School District Strategic Plan Subcommittees

Almost Halfway To Deadline

By Eliza Hallabeck

At the end of October the first strategic plan for the school district was mapped out for the Board of Education. Now as the subcommittees meet to discuss different aspects of the plan, they are working toward an April deadline.

The Strategic Planning Subcommittee Character Development Plan Action Team met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, December 16. As one of the five subcommittees of the 30-member Strategic Planning group, the Character Development Plan Action Team is in the “ideas and information gathering stage,” according to Donna Denniston, principal of Reed Intermediate School and the Character Development Plan Action Team leader.

“This is a phenomenal committee,” said Ms Denniston.

According to Ms Denniston, each subcommittee group leader was given a guide to follow in order to create conversation on their different objectives.

School Superintendent Janet Robinson said the subcommittees have “a ways to go” before they have to report back to the Strategic Planning Committee.

“I think we have a good representation from the community,” said Dr Robinson, regarding the number of people who are on all of the subcommittees and the 30 members of the Strategic Planning Committee.

“We’re really looking forward to their work,” said Dr Robinson, “and seeing what comes from this.”

The draft of the plan includes beliefs, mission statements, objectives, strategies, and parameters that can be used to help the district grow.

During the Character Development Plan Action Team meeting, Ms Denniston said it was not the subcommittees’ job to implement a strategy, but to come up with the steps to move the district toward that strategy.

“Our job is not to create research,” said Ms Denniston, “but to look at existing research. We still have to go out and look at what’s the very best there is.”

Ms Denniston said she does not do the research, the group does, and she facilitates it.

Board of Education Chair Elaine McClure, who is also a member of the Strategic Planning Subcommittee Communication Plan Action Team, said she gathers everything is going well with the subcommittees based on what she has seen of the subcommittee on which she serves.

The strategic plan, when implemented as planned, would pinpoint what areas the school district needs to move forward with and the areas that need improvement.