When Isaac School District #5 surveyed its educators, mother and father, and group about facility upgrades, Dr. Lily Mesa-Lema noticed a novel alternative to reinforce scholar studying—and with it, an enormous logistical problem that led to an surprising partnership.
A Second Job
As Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Phoenix-based district, Lily was drawn into a complete new set of obligations when the district needed to resolve the right way to use its ESSER funding.
“Building structures as well as furniture came up, and then the idea of refurnishing old classrooms to support teaching and learning. I said, well, teachers and students and families better have a voice. So all of a sudden, I ended up managing this project.”
The undertaking was not in her job description. It additionally was not small—the acquisition of 10 faculties’ price of solely reimagined Ok–5 lecture rooms.
“It has been an interesting experience for me,” she understates. “Yes, my title is Curriculum and Instruction, but I do know that the space and the furniture play a big role in learning. That’s why I wanted to be a big part of the project.”
A Chance Meeting
“We had the vision. It was now a matter of, ‘How do we stagger it to be manageable and work through all the different deadlines? How do we ensure that the products are going to be available and we’ll be able to install during fall break, winter break, and summer school so we don’t interrupt learning?’”
The seek for solutions didn’t begin with School Specialty. “We’d started working with a different company, an architectural company. One of our specialists somehow was tasked with getting furniture for sensory rooms, and he just heard from someone, ‘Hey, you might find some stuff for a sensory room from this company.’ And he enjoyed the experience that Kelli gave him. So when I was frustrated with this other company, he said, ‘Hey, have you worked with School Specialty? Here’s the catalog. Check to see what they have, and here’s Kelli’s contact information.’”
School Specialty makes positive what you’re getting matches your targets—for scholar studying, design of the area, and performance.
Dr. Lily Mesa-Lema
A Dedicated Team
In Strategic Account Representative Kelli Roy, Lily discovered greater than she bargained for: knowledgeable who not solely shared her purpose however introduced in a complete crew of specialists to succeed in it.
“I always work with the same core team. It’s not a revolving door. Kelli, Kris (Learning Environment Specialist Kris Anderson) Mandy (Senior Interior Designer Mandy Barbieri), and to an extent Sue Ann (National Education Strategist Dr. Sue Ann Highland) with professional development. You’re not meeting with different people every time and re-explaining why you’re doing this or why you’re changing the design. That’s been really essential because this isn’t part of my day-to-day work. I didn’t have to re-communicate over and over with different people, which I’ve had to do with other companies.”
A Shared Vision
“One of the good issues in working with School Specialty is that it has not felt like a gross sales pitch. They actually are linked to our imaginative and prescient, our targets. For one, we’re doing huge work associated to fairness. I shared with the School Specialty workforce that the committee I’m main wished furnishings that not solely meets the wants of the learners, however can be equitable throughout all grade ranges. We wished our kindergarteners to have that very same expertise with classroom areas, the identical entry throughout the district. I shared that with Sue Ann. I really like Sue Ann. Right away she went, ‘Oh, we could do professional development related to this, that, and the other.’
“What’s made this experience unique is, it has never been just about the products. It’s always been in a context, like when we talk about bringing in tables versus individual student desks, or about the color. Kris goes to a site and she says, ‘Well, your color scheme is this, so this might be a better choice for you,’ and I appreciate that. That it’s not just about, ‘Oh, let me sell you these products.’ It’s ‘Let me make sure that what you’re getting fits your needs.’”
A Welcome Surprise
School Specialty had met the undertaking’s each want, from design help to educational supplies to artwork provides. Once the deal was sealed, Lily knew what stage of service to anticipate. What she bought was one thing remarkably higher.
“I deal with a lot of vendors, for curriculum, materials, all these things. Usually, good service only goes to the person paying the bill. But during the summer install—a massive project, 10 schools, installing furniture in every single classroom K–5—I am not kidding, principals were coming up to me and speaking about the good service and customer support they’d received. Not just from Kelli and Kris, who were there overseeing, but from the individuals who were putting the furniture together during a very hot Phoenix summer. It was a really neat thing to see.”
The Voice of Experience
Lily provides hard-earned recommendation to different educators who face challenges like hers.
“You desire a provider who will put your targets on the middle of their companies, not one with their income driving the dialog. School Specialty makes positive what you’re getting matches your targets—for scholar studying, design of the area, and performance.
“Yes, furniture and having those classrooms fully set up and furnished is important. But at the end of the day, walking into those classrooms and seeing the beautiful spaces and knowing it has a huge impact on the modality they are engaging with for learning—that’s my driver. Ensuring that students are learning.”