Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The District 55 School Board has adopted a strategic vision that aims to guide the district in its primary mission over the next five years.
The plan was adopted June 9, at the board’s monthly meeting.
During the 2007-08 school year, the members of School Board members identified nine areas where they wanted to see long-range plans developed, Supt. Larry Horton said. The district set up a committee process including community members, staff and parents.
The areas under discussion included student achievement, curriculum, facilities, technology, community relations, support services, transportation, finances and staffing.
The district held several committee meetings from January to March, Horton said.
In those meetings, committee members reviewed the existing mission statement and revised it to read: “We provide a safe and caring learning community where individuals have the opportunity to discover the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their full potential in a changing world.”
The committee also agreed on a motto: “We educate for success.”
And with the basics in place, the committee developed a set of core beliefs, applying them as it developed vision statements for each of the nine areas.
Those were taken to three community meetings, and the district posted them to its Web site, along with an on-line survey in which 30 percent of the respondents were community members and parents and 70 percent were staff. The district received a little more than 100 responses to the on-line survey.
A low community turnout for this process might be an indication that the community is happy with the way the district is headed, Horton told the School Board at the June 9 meeting.
“Generally, when things are wrong, we’ll hear from them,” he said. When things are going well, the district won’t hear too much.
“This strategic plan is setting a vision that this board hopes to attain by the end of the fifth year (2013),” Horton said. The district will develop action plans with committees in all nine areas beginning next school year, using a combination of staff and members of the board and community.
“It’ll be a plan that isn’t just one or two individuals’ plan,” Horton said. “It’ll be a district plan that hopefully the community will embrace.”
It will set a direction for the district even after if someone leaves the district, Horton said. It will help the board direct its annual goal setting.
A portion of the vision statement on curriculum refers to tactile learning, Horton said. A board goal may be to strengthen the district’s tactile learning programs.
Board member Ken Roberts proposed developing specific action plans by focusing first on the student achievement and curriculum portions of the vision, a plan to which other members of the board were receptive.
All other areas parts of the strategic vision support those two functions, which are the district’s mission, he said.
“If we don’t know what our educational mission is, how can any of the other committees know how to direct their attention? You don’t make decisions on staffing unless you know what we desire or how we plan to adjust our curriculum.
“Support services doesn’t direct our mission. None of the areas do except those that establish our educational mission. You need a starting point.”
After those action plans are developed, others would be prioritized and oriented toward supporting student achievement and curriculum.
“I think the strategic plan speaks for itself,” Horton said. “By the time we get an action plan, the pieces should be in place to move the district where the board wants it to go. This isn’t just a document that’s going to sit on the shelf. It’s a document that will set focus where we want to go.”
Core Beliefs
1. We believe in the promotion of respect and an appreciation for life, valuing the uniqueness of each individual student.
2. We believe the purpose of education is to empower students with a sense of their own potential and to provide them with the tools to reach that potential.
3. We believe students will learn in a safe and healthy environment that acknowledges individual differences and needs.
4. We believe students will become responsible adults through a lifelong learning process, both in and out of the school setting.
5. We believe in creating an atmosphere where students participate in their own learning and take responsibility to apply their learning in productive ways.
6. We believe in the establishment of high standards and expectations within a creative and supportive learning environment that stimulates and motivates students.
7. We believe all students will understand, value and respect diversity, global interdependence and environmental relationships.
Vision Statements: Where the district will be in 2013
Facilities: Our facilities are well-maintained, clean, safe and functional. They support curricular needs and meet the space requirements of our student population while maintaining current or better class-size policies. Our school facilities are available for appropriate community use and serve as the hub of the community.
Finances: The district makes efficient use of adequate and stable public resources and seeks additional funding appropriately. District funds enhance the educational mission for our students.
Transportation: Our transportation fleet is maintained efficiently and effectively. We insure the safest transportation system available for our students. This is done by ongoing vehicle rotations that keep the fleet modern and up-to-date.
Support Services: Support services enhance the educational experience and mission in a variety of ways: Instructional assistance, health-related issues/education, proper nutrition and services to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
Technology: Technology is used effectively in all district operations. The educational mission of the district is supported through up-to-date computers, networking systems and technologies that are available to all students and staff.
Curriculum: The district’s curriculum is challenging yet based on core fundamentals. The curriculum promotes higher levels of thinking, helping students to develop the ability to apply knowledge and solve problems. The curriculum meets the physical, social, artistic, tactile and cognitive requirements of each student. All learning styles and talents are supported, and diversity is celebrated.
Achievement: All students are challenged to their maximum level of success with their efforts and accomplishments valued and celebrated on a regular basis.
Staffing: Highly qualified, innovative and energetic staff are recruited, hired and retained. All staff are “student-centered,” motivational leaders that value and encourage the individual uniqueness of every student.
Community Relations: The district maintains active partnerships with community businesses, civic organizations and local government. Parents, grandparents and community members feel welcome in our schools and take an active role in the education of our children. Citizens view the schools with pride and regularly refer to their schools as the “hub” of the community.