The Minisink Valley Board of Education approved the district’s VISION 2025 Strategic Plan at its July 10 meeting, a document intended to serve as a roadmap for further student achievement and a blueprint for excellence over the next three years.
District officials called the planning process “VISION 2025,” feeling this acronym best represents what they want this plan to be: Providing “Vital Initiatives for Student Success, Innovation, Outreach and Nurturing.”
Planning, which first began last January, involved district administration, the Board of Education, staff and community stakeholders. They created the plan’s objectives based on detailed discussions, along with ThoughtExchange comments from the greater Minisink Valley school community. Administration was later tasked with aligning action steps to carry out the objectives set by the broader school community and preparing a draft document for the Board’s review and approval.
The plan reinforces the district’s core values and sets goals in operational, academic excellence and staff experience areas. Detailed action plans focus on these three distinct areas.
“With our VISION 2025 plan now in place, the district is now charged with accomplishing these goals to positively impact student achievement,” said Superintendent Brian Monahan. “We developed action steps which we believe will carry us through 2027 and we’ll continually refocus and reevaluate our progress. We look at this plan as our roadmap, developed collectively with many important community stakeholders, to guide us in what we want to achieve and how to get there. This plan places the needs of students first and foremost while staying respectful of taxpayer dollars.”
Board of Education President William Cooper equally felt the VISION 2025 plan will be an important district guidepost for the next three years.
“District administration, along with faculty and staff, will be focused on action steps that are meaningful, measurable and data-driven – where relevant – to support student success, innovation, outreach and nurturing,” Mr. Cooper added. “An important byproduct is that outcomes will be instrumental in guiding us in future strategic planning efforts..”
In the education sector, strategic planning is the process of setting goals, deciding how to achieve them, and allocating resources to do so. It involves creating a vision for the future, which includes taking those goals and objectives and establishing the order in which to achieve them. It’s a guide for school leadership and the Board of Education so they can align their efforts for continuous improvement which ultimately benefits students and their academic achievements and successes.
Superintendent Monahan thanked all involved for their work to create this important document.
“We couldn’t do this without the involvement of our valued constituent groups,” he said. “We’re proud to have worked with these groups and grateful for everyone's interest and time as well as their awareness and understanding of the many challenges this district, like others, has with short and long-term operational funding. We have the same goal: To provide the best educational opportunities and experiences for our students.”
To read the Strategic Plan, click here: VISION 2025 Strategic Plan