To begin its strategic planning process, the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is looking for community input.
The district has added a survey to its website searching for input from parents, staff, students and other community members as far as how best to move forward with the strategic plan.
Superintendent Eddie Peasant said the results from the survey would be used to begin the strategic planning process, with the final plan being put in place no later than April.
“Part of putting the strategic plan for the district will entail getting thoughts and ideas and concerns from everyone who’s involved with the school district,” Peasant said.
Peasant encouraged anyone in the community to participate in the survey.
After the survey information is collected, the data will go before a stakeholder group tasked with laying out goals for the district’s next five years. The school board will then review the goals and raise any concerns they might have.
“After the board’s input, then the stakeholder group will meet once again to finalize the goals for our district,” Peasant said. “After the goals are put into place, then internal members of the district will develop strategies to achieve those goals.”
Peasant said the plan would be the district’s first since consolidation.
“Immediately, when I came on board, we began talking about a plan for me as superintendent, and that would have to be aligned with district plans and goals,” Peasant said. “The other part of it is the last strategic plan that was done was prior to consolidation, so that’s another reason to update our strategic plan. We are needing to address the district as a consolidated district, which has caused at least some of the needs of the district to change.”
Peasant described the plan as vital to the district’s success, and said a vision for the district’s future was necessary.
“The strategic plan will guide us to achieving some goals,” Peasant said. “It allows everyone to see what the plan is and what the goals are, and everyone to know that everything that we do will be based on those goals that are in our plan.”
The board is also scheduled to meet with McPherson and Jacobson consultant James Hutto to discuss the plan at its Feb. 13 meeting