District updates strategic plan, testing, student services and enrichment programs

Superintendent of Schools told the board the district's strategic-planning consultant, Ala Breivik, delivered a preliminary confidential report and the strategic planning committee will perform a SWOT assessment before the board reviews an executive summary and slide presentation in February.

The nut graf: The district described the planning work as data-driven and on schedule; staff also highlighted recent professional development, mobile dental services in elementary schools and growing opportunities for students to earn college credit.

Highlights from reports and building principals

- Strategic planning: The superintendent said the consultant's report needs minor clarifications (for example, specifying building-level references) before being distributed to the district's strategic-planning committee. Committee members will use the report to draft district-level and building-level priorities and year-one goals.

- Professional development: Staff thanked administrators, IT and facilities teams for planning a productive staff-development day that included mandated child-abuse reporter training accommodated during the school day with union cooperation.

- School safety and operations: The superintendent reported a sewer-line repair completed and that the district will add the line to a maintenance schedule; the district debriefed and made procedural changes after quickly moving nearly 1,000 students off campus during an incident.

- High school updates: A building principal (Ed) reported the senior trip to New York City, January Regents schedules and academic boot camps for students at risk of failing courses. The high school offers many dual-credit options; the principal said roughly 27 courses or pathways give students the opportunity to earn college credit through AP, Syracuse University, Paul Smith's and local community college partnerships.

- Student services and programs: The district began a mobile dental program run by Hudson Headwaters at several schools; about 150 students signed consent and received basic cleanings and exams. The district also ran a computer-based testing simulation to test infrastructure before state testing windows.

- Student voice: Ex officio student representative Ozzie Kelman reported on student councils, charitable drives, winter concerts, and extracurricular activities including Model UN, which is sending a delegation to Harvard Model UN.

Ending: The superintendent said the district will present a public executive summary of the strategic plan in February and continue to align professional development and testing timelines with planning outcomes.