Cheboygan school board approves 2023-2028 strategic plan
CHEBOYGAN — During their Monday meeting, the Cheboygan Area Schools Board of Education approved a new district-wide vision statement and belief and goals statements.
The statements are related to the strategic planning initiatives that began toward the end of the previous school year.
With the help of the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), the district worked to create a list of priorities after months of planning and input.
Greg Janicki, the MASB consultant, gave a presentation to the board about the timeline of the planning process, including information about the data collection, retreat, implementation workshop and final report for approval.
A total of 28 community members participated in an all-day planning retreat, sharing their views and priorities about what the district should focus on over the next five years.
More: Cheboygan Area Schools approves MASB strategic planning collaboration
The 2023-2028 Strategic Plan was created with community feedback stemming from seven forums with community members, staff and families, as well as a survey that received 559 responses providing input on the process.
Janicki said the process was aided by all school board members, each attending the day-long retreat.
“It's easy when you have a community and a team that is excited and engaged in the process,” he said.
Individual goal statements and first-year objectives were listed in the strategic plan for five different areas, including academics and programs; learning environment/culture; communication/community engagement; personnel and leadership; and operations.
The vision for the district approved by the board at Monday’s meeting is: “A thriving community with a collaborative culture that empowers every individual to realize their full potential.”
The approved mission statement is: “To provide a caring environment that empowers a community of diverse learners pursuing their full potential and positively contributing to society.”
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During the Monday meeting, school board president Amber Hansen thanked the MASB for supporting the district through the process.
“We absolutely could have done this on our own, but it would have taken a very long time it would not have been as productive or thorough or as successful as it was with your involvement,” she said. “You made this really, really easy. It was a daunting process we’ve been staring at for a very long time and I am extremely grateful for all the help that you gave us in the process.”
Superintendent Spencer Byrd said the plan allowed the district to have an outsider's perspective and have help in identifying areas for improvement.
“This is going to be a great tool for me as I continue to work with our administrative team and we try to move our district forward,” Byrd said.
The strategic plan is expected to be on the district website by early January.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Cheboygan school board approves 2023-2028 strategic plan
