It’s a time for action in Aiken County.
A strategic planning and visioning process which brought together District administrators and staff, principals, teachers, and community members, earned final approval Tuesday as the Aiken County Public School District outlined important future initiatives and projects now scheduled through 2020-21.
The strategic planning effort is the final in a series of 28 recommendations made by Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford and his Leadership Team to board members in October 2015. Committee work began in February, when a group of around 50 stakeholders gathered during a three-day retreat to define the District’s beliefs, mission, strategic objectives, strategies and parameters.
“Completion of the planning phase in our strategic visioning effort is an exciting accomplishment for our school district, stakeholders and the community as it marks the culmination of many months of hard work, while also signaling the beginning of the implementation, or action phase, of our vision,” Dr. Alford commented. “Over the coming months and years, these strategies and ideas will best focus our energies and resources as we continue along our path to becoming the premier school district in South Carolina.”
Taking on the work of the Strategic Planning Committee, a select group of five Strategic Planning Action Teams spent the months of March, April and May translating the District’s beliefs and strategies into actionable items.
These items, or action steps, reflect a true consensus among the Action Team members who represented District administration and staff, Principals, teachers and community partners. The action steps will serve stakeholders through enhanced learning experiences, increased availability of technology, securing of the best and brightest professionals and teachers, a renewed commitment to more viable community partnerships and the solidifying of a culture of quality.
The individual action steps were later placed into a timeline outlining a five-year implementation plan of the five strategies throughout the District, which board members approved unanimously during Tuesday’s meeting.
"This is truly the community's blueprint for providing the highest quality education possible, and our students deserve nothing less," stated Dr. Beth Copenhaver, who served as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.
Noted consultant Dr. Lindsey Gunn, a Senior Associate with the Cambrian Group, said the district is now better equipped to deliver impactful leadership for teachers while also providing elevated support to bolster student outcomes.
"Aiken County Public School District has positioned itself for an incredible future,” Dr. Gunn commented. “Through the strategic planning process, community and staff have established extraordinary purpose with specific initiatives to guide and focus their efforts. Energized by an unrelenting passion for students, the district is emerging as a powerful leader in education."
Action steps scheduled for 2016-17 implementation include the following items:
- An Effective Assessment System to drive learning experiences
- Career and Technology experiences for every student
- Educational experiences that make use of relevant technology and mirror real-world applications
- An aggressive system of recruitment to attract and secure exemplary candidates
- Staff recognition programs and processes aimed at recognizing exceptional contributions to the district
- School-based and community-based arts initiatives
Link to District Press Release: 2016 JULY PR STRATEGIC PLAN APPROVED