VISION 2000 INSTRAMENTAL IN SUCCESS OF CITY SCHOOLS

Communities must give a lot of support to their public schools because without that investment and energy the schools won't get better, one parent said.

Jody Trautwein, a parent and educator who trains kindergarten and elementary teachers, said she knows that good schools train students in life skills and diversity while offering them an education.

Vision 2000 worked with Cape Girardeau's educators, parents and residents to make sure that the city offered the best educational opportunities possible for everyone as it planned for future growth and development.

Vision 2000 is a strategic planning effort that helped guide city and school officials into the future. The plan took effect in 1988 and its organization is about to conclude its work.

The group addressed four areas of emphasis -- community spirit; education; business, industry and jobs; and planning and zoning -- in its plan. Now the work has come to an end. Vision 2020, the city's next wave in strategic planning, is set to take over the effort.

Trautwein has seen how much Cape Girardeau's schools have improved. Her two older children both graduated from high school here, and her two daughters now attend Jefferson Elementary School.

But most of the changes she's seen have come in the past two years as Cape Girardeau continues to renovate existing buildings and add new ones. A $14 million bond issue is helping to pay for the construction, and its successful passage at the polls can be partially attributed to the work of Vision 2000.

Vision 2000 committee members held dozens of brainstorming sessions for the public as the school district began developing its master plan in 1996. Trautwein and her husband, Steve, both attended those meetings.

She said the meetings were helpful in getting the measure passed. In Cape Girardeau, there is a core of people who didn't attend any meetings and weren't interested in the group's work.

Despite that challenge, Vision 2000 tried to talk to everybody.

"A lot of people have said that if Vision 2000 had not given people a chance to be involved, the bond issue wouldn't have passed again," said Melvin Gateley, who helped spearhead the work of Vision 2000.

Previous measures proposed by the school board had failed in earlier elections.

Vision 2000 got people interested in education to agree on a focus, and that agreement enhances the community's progress, said Dr. Dan Steska, superintendent for Cape Girardeau public schools.

All the goals were stated in such a way as to make them attainable, and people know what is being accomplished, he said. "If those objectives weren't set we could be 10 years behind where we are now."

Vision 2000 helped spur the district's master plan, which has already reached 85 percent of its goals in just four years, Steska said.

People have seen what's happening in the schools and their trust in the district has increased, he said. When people see that success, they are willing to invest time and energy to work to the next level.

Public school education wasn't the only area that the plan addressed, however. Vision 2000 wanted to see the community's use of museums, galleries and libraries grow.

The Cape Girardeau Public Library offers story hours for toddlers, summer reading programs and access to the Internet. The library recently remodeled its building and renovated the reading room to make it more comfortable for users.

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri continues to add programs and offer courses for both children and adults in the community. Monthly art exhibits are displayed at Gallery 100, and the group hosts a series of art workshops for families of school-age children.

Coming Wednesday: How did a thriving economy and business growth help Vision 2000's work?

VISION 2000 GOALS

What was included in this goal:

The goal was to provide an education system in Cape Girardeau that encourages everyone to develop an intellectual capacity from childhood to adulthood that keeps them constantly learning.

Objective 1: Plan and implement early childhood education programs for "at risk" preschool-aged children.

Objective 2: Reduce the number of functionally illiterate citizens in Cape Girardeau by 50 percent and provide training and retraining opportunities to meet changing personal and vocational needs.

Objective 3: Increase the use of non-school educational facilities such as libraries, museums, galleries, science and technology centers, 5 percent annually.