Niles Schools to hold invite-only community forum
Niles Community Schools is holding an invitation-only community forum Tuesday evening to discuss student achievement, what is working and what can be improved upon within the district.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at the Westside Administration building, 111 Spruce St., Niles.
Supt. Richard Weigel said the forum is invitation only because it is easier to get feedback from a smaller group compared to a group of 1,000 people.
“If I do a community forum and invite anybody and everybody, I am not going to get what I am looking for,” Weigel said. “What I am looking for is a group of ‘thought partners’ where I can go over our achievement data.”
Weigel said he didn’t know exactly how many people were invited, but the forum will take place in a room with a capacity for about 70 people.
Invitations were sent to community leaders, for example, members of the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce, Niles-Buchanan Rotary and Southwestern Michigan Economic Growth Alliance.
Weigel and the district’s administrative team are hosting the forum.
“We want to hear from people in the community on what they think,” Weigel said. “What do you think we can do better and is there a way we can communicate better and improve our service to the students?
“We will listen to what people have to say and then meet and discuss how we follow up on it from there.”