At the January Board of Education work session, Michael Porges, a volunteer community member and co-facilitator of the Strategic Planning Committee, presented a draft outline and timeline of the district’s strategic planning process.
As you are aware, the district has undertaken this process to proactively address our future goals and progress within a climate of continued restrained fiscal resources. During the months of December, January and February, members of our community have had and will have the opportunity to suggest ideas and provide input regarding current and new initiatives.
Go to the Strategic Planning Initiative link, on the homepage of the district Web site in the News Box or on the navigation bar on the About Our District Web page to see the questions posed and participants’ responses at the Dec. 5 Strategic Planning Community Forum. E-mail your answers and any other comments for the attention of the Strategic Planning Committee to me at kanase@ewsdonline.org .The Strategic Planning Committee will also establish additional methods to reach out to the community for input.
During the months of March and April, the community will participate in a survey to prioritize goals. It is intended that the distribution efforts and survey method should guarantee a minimum response of 50 percent of the East Williston School District community. The survey will list major categories that have surfaced as a result of your community input, as well as a list of all other major areas of the East Williston School District educational programs.
A tentative list of categories could include:
• STEM • College and Career Readiness • Social and Emotional Development • Co-Curricular
• Enrichment • Health and Safety • Twenty-first Century Learning
• Technology • World Languages • ELA • Social Studies
• Mathematics • The Arts
• Facilities
Each of these broad categories will be divided into two sections: what we do now and what we could do. The possibilities will include those ideas generated from the Dec. 5 Strategic Planning Community Forum and other initial input provided by the community in emails and suggestions presented to me.
Participants in the survey will be asked to prioritize categories through a prescribed number of “color stickers”
Green “sticker:” Emphasize
Yellow “sticker:” Maintain
Red “sticker:” Manage (do what is necessary only)
Participants will also be asked to identify priority activities within each category they select for emphasis (a “green” category). Participants will also be permitted to highlight and identify an activity they feel should have priority in one of the categories they labeled ‘to be maintained’ (yellow “sticker”) or “to be managed” (red “sticker”).
In May and June, the educational team of administrators, curriculum associates and teachers, working collaboratively across disciplines and within departmental structures, will synthesize the prioritization input from the community into a draft plan to share with the Strategic Planning Committee. The draft plan will include a suggested timeline to accomplish each component of the overall goals, over the next five years.
Working from a macro-perspective, the team will look for possible avenues where suggestions from one category may be accomplished through incorporation into another category, at no additional or little cost to the District (e.g. twenty- first century learning skills can be incorporated into each of the respective curriculum areas as part of the ongoing curriculum development process.)
The Strategic Planning Committee, working with input from the Educational Team, will offer a draft plan to the Board of Education and the public for review by the end of June.
During July, August and early September, the board will review and make revisions, if necessary, to the five year strategic plan for adoption at the September board of education meeting.
For the complete outline of the draft strategic planning process presented at the Jan. 9 Board of Education work session, go to the Strategic Planning Initiative link, on the homepage of the district Web site in the News Box or on the navigation bar on the About Our District web page.
The first meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee will be held on Jan. 29. Many thanks to our Strategic Planning Committee members: Jamie Cutinella, PTO Council; Burt Roslyn, capital facilities; Steve Leccese, financial advisory; Patrick Gillespie, audit; Christine Hogg, educational advisory; Meryl Fordin, teachers association; Jim Bloomgarden, administrators association; Eileen Proper, clerical unit; and Mike Deister, custodial unit.
Special thanks goes to Michael Porges, our community volunteer and co-facilitator, who brings many years of experience as a strategy/strategic planning partner, facilitating numerous strategic planning engagements and processes with both Fortune 500 and medium/small corporations across a wide variety of industries.
Upcoming Board of Education work session Feb. 6: Wheatley College Applications and Admissions and Sixth Grade iPad Initiative.
In preparation for the upcoming budget season and to gather information to support the Strategic Planning Process, the Board of Education work sessions will highlight and explore particular program areas for further insight and planning. At the Feb. 6 work session at 7:30 p.m., Mary Harrison, director of guidance, will share information and analysis of Wheatley College admissions over the past three years and Dave Casamento, director of science and technology, and the middle school staff will provide an update on the implementation of this year’s 6th grade iPad initiative.
Upcoming Events
Next week is mid-term week for Wheatley students. Dr. Feeney will be holding a Coffee with the Principal on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 450. Please note that due to Hurricane Sandy, Nassau County Athletics (Section 8) has changed the start of Middle School Winter II season from Monday, Jan. 14 for seventh and eighth grades to Jan. 22.
