Ark Valley News - School district setting five-year strategic plan

School district setting five-year strategic plan
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: November 17, 2016

The Valley Center school board on Nov. 14 got its first look at a five-year strategic plan that district officials have been working on for the past few months.

The plan is divided into three themes with goals and objectives under each.

The first theme is geared toward students: "Valley Center students will develop the knowledge, skills and character necessary for current and future success."

The goal is to "establish systems that ensure the success of each student" with objectives focused on preparing students to enter kindergarten, developing individual plans of study and developing well-rounded students.

The second theme is geared toward staff: "The staff of Valley Center school district will engage in continuous professional learning and apply that learning in their job settings for overall improvement of the organization."

Goals are to increase leadership capacity of all staff, including teachers, and to increase knowledge and application of job-related skills, including classified staff.

The third theme is focused on district operations: "Valley Center will establish an optimal operational environment which includes responsible fiscal, facility and equipment management; quality stakeholder engagement; and human resource allocation designed to meet student needs."

One objective is to create an operational handbook to guide procedures related to fiscal, facility and equipment management as well as human resource allocation.

"It's rigorous," said Superintendent Cory Gibson. "If we can achieve all of these by 2020, it will be an accomplishment."

Gibson worked with school and community groups to put together the proposed plan.

The board tabled a final decision on the plan until its Dec. 19 meeting.

In other business Nov. 14, the board:

•Accepted a gift of 15 18-gallon recycling tubs from Waste Management, which will help the Environmental Club's "green goals" at the high school, a gift of $799.98 for alternative seating options at Wheatland, a gift of $509.97 from Robotics Education and Competition Foundation for a robotics kit and upgrades, which will be used to start a robotics club at the intermediate school, a total of $13,595.09 in grants from the Valley Center Education Foundation for a variety of projects, a gift of $92 from the Abilene PTO for field trip bus transportation, a gift of $1,000 from Greenway Electric for FAA classrooms at Wheatland, gifts of cash from a variety of donors to pay for buses to Great Bend for players and students and a gift of $1,033 from IBT Wichita for a wheelchair swing at West Elementary.

•Approved moving the December board meeting to Dec. 19 (from Dec. 12).

•Approved the disposal of 20 soccer bags in poor condition and the donation of 45 soccer bags to the VC Sting youth soccer program.

•Heard a report from the Abilene PTO.

•Watched Abilene Elementary students describe the school's core values.

•Board member Brad Barbour was not at the meeting.

•Learned that Cory Gibson earned a doctorate degree.

•Accepted the audit of the district's 2015-16 financial statement.

•Heard a review of the bond issue projects timeline. Bids for the projects opened this week and contracts will be finalized in January so work can begin.

•Discussed a comprehensive five-year vehicle replacement plan. The plan focuses heavily on van replacements.

•Heard a report on staffing priorities for 2016-17.

•Gave final approval to The Learning Center student handbook for 2016-17.

•Heard a report on the Kansas Department of Education's audit of Valley Center's full-time equivalent student numbers.

•Elected Rhonda Price as a voting delegate to the Kansas Association of School Boards conference Dec. 2 through 4 in Wichita.

•Approved the hiring of Donita Retz (building aide at Wheatland, $12 per hour, Oct. 19), Brandy Smith (bus driver, $10.80 per hour, Oct. 24) and Sandra Lopez (custodian at Wheatland, $9.25 per hour, Oct. 27).

•Approved transfers for Ben Blumanhourst (from custodian at Wheatland to custodian at Abilene, $10.25 per hour, Oct. 24) and Tracy Miracle (from building aide at Wheatland to kindergarten aide at Wheatland, $11.10 per hour, Oct. 3).