Education
District planning for next five years
The Georgetown County School District is working on a strategic plan for the next five years and is seeking input from as many people as possible.
The district brought together more than 100 people representing all of its schools on Tuesday to brainstorm on its vision for the future.
“This is going to take a lot of work and a lot of dedication and a lot of commitment when we pull all these wonderful ideas into one document and try to whittle it down to identify what our targets are going to be over the next five years and how we plan to get there together,” superintendent of schools Keith Price said. “The only way we will achieve the goals of this plan is if we work together to accomplish it.”
Each school had its own group, comprised of the principal, staff members, parents or community members, and in some cases, either a school board member or a someone who works at the district office.
The groups had to come up with answers to eight questions including, what factors will drive change in education in the next 10 years; what are the areas of strength and opportunity to move the district forward; what changes or additions should be made to the district’s mission and vision; and what can district employees and stakeholders do to make sure all students are successful in post-graduate life.
Some of the ideas included smaller class sizes, invest in fine arts, increase instructional time, foster relationships in communities, build a true career center, partner with local businesses on more internship opportunities, establish peer-to-peer learning, increase parent engagement, and add more Career and Technology courses at high schools and middle schools.
At the end of the brainstorming session, a representative from each school met to discuss and submit their answers.
“There were a lot of different ideas tonight,” Price said. “You may have heard some things that you may have not thought of before you walked in the room. You may have heard some things that align directly with your own beliefs. You may have heard some things that challenge your beliefs. All of that is powerful and effective.”
Every district in South Carolina must submit a strategic plan to the state Department of Education by the end of April.
