investment at a Glance

Operations & Academic Savings 25-26 Icon

Operations & Academic Savings 26-27 Icon v2

Previous Engagements

Jan. 15 - Board Regular Meeting

Jan. 8, 2026 - BOE Working Board Meeting

Under New Business during the January 8, 2026 BOE Working Session Board Meeting, district leadership presented the “Road to a Sustainable Destiny,” outlining multiple options being considered to address the district’s budget deficit. Following the presentation and discussion, the Superintendent recommended continuing the planning process. The Board will host a Community Hearing at 5:00 pm, prior to its regular Board Meeting at 6:00 pm next week, to provide an additional opportunity for public input. The following is the presentation:

1826BOEMeetingWorkSessionSustainableDestiny (PDF)

Jan. 7, 2026 - Truman Elementary Town Hall

| Presentation |

Dr. Dennis L. Carpenter, along with district leadership, welcomed Truman families, staff, and community members to Alvin Brooks Middle School for a Truman Elementary specific Town Hall in the “Road to a Sustainable Destiny” engagement series. The evening provided attendees with an ongoing view of the district’s budget status.

The event was hosted to provide visitors the opportunity to tour the Alvin Brooks Campus. As part of this open conversation, Dr. Carpenter invited everyone to share their thoughts post tour. The feedback gathered reflects the voices, concerns, and hopes of our community as we continue this important journey together.

| Participation Stats |

| Question 1 |

| Question 2 |

The Top Thoughts for "After tonight's presentation, what's top of mind or what questions do you have about the transition from Truman Elementary to the Alvin Brooks Campus?"

We need to keep the Truman name.
New staff needs to be sure they will be part of the Truman way.
Where will kids put belongings? Rooms seem smaller
What will class sizes be like?
Like the separate gym & cafeteria
Like all the music rooms

Will we have an opening for a vice principal? Or someone to serve in that capacity?
Will we be able to keep the name Truman? For example, maybe Truman at Alvin Brooks. Where will the students hang their backpacks and coats?

After being assured that all current students will still be in the zone for this school, I'm now only concerned about class sizes. Seems like a lovely building.

I appreciate that all the current Truman students would transition to the new building rather than be rezoned to a different school.

Seamless transition

Thinking of the money that will be needed to invest into making some of the rooms back to elementary capacity again

Keeping the name Truman.
Keeping our support staff and giving them opportunities for new roles instead of firing them.

How large the building is--and you talk about Truman spirit and positive trends and then it is the Brooks building--it doesn't feel right

I can see the potential in this transition. And I am optimistic about the outcome if it’s truly going to allow for a decrease in the overall deficit and support to the staff and teachers in this transition.

Space for backpacks/coats and such of scholars?

Make lemonade out of these lemons. We’ll need a staff merge function, a bigger library, student coat hooks in the classroom, etcetera. Will you take care of our beloved neighborhood school building, Truman Elementary, so that we can move back in when the budget gets under control???

Physical size of classrooms so small for Elementary furniture.. Need for cubbies, space for coats, backpacks, amount of wasted space in size of hallways, it's a maze and confusing.

Smaller rooms- no sinks- no coat closets

There are a lot of possibilities. The transition will require significant planning and inventive thinking to make the best use of the space.

The building will be more efficient and productive for students and teachers. This move will reduce maintenance on older Truman from the school expenditures.

I would love the transition, it provides more space an opportunity for our children to grow.

Will Truman be able to keep their name?

Love it

Space for backpacks and classroom area seems smaller then our current. Will there be help to pack up our current rooms?

Nov. 18, 2025 - Town Hall Engagement Results

| Presentation |

Dr. Dennis L. Carpenter, along with district leadership, welcomed HMC-1 families, staff, and community members to Hickman Mills Middle School for the third Town Hall in the “Road to a Sustainable Destiny” engagement series. The evening provided attendees with an ongoing view of the district’s budget status.

As part of this open conversation, Dr. Carpenter invited everyone to share their thoughts as the district works to balance the budget while keeping student success at the center. The feedback gathered reflects the voices, concerns, and hopes of our community as we continue this important journey together.

| Participation Stats |

| Top Topics |

| Top Thoughts |

Nov. 10, 2025 - All HMC-1 Staff Meeting Results

Oct. 1, 2025 - Town Hall Engagement Results

| Presentation |

Dr. Dennis L. Carpenter, along with district leadership, welcomed all HMC-1 families, community, staff, and alumni to Hickman Mills Middle School for a Town Hall meeting as a continuation of the “Road to a Sustainable Destiny” engagement series. This meeting was also available via livestream on the district's website for those who could not attend in person. The evening provided attendees with a clear view of the district’s progress to date, recent successes, and the district's overall state.

| Participation Stats |

| Top Topics |

| Top Thoughts |

Sept. 25 - All HMC-1 Staff Meeting Results

| Presentation |

Dr. Dennis L. Carpenter, along with district leadership, welcomed all HMC-1 staff to Ruskin School for an all-staff meeting as part of the “Road to a Sustainable Destiny” engagement series. This meeting was also available via livestream on the staff's Hub intranet for those who could not attend in person. The evening provided attendees with a clear view of the district’s progress to date, recent successes, and the district's overall state.

| Participation Stats |

| Top Topics |

| Top Thoughts |

Aug. 28, 2025 - Town Hall Engagement Results

| Presentation |

Dr. Dennis L. Carpenter, along with district leadership, welcomed HMC-1 families, staff, and community members to Hickman Mills Middle School for the first Town Hall in the “Road to a Sustainable Destiny” engagement series. The evening provided attendees with a clear view of the district’s progress to date, recent successes, and the overall state of the district.

| Participation Stats |

| Top Topics |

| Top Thoughts |

Aug. 22, 2025 - Message to Staff

Aug. 21, 2025 - Regular Board Meeting

Aug. 21, 2025 - Press Conference

Aug. 13, 2025 - Community Meet and Greet

On August 13, HMC-1 families, staff, and community members gathered at Hickman Mills Middle School for a Superintendent Meet & Greet to welcome Interim Superintendent Dr. Dennis L. Carpenter. The event was more than an introduction; it was an opportunity to reconnect, rebuild trust, and celebrate our shared commitment to serving every student as One Team.

Dr. Carpenter shared his vision for the district, while families and community members asked questions and shared their thoughts. As part of the evening, we gathered feedback from attendees. Here’s what you told us about your hopes, priorities, and vision for HMC-1.

Top 5 Takeaways

Strong commitment to students and youth – Many responses centered on caring for “our kids,” their growth, and future success.
Passion for education – People expressed pride in teaching, learning, and the power of education to change lives.
Community connection and pride – Alumni, parents, and staff shared a strong sense of belonging and belief in HMC-1’s potential.
Unity and shared purpose – Comments showed a desire for teamwork, collaboration, and collective action.
Excitement about the future – There was a positive outlook on opportunities ahead for students and the district.

Top 5 Keywords

Kids / Students
Community
Education
Passion
Unity

Full list of responses.

Aug. 11, 2025 - Convocation (Staff Only)

At this year’s HMC-1 Convocation, district leadership brought the entire One Team — teachers, school leaders, and staff — together to share key updates about summer changes and what’s ahead for the new school year. More than just an update, the session provided staff with an opportunity to shape the district’s future by sharing their honest, anonymous feedback.

Educators reflected on their “Why” for working in education and the essential quality every HMC-1 staff member needs to succeed. Their responses showed a team united by passion for student success, equity, and strong relationships, highlighting that our people are central to HMC-1.

Top 10 Takeaways

Staff care deeply about both academic and personal growth for students.
Equity and fairness in education are recurring priorities.
Many see teaching as more than a job — it’s a calling or purpose.
Positive relationships and safe, supportive environments are essential.
Building confidence in students is seen as life-changing.
Real-world readiness and future success drive many educators’ goals.
Passion and love for education come through repeatedly.
Teachers want to meet students where they are and advocate for their needs.
Seeing students succeed is the most rewarding part of the work.
Community impact and service beyond the classroom matter to many respondents.

"What is your “why” for serving students in education?" Full list of answers.