CAPE SCHOOLS READ TO MAP OUT STRATEGIES

The Cape Girardeau School District is poised to begin strategic planning designed to provide the district with a map to the end of the century.

At the board's meeting Monday, Superintendent Neyland Clark outlined the steps involved in formulating a five-year strategic plan.

"With the initial five-year plan and, following intensive review, a subsequent three-year plan, we're at the turn of the century," Clark said.

He said while this planning process is under way, an in-house budget reduction committee will be working. "We're already embarking on budget reductions internally," Clark said. Information from that committee will likely be part of the planning process.

"At the end of the process, we hope to know a lot more about what the community expects us to do, and we will have a better picture of what we are able to do."

A community survey is scheduled to begin this month. The poll includes 77 questions designed to be conducted on a one-on-one basis. Between 60 and 70 volunteers are being solicited to serve as interviewers, who will be trained and asked to conduct at least 10 interviews.

Clark said the League of Women Voters, the education subcommittee of the Chamber of Commerce and perhaps the marketing department at Southeast Missouri State University will be involved in conducting the survey.

He also set a tentative Jan. 23 date for an educational summit. This will provide an opportunity for community members to discuss the path the school district should take.

The summit will precede formation of a citizens advisory commission on education, Clark explained. From that commission, three committees will be formed: on finances, facilities and educational programs. Sue Balsamo has agreed to chair the committee on educational programs. Chairmen for the other committees are being sought.

Also a teacher and staff survey, similar to the community survey, is being conducted. "We want to see if there are congruences or non-congruences with attitudes of our staff and the community," he said.

And district personnel are collecting hard data such as test scores, enrollment, attendance, class size, and drop out rates.

Armed with all this information from these many sources, Clark said, "The board itself will become a committee to receive the all the data and will be responsible for developing the long range plan."

"This is probably the single most important process we will do, except educating children, in the 1991-92 school year," Clark said.

Board President Pat Ruopp, in an interview following the meeting, said a strategic plan has been a goal of the board for at least the past three years.

"We must have a plan about where we are going before we can get into anything," Ruopp said.

He said the board has confidence in this planning process because Clark has been involved in strategic planning at other school districts where he has worked.

While the board is looking ahead in its planning, it is also in the process of reviewing and revising the district's policy manual.

"At my first school board meeting 10 years ago, I was asking for copies of the policy manual," Ruopp said. One wasn't available.

When the current review is complete, he said, copies of the manual will be available at each school and at the board office.

"It will be an open book," he said.

The process of reviewing policies has begun and involves school staff, legal counsel and the board.

The board also set filing dates for the annual school board election. Filing opens Jan. 7 at 8 a.m. and closes at Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. The election will be held April 7. Terms of Ed Thompson and Lyle Davis are up this spring.

The board approved summer school for the 1992-93 school year and hired Betty Chong as director of special services, Jean Gibbs as teacher of chemistry, physics and general science, and William J. Askew Jr. as substance abuse counselor.