On Thursday, Moffat County School District Superintendent Jill Hafey was the guest speaker at Memorial Regional Health’s August installment of Community Conversations.

Superintendent Hafey took the opportunity as this month’s invited speaker to present an in-depth look at MCSD’s strategic plan for 2023-24 and beyond.

The community engagement series, which takes place at 7 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month, is held in one of the hospital’s main conference rooms and open to the public.

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Hafey began her presentation by speaking briefly about the impetus for the development of the plan, with a focus on the districtwide desire for both cohesion and excellence among the schools.

The formalized plan revolves around three connected initiatives, with each respective initiative tying back to the belief that “every child can learn.” The ultimate goal over the coming years is to “move a school from focusing on improvement for groups of students and change that focus to improvement for each individual student,” according to the plan.

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The aim is to ensure that all 2,000-plus students in Moffat County’s school system receive a quality education tailored to them and their individual needs, abilities and interests.

District officials have worked to implement changes that they believe will give students and staff the best — and most — chances for success.

The introduction of Bulldog Academy, a restructured collaborative six-12 secondary model, extended mentoring periods for new teachers and additional work-experience offerings for secondary students are some of the new components being introduced this year.

During a question and answer session following the presentation, Hafey acknowledged that staffing has been a concern noted by members of the community.

Unfortunately, Moffat County is not exempt from the teacher shortage facing many parts of the nation. But a multi-pronged solution is in the works, highlighted by a “grow your own” model and the expansion of pathways for potential educators to become certified through non-traditional routes, according to Hafey.

Toward the conclusion of the meeting, Hafey reminded those in attendance that her allegiance is to the students of Moffat County and, by extension, to the community itself.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s town leaders, business owners, tradesmen and teachers. Craig’s future will be in their hands, and Hafey is intent on ensuring that those hands are strong and capable.