Project Description
The Bloomfield Hills School District had a unique challenge. It is the only school district in the U.S. to operate both an educational farm and a nature center. The Charles L. Bowers School Farm and the E. L. Johnson Nature Center had largely operated independently, but both current managers were interested in streamlining and coordinating their programs. How to do it? They decided to undertake a planning process focused on the creation of a cooperative model. My role was to facilitate the process. Steps included:
- Assessing the current facilities, resources, operations, and markets of the nature center and educational farm (both of which serve the community as well as the school district)
- Making recommendations based on the implications of those findings
- Facilitating two joint planning retreats to forge a common strategic vision and path forward