Meet Dr. Lowery: Leading HSD’s Next Chapter

Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Lowery joins Harrisburg 41-2: The Podcast to share what drew her to HSD, what she’s learned in her first months on the job, and how the district is preparing for its next chapter. She talks about growth, community, teamwork, and the people who make Harrisburg what it is.

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JoAnne VerMulm 0:02

We're giving you more than just the 411. This is the Harrisburg 412 Podcast. Coming to you from Southern Sioux Falls and Harrisburg, South Dakota. Welcome back and thanks for joining us again. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Lowery, our new superintendent, to learn what drew her to the district and how she's helping guide the next chapter of the Harrisburg School District. Welcome, Dr. Lowery. So you've been here for a few months. You come to us from just down the road from the T Area School District. What is it about Harrisburg that drew you here and made you want to become part of it?

Jennifer Lowery 0:53

So my draw to the Harrisburg School District is its growth, its uniqueness, and the innovative opportunities that present itself.

JoAnne VerMulm 1:05

So tell us a little bit about yourself, Dr. Lowery. You have had really a lifelong journey in education. Share a little bit about yourself and how those experiences have influenced your work today.

Jennifer Lowery 1:20

So I'm a lifelong South Dakota resident, except for a short time in Nebraska. So I'm a graduate of Huron High School. And then I went to Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell and earned a bachelor's in mathematics and education. I went to the University of Nebraska Lincoln and have a master's degree in educational psychology in there. The technical term is psychometrics. And then I went to Aberdeen Central and I coached and taught in the high school with my husband there. And while I was there, I earned an administration degree from the University of South Dakota. I was hired to be an elementary principal and K-12 curriculum director for the T Area School District. I did that for one year until I was asked to be the interim superintendent. And I had started my doctorate for my superintendent licensed school district administration that same year that I was asked to be the interim. And I ended up serving T area for 13 years as their superintendent of schools before starting in Harrisburg this fall.

JoAnne VerMulm 2:39

And then you also come from a family of educators, is that right?

Jennifer Lowery 2:43

Yes, I'm a third-generation educator from in South Dakota. So I have been in Winter, Gregory, Salem, Lee Deadwood, and Huron, as I followed my father's path to serving schools throughout the state.

JoAnne VerMulm 3:00

So it sounds like you've spent a good portion of your life in school.

Jennifer Lowery 3:04

I don't know if I know any other way to live than in uh gyms and at music concerts and in classrooms, sorting papers and supporting whatever mom and dad needed to do.

JoAnne VerMulm 3:23

Well, thank you for that. We've gotten to know you a little bit, and now let's learn a little bit about your plans for the district.

Jennifer Lowery 3:31

So when I was hired and I kept hearing, what's the superintendent's plan? What are your goals? What direction is the superintendent going to take us? And the truth of the matter is I can help lead and coach, but the people closest to the kids, closest to the community, are the ones that will actually move us forward. So it has to be a collaborative effort. I cannot do anything by myself. So our first phase of gathering information from multiple stakeholders has been critical in the people owning and writing the story.

JoAnne VerMulm 4:13

And we are just wrapping up phase one of our strategic plan, which is to gather the data, right? I think I have been with you for most every SWOT analysis we have done so far, and we are definitely gathering a lot of data. We are gathering lots of data. There's been a lot of sticky notes used, that is for sure. And as part of gathering that data, we are going to then use that to come together as a district and find some common ground on goals and things of that nature.

Jennifer Lowery 4:48

I see an opportunity to have even more collaboration across buildings so that we can have strong consistency in what we identify within that strategic plan that matters while still having uniquenesses that buildings can have little quirks or little things that give them pride, but just a really strong core that allows us not to compete with one another, but take best practices and more quickly use them across our buildings and across our leadership model.

JoAnne VerMulm 5:28

So once we've used all this data and identified what those goals are, what does that look like from that point forward?

Jennifer Lowery 5:35

Yeah. By the end of the school year, our goal will be to have a picture of what right looks like. So what are our strategic categories that we can put different departments or leaders in to say student achievement matters, whatever the definition for what student achievement looks like, this is the direction we want to go. And then we'll have identified action steps over the summer on how to get there. A growth analysis, something with growth will have to be one of our important pillars. And so having a clear picture of what right looks like for our staff to engage in and for our community to see clarity in is an important piece of consensus building. Also identifying from a district level, how are we going to measure success and what does that look like? And so that will be the last part of the consensus building because if you identify what right looks like and you measure what right looks like, then people can go 100 miles an hour in the same direction and adjust and adapt for what is or isn't working with clarity on how they're going to be measured. So putting the picture, the measurement, and then the action plan templates together for next school year to move forward is a really important part of being a team.

JoAnne VerMulm 7:15

And we're not just gathering data in district. Do you want to talk about some of the ways that we are collecting information from external stakeholders as well?

Jennifer Lowery 7:24

So I'm taking uh the opportunity to hold as many um SWOT analysis or listening sessions with our staff, inviting community members or going to community organizations such as the economic development, such as the chamber. Anything I can try to engage in and with to meet people is important. Also, launching a feedback website will be part of our information gathering to connect with the people who are closest to the work and who have a stake, whether it's their property or whether it's their children or their grandchildren, or just the tremendous pride they have because this is their Harrisburg School District.

JoAnne VerMulm 8:19

There's an African proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child, meaning that raising a child requires the support and guidance of an entire community. Aside from us just gathering SWOT analysis information from external stakeholders in the community. What role do you see the community and parents having day in and day out in the life of a child?

Jennifer Lowery 8:46

So community members and parents have a really important role as not only a stakeholder and an adult in the community that gets to help with the strategic plan, but also their modeling of conflict resolution, of supporting their student and advocating for them, but in a way that we are collaborating together and not assuming one ill intent by either party. So, how as a parent who has their heart beating outside of their body in their own children, how do we help and support students and have this wraparound network that is supportive in helping each kid be an independent but very supported individual as we prepare them for the next part of their life, whether that's going into third grade or going into middle school or headed off to the workforce or college. How do we gradually release and advocate for our kids and stay informed with where they're at while both of us release responsibility through empowerment of our kids and collaborating together to do that is the end goal.

JoAnne VerMulm 10:24

And speaking of our students, you have spent a lot of time in our buildings since you started. What do you notice most when you're out and about and around students?

Jennifer Lowery 10:37

When you get to work with students, they give it to you just how it is. Like students are authentic, they bring energy when they are little and when they are purposeful and engaged at the middle school and high school level. Middle school kids are the most interesting to get to know. But I enjoy having little conversations with those students and getting to know them just a little bit better and finding out what they need as they grow into our next leaders when they become juniors and seniors. So looking forward to their authenticness, their energy, and their smiles.

JoAnne VerMulm 11:30

And while we'd love it to be smiles all the time, we realize there are times when difficult decisions need to be made. What would you say are the values that guide you when you are involved in making a difficult decision?

Jennifer Lowery 11:47

Integrity guides me day in and day out. I put my mother hat on when I'm making difficult decisions, whether it's with staff members or children of all ages, from our kindergartners to our seniors. Is that what I would do for my own children? Is that how I would hold them accountable? Is that the opportunity that I would provide or not provide? If I can be consistent with how I would treat my own children and hold them accountable, then I can be most consistent day in and day out with all people's children.

JoAnne VerMulm 12:29

So now that you've been here a while and got a chance to wrap your arms around the district, what are your top priorities?

Jennifer Lowery 12:38

My top priorities are identifying our strategic targets and how we're going to measure those. Student safety and the infrastructure with how that looks, both from an infrastructure standpoint, but also understanding the mechanisms that are non-infrastructure, but uh through people and systems and making those collaborative connections. And then really thirdly, is a difficult topic, but we have elementaries that are at capacity and elementaries that aren't at capacity. So walking through a process with the community and with the board that we adjust boundaries so that they can be sustainable through time and that we're not building buildings on taxpayers while we have other buildings that are sitting with capacity availability. So wrapping our arms around those difficult tender subjects, but having a sustainable solution that everybody may not like, but can respect why we did what we had to do. And it will be a huge challenge and a huge opportunity to walk through that as a team, especially this spring.

JoAnne VerMulm 14:08

Yeah, the topic of boundaries is a really tough one. In order for us to overcome these challenges, we need to have the right people. So, in your time here so far, what have you learned about the team in Harrisburg and our ability to tackle these sort of challenges?

Jennifer Lowery 14:26

There is tremendous energy, there's tremendous positivity. There are great people who have tremendous intent, work ethic, and ability to adapt quickly to anything that comes their way, which is kind of the Harrisburg way. Like it's going to be like this today, but they are adding a small school for the state of South Dakota every single year. So the adaptiveness of the staff and the leadership is definitely one of their biggest strengths.

JoAnne VerMulm 15:06

Yeah. And I think one of the things we're really known for, and the thing that I love about the Harrisburg School District is that we really have a strong sense of community and coming together.

Jennifer Lowery 15:18

Yeah. People have pride in taking care of one another. And I would say the school board is extremely supportive of people and collaboration, whether that's just our internal stakeholders or bringing a community together and really seeing the bigger picture of their role in how we work.

JoAnne VerMulm 15:44

Yeah, I would say that really speaks to the heart of who we are as a district and how we show up for each other. So thank you for that. And also thank you for your perspective coming in as a new person to the district, your reflections on our people, our energy, and how we really are going to move forward together as a team. As we wrap up, before we go, I just want to switch gears a little bit and just share with our listeners a fun fact about you. And that is that you started refing when you were 16 years old. Tell us some more about that.

Jennifer Lowery 16:21

So when I was 16, um, the girl season and the boys season in basketball were uh at different times. So I played basketball in the fall, and then my junior year, I thought, hmm, I had followed my dad officiating for many, many years. And so I said, I think I'll start officiating. Well, you don't do anything halfway in my family. So I had the whole uniform, I had completed the test, I had full certification, and I was doing the JV or the B game with my dad and his partner. Um, I would do the whole game and they would do half and half. Well, my dad's partner started, um, had a medical issue. And so I officiated my first high school boys' game in Armor, South Dakota, when I was 16 years old. And then they were like, oh, you can do this. So I think I'm probably still the youngest person to ever officiate a varsity game in South Dakota. And after three years of being certified, you're eligible to, at that time, you were eligible to be in a state tournament. And so as a sophomore in college, I officiated my first double-A girls basketball tournament and got to do three of those before I went down to Nebraska.

JoAnne VerMulm 17:46

And then you ref there as well, correct?

Jennifer Lowery 17:48

I did. When I was down in Nebraska, I um just did college women and was chasing the Division I refing piece, and I met my husband, moved to Aberdeen. That's not a great place to ref um college women like it is when you live down in Nebraska, and I became a mom, which kind of hinders the travel plans.

JoAnne VerMulm 18:16

Um and did that make running up and down the court more difficult?

Jennifer Lowery 18:20

Well, that part's fine. I just I could have even had him in a stroller running up and down the court.

JoAnne VerMulm 18:26

And a big thank you to Dr. Lowery for joining us and sharing her perspective as she steps into this new role. If you'd like to participate in our strategic plan, check the show notes or visit our website at Harrisburg District 41-2.org to share your input now through November 30th. Don't forget to follow and share Harrisburg412 the podcast. And as always, go tigers.