MANCHESTER – Township School District officials are looking to the future and they want to know what parents and the public see in that future.
The Strategic Planning will start this spring. It is in the process by which the Board of Education develops goals and strategies to achieve educational success for the school district.
All are invited to participate in the Strategic Planning Event scheduled for March 16 at 5:30 p.m. at Manchester Township High School. It will be a time to reflect on where they are as a district and where they want to go. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP at bit.ly/StrategicPlanningEventRSVP/ to secure attendance.
The district has partnered with Dr. Tracey Severns of Teach4Results to facilitate the school district’s Strategic Planning Process. Dr. Severns will provide an interactive, transparent approach in which all stakeholders of the school community will help to shape the future plans for the school district. According to a release from the School District, Severns is “a nationally renowned educator who has dedicated her career to students, teachers, administrators and school communities.”
She has served as a teacher, principal, superintendent, Chief Academic Officer for the New Jersey Department of Education, the Leadership and Learning Strategist for Rutgers School of Education’s Center for Effective School Practices, and host of DisruptED TV.
Dr. Severn’s Strategic Improvement Plans use research-based strategies to achieve data-driven goals.
School Superintendent John Berenato said, “the strategic planning process is an opportunity for school and community stakeholders to look forward by identifying the district’s strengths, weaknesses, target issues and then develop and prioritize annual goals that achieve district success.
“The Strategic Planning Events are an opportunity for all students, staff, parents and residents to provide the school district with their feedback. We provide students with services and they too will have the opportunity during their own strategic planning sessions to elevate their voices in the same way the staff, families and community will,” Berenato added.
He said, “by working together in this way, strategic planning will help the district to forecast and prioritize our district’s specific needs and then develop strategies that support these needs. We hope to have a large turnout and participation from all.”
The Strategic Planning Events support the development of a school district plan that meets the unique needs of our schools and community, builds on existing strengths, and draws from best practices. The events are designed to provide the students, staff, parents, families and larger community with the opportunity to share their opinions on priority areas of focus to improve the Manchester Township School District.
The data that is collected by Dr. Severns at the Strategic Planning Events will be analyzed and those results will be presented to members of the Board of Education at their June public meeting. The Board will then come together with the school administration to lay out the goals and how to achieve those goals.
For further information or to request an interview with Mr. Berenato, Superintendent of Schools, please contact dsilvestri@mtschools.org.
