A Message from the NDS Board Chair
The following was shared during opening remarks at the July 2026 board meeting by Isaac Crouch, Board Chair for the 2026-2027 school year.
Thank you all for joining us for the first meeting of the 2026–2027 school year for the New Dimensions Charter School Board of Directors.
Before we dive into our official business, I would like to take a moment to share some words I’ve prepared as the new Board Chair - thoughts that have been weighing on my heart over the past few months after hearing from and speaking with many of you as we’ve transitioned into a new chapter for our school.
First, a quick disclaimer: This is coming directly from me, not from the board as a whole. So, if you are upset by anything I am about to say, please get mad at me. Don’t take it out on anyone else.
This will be my sixth year serving on the Board and ninth year as a proud parent of an NDS student. Like most sitting up here, I was asked to apply. We did not seek this out at all, much less for personal ambition or selfish goals.
I can guarantee you that we are here for one reason: we all care deeply about this school and our students. We care about preparing them to be adults in a world that none of us can accurately predict what it will look like even five or ten years from now.
Thankfully, we are not tasked directly with that responsibility. That is what we ask of our director, our teachers, and our staff. Our task is to provide them with the resources, support, and oversight to take on that massive important job.
That is why we are all here: our students and their future. Every teacher in this building is working tirelessly to get ready to take on that job when school starts. Administrators are working to empower and support those teachers. Staff is focused on keeping this building safe, functional, and welcoming. Mrs. Hollifield is graciously and enthusiastically leading the way to ensure it all comes together and no student gets left behind. Everyone is here for our students.
I’d like us to take stock of where we are at this moment. This is our 25th year of operation and we just received approval for 10 more after an intense year of applying for charter renewal. My friends - what an incredible testament to the resilience and dedication of this community. We should all be very proud to be here. Yet, we are coming out of a very lengthy period of leadership instability – 4 directors here and gone within the past 8 years. The impact of that has been felt by our entire school community in countless ways during that time. Over the past few months, we’ve seen tensions rise even higher.
Many of you feel strongly about decisions we’ve made, and please know I have nothing but respect for everyone who has had the courage to voice their opinions and criticisms. Doing so is not only your right as a valued member of this school community, but it’s essential if we’re all going to work together and strive towards excellence for our school and students. We’re never going to agree on everything, and that is a strength: opposing viewpoints are necessary for growth and constructive dialogue.
So while in no way am I here to invalidate anyone's feelings or perspective, I do need to say this clearly for the record: I reject the suggestion that board members have acted with intentional wrongdoing or personal agendas. We are volunteers who have wrestled with the most difficult of decisions and issues, most without a clear or easy answer. Some decisions we faced felt like the “least worst” of our options instead of the best, and although student confidentiality and legal obligations prevent us from sharing the details publicly, I can assure you that every decision has been made with students at the center.
At the end of the day, we’re only human, and we make mistakes just like anyone else. I believe that whenever that happens, what matters most is how you respond and whether you can change course when something isn’t working. Our search for a new director is part of that course change. Your feedback over these past few months about better communication and transparency has given us additional paths to take on that road, and we’re better off for it. I hope everyone will stay involved and informed so that we can keep growing in a positive direction, together.
Another course change we made that I know a lot of you feel strongly about was moving away from uniforms. Because this has come up a lot, I’ll briefly address it by telling you that the decision was not made quickly or lightly, but after over a year of discussion in committee and board meetings. At this time, the Board has no plans to revisit the topic while we focus on recruiting an outstanding director, preparing for a successful school year, and aggressively seeking new sources of funding for our budget.
A discussion or decision about re-instating uniforms, or any other major policy change, deserves at least as much consideration as was given to removing the policy, and will be better made in cooperation with the new Director since they would be tasked with implementation and enforcement. Until then we are happy to continue discussing it with anyone who wants, and open to hearing what you have to say about uniforms, but it will not be a priority.
In the meantime, let’s remind ourselves again of why we’re all here: for our students. One thing I know with total certainty is that every single one of us loves our kids more than life itself. I have no doubt that every parent in this room wants the same thing for their children: to be safe, to be challenged and to be prepared for their future. If nothing else, we have that in common.
When it comes to the upcoming school year, I am incredibly optimistic. Mrs. Hollifield, teachers, staff, and board members have all stepped up in every possible way, doing everything we can to address the needs of the school and any issues that might prevent us from having the best possible start to the school year.
I am also thrilled to share that we are making great progress towards finding a new Director. We are determined to find someone that will invest themselves in our school for the long run and build their career here with us. One with the vision and skills adequate to take ownership of this school’s future and steer us towards excellence. I truly believe we are off to the best start possible and I’m looking forward to telling you more about that later in the meeting.
I’ll conclude with one final thought - New Dimensions has always been described as having a close-knit, family atmosphere. That’s why many of us came here and why more of us stayed. Let us find our way back to that and treat each other like a family, because that is the spirit of our community and it’s how we can best serve our students.
It truly feels to me that despite our differences, our entire school community is more aligned than ever around a vision of great potential for our school’s future and the determination to see it manifest. As Chair, my overarching goal is to redirect anything that takes the focus away from our students and bring it back. Treating each other as adversaries will not help us keep that focus or fulfill our potential. Cultivating compassion for one another, working together in partnership, and centering our shared, common purpose will.
Thank you everyone for hearing me out, thank you to the board for voting me into this position and for the opportunity to serve. It is not a responsibility I take lightly.
