School board adopts strategic plan
After months of planning and discussion, followed by an all-day workshop in September attended by administration, staff, and community stakeholders, culminating in an October implementation workshop involving key staff members, the Manchester Community Schools Board of Education adopted its new strategic plan for 2016-2020 at the Nov. 21, 2016 meeting.
Primary elements of the strategic plan included development of new mission and vision statements for the district, as well as a set of belief statements and five areas of strategic focus.
The Mission Statement for Manchester Community Schools is now: “A caring community developing future-ready citizens.”
The district’s Vision Statement was also adapted to read, “Manchester Community Schools is committed to developing strong, well-rounded students driven to engage in a successful and rewarding future.”
While the district previously had both vision and mission statements, it was time to update them and make them more relevant for today’s educational environment. Jay Bennett, a consultant for the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), helped the district to develop the new statements as part of the strategic planning process.
Superintendent Cherie Vannatter indicated that community expectations are very high for the school district, and the strategic plan reflects the board and community’s “strong desire to embrace significant change and dramatically improve the school system for the future.”
Vannatter added that the strategic plan is a “living document” that will serve as a “road map” for the district as it engages in future planning, resource allocation, staff development and decision-making for the next three years.
The areas of strategic focus include: Operations, Academics/Programs, Personnel/Leadership, Learning Environment/Culture, and Communications/Community Engagement. Each focus area has its own goal statement and a set of two or three major objectives for the first year of the strategic plan.
The Belief Statements reflect “those things that we believe of utmost importance, providing guidance for how we behave and relate to others.” The beliefs developed during the strategic planning process include:
Personalization
- with expectations to engage all students in lifelong learning
Leadership
- all students can be positive leaders and productive members of our school and community
Active learning
- all students can be active learners, taking ownership of their educational experience
Community-School Partnership
- all students, faculty, staff, parents and community members are valued members of our school community
Environment
- each child brings unique characteristics to create a safe and diverse learning environment.
Manchester is the PLACE to be!
Board Vice-President, Mike Austin, said that the process was a “huge stride” for the district as it seeks its future direction.
“It’s been great,” he added. “Now that we have this strategic plan, we can look at every board decision through this lens. If (a decision) doesn’t line up (with the plan), you know what your decision should be.”
Bennett concluded his report to the board by saying, “Collaborating with the Manchester Community Schools, the Board of Education, administration, staff, and the entire community really illustrated their level of care for the schools, the community, and most of all, the students.”
Vannatter, along with School Board President Chris Fegan said in their letter accompanying the overall plan, “We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with all sectors of our community to implement these goals and suggested objectives.”
And so it is onward and upward for the Manchester Community Schools in 2017!
For additional information on the strategic plan, check the district website.
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