Cape school district wants public input for new strategic plan

Officials from the Cape Girardeau School District explained Wednesday their plans to gather community and staff input as the district embarks on creating a new strategic plan.

Superintendent Jim Welker, who announced the process during an editorial board meeting at the Southeast Missourian, said the last time the district completed a comprehensive school improvement plan was 2010.

“It’s time for us to redo our strategic plan,” he said, adding the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires school districts to come up with new plans every five years.

Hendrickson Business Advisors of Cape Girardeau has been retained to oversee the process, ensuring it is “completely transparent, open and inviting,” Welker said.

In late April, the school board approved hiring the local company to lead the effort for $21,965.

The first step in the multi-pronged process is inviting interested community members to apply to be part of five focus groups that will meet throughout August.

Their task will be to hammer out issues important to students, teachers, parents, school-board members and the community at large.

Each group will have eight participants from one of those stakeholder groups. The goal is to choose people who represent a cross-section of the community.

In September, an anonymous survey will be developed based on the groups’ discussions that will be made available online to the public.

Although the focus-group meetings will be open to the public, Welker said no administrators will be present to ensure an open dialogue by participants.

“A focus group is for us to determine what needs to be in the survey,” said Rhett Hendrickson, co-owner and trainer at Hendrickson Business Advisors.

He and others from the firm will look for common themes that emerge from the discussions.

“Hendrickson Business Advisors is the filter for what comes out of the focus groups,” he said.

In October, survey results will be collected and then presented the following month to the district’s executive team.

Also in November, a 25-member steering committee will hold a retreat.

In December, the plan will be presented to the school board and, if approved, finalized and distributed. It will serve as a road map for the district’s goals and objectives in the next five to 10 years.

Besides containing a mission statement and goals for the district, the plan will address student performance, quality of staff, finance and facilities, community involvement and board governance, Welker said.

“One of our main goals, obviously, is making sure students perform well,” he said.

Anyone who wants to be involved in the strategic planning process is asked to apply at HendricksonBusinessAdvisors.com.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

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Focus group dates

Focus groups coming up:

• School board: Aug. 22
• Parents: Aug. 25
• District staff: Aug. 29
• Students: Aug. 30
• Community members: Sept. 1