Case Study: Linn-Mar Community School District achieves a community-driven strategic plan with ThoughtExchange

Linn-Mar Community School District - Customer Case Study

Linn‑Mar Community School District near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hired Dr. Quintin Shepherd as superintendent to address a steep learning curve, community concerns about poor communication and transparency, an outdated 10‑year strategic plan, and overcrowded facilities. The district needed a fast, credible way to listen, rebuild trust, and develop a comprehensive plan that included facility priorities.

Dr. Shepherd used a 100‑day listening tour, a State of the District address, and a Thoughtexchange engagement (1,925 participants, 4,706 thoughts, 162,190 stars) to surface themes and turn verbatim community input into six goals and concrete initiatives for the new strategic plan. The process increased community buy‑in, gave the Board robust stakeholder data to inform decisions, and positioned the district to move forward on facilities and other priorities with broad public support.

Linn-Mar Community School District

Quintin Shepherd

Superintendent