After months of working to understand what the community expects of its public schools, board members in District 90 are set to adopt a set of long-range goals that could call for an expanded kindergarten program, more focused community relations and even the construction of additional classroom space.
The strategic plan, which aims to steer day-to-day decisions toward a larger end, would serve the district through 2015, according to a draft of the document. How various facets of the school system – such as curriculum, human resources and technology – could be improved is broken down into specific tasks for the board to accomplish.
District officials estimated this draft represents the first revision of the district’s plan in almost 10 years. Superintendent Thomas Hagerman expected it will be approved by the board in May.
Hagerman, who is completing his second school year in River Forest, has also encouraged the school board to adopt annual goals. Each board member is then charged with overseeing a specific task and must work with administrators and staff to see it through. On a monthly basis, detailed reports are reviewed by the board stipulating to what progress has been made.
This level of detailed accountability for board members is something new in District 90, said Hagerman, and the intent is to connect policy makers with the boots on the ground. In years past, he said, various committees would take up a particular project but there was a lack of centralized direction.
“There’s a lot more ownership of those goals now,” Hagerman said.
Juli Geldner, president of the school board and a member since 2005, said the monthly updates have absolutely kept board members focused and have been helpful in determining why some projects come together more quickly than others. The one-year efforts are also great training for implementing the new strategic plan.
“It gives the board back more info on what the administration is doing and what the staff is doing,” Geldner said. “It’s been a great drill down tool.”
Specific initiatives in the district’s new strategic plan should not be interpreted by taxpayers or parents as promises. That board members anticipate exploring different curricula or assessing whether new classroom space is needed is no guarantee that such changes would be made. According to Hagerman, part of his job is to help the board prioritize those efforts and then determine how – and if – the project can be accomplished.
Deciding whether to institute full-day kindergarten, said the superintendent, is a “huge” priority, as is creating more classroom space.
“That has come up since the day I walked in the door,” Hagerman said of space constraints.
Geldner acknowledged the possibility of an expanded kindergarten program was mentioned repeatedly by focus groups asked to help shape the strategic plan, and last year a consultant’s report outlined several pros and cons. Whichever projects snare the board’s focus in the coming years, she said, the district likely has the cash to move ahead. A referendum approved about five years ago should sustain District 90 for another five years.
“I think we are in a really good financial spot,” Geldner said. “The district has done a phenomenal job being financially responsible.”
CONTACT: jadams@wjinc.com