Berkeley County School District2015-2016 Goals and Focus Areas

August 11, 2015Dr. Michael Turner, Interim Superintendent

Goal 1: Positive

School Climate

We will provide safe, orderly and healthy schools that insure a positive and caring learning environment.

1. Secure the safety of students and staff in our buildings to foster a caring learning environment.

2. Provide quarterly reports on new construction, renovations, and capital projects related to the ten year building plan.

3. Maintain the relationship with local government agencies and municipalities to stay abreast of current plans and strategies for emergency management.

4. Conduct professional development sessions regarding disaster preparedness and crisis management for school and district- level staff members.

Goal 2: High Student

PerformanceWe will realize high levels of academic growth and achievement for all students through an emphasis on literacy and STEMS (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) based instruction.

District Priority #1

Provide information and support to students, parents, educators, and the greater community about newly adopted standards and assessment systems and the impact they have on instructional programs in order to prepare all students to be productive citizens after graduating from Berkeley County School District.

1. Support teachers as they transition to adopted standards by providing an easily accessible research-based curriculum; modern technology for collaboration; and aligned professional development services.

2. Support parents and students as we transition into new standards and assessments adopted by the state by providing information through workshops, social media, and school-based communication.

3. Emphasize instructional strategies aligned with South Carolina’s Profile of a Graduate.

4. Establish a system (at the school and district level) for evaluating the effectiveness of Professional Learning Communities in order to meet the varying needs of all students.

5. Collaborate with regional partners to communicate a shared vision of the Academies of Berkeley County.

Goal 3: Community

EngagementWe will build family, community, and business support that will generate advocacy for our schools and our district.

1. Capitalize on existing partnership successes and continue to expand relationships with families, parental organizations, community organizations, businesses, and chambers of commerce to generate investment in student achievement.

2. Collaborate with all stakeholders to develop the Berkeley County School District strategic plan for 2016-2021.

3. Early Childhood - Ensure the academic success of children in later years by communicating kindergarten social, emotional, and academic readiness expectations to parents as well as public and private childcare providers.

4. Provide and enhance quality programs and recognition events for stakeholders, to include a volunteer recognition event at the district level.

5. Prepare and submit the Five Year Head Start Grant beginning in 2016-2017 in collaboration with community agencies, community members, and Dorchester 2 and Dorchester 4 school districts.

Goal 4: Strategic Human Resource

ManagementWe will recruit, retain and develop quality teachers, administrators and staff.

1. Implement the new South Carolina Educator Evaluation System.

2. Refine professional development opportunities to support induction teachers, non-induction teachers who need additional assistance and administrators.

3. Enhance recruitment strategies by further engaging in activities that will inform present and potential employees of the benefits of working for Berkeley County School District.

4. Develop a comprehensive hiring plan to address staffing needs, to include certified and classified staff, for the next five to ten years.

5. Respond to noted areas for improvement identified in the November 2015 Berkeley County School District AdvancEd Report.

6. Compare the BCSD salary schedules for certified and classified staff to those in neighboring school districts. Determine if our salary schedules are competitive enough to effectively recruit and retain staff. Develop budget proposals to address deficiencies.

Goal 5: Fiscal Responsibility

We will be responsible stewards of our resources and insure that we provide a quality education for all students.

1. Continue to provide transparent financial information and support to the educational process for the students of the Berkeley County School District.

2. Continue to receive overall unmodified audit opinion to ensure the financial stability of the district. Continue to use audit results to determine professional development needs.

3. Continue to implement policies to support an adequate Fund Balance while providing an exceptional financial value based on per pupil spending.

4. Provide the board and community with long range budget forecasting based on criteria related to local and state funding, and local economic growth for future budget planning purposes. We will also incorporate in our forecasting for future budget purposes comparative financial data as it relates to our financial standing compared to our benchmark districts and the state.

5. Continue to maintain a positive professional relationship with our bond rating agencies by providing information with respect to growth and challenges related to growth to positively promote Berkeley County Schools for rating purposes.

6. Create a 10 year comprehensive facilities management plan as a companion to the strategic planning process for 2016-2017.

Goal 6: Effective Communications

We will develop, refine, and implement an effective communications plan for our school system.

District Priority #2

Berkeley County School District will enhance efforts to communicate effectively with parents of current and prospective students. We will take a proactive approach to convey school district information to build parental awareness, and advocacy for district initiatives.

1. Communicate effectively with faculty, staff and stakeholders through multiple and varied communication vehicles.

2. Energize the relationship between the Berkeley County School District, elected officials, and local/regional agencies (e.g.; Chambers of Commerce, Council of Governments, Red Cross, Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative, etc.) to create a clear and open line of communication and efficacy in strategic planning.

3. Provide communications training for staff and personnel, and support principals in their efforts to effectively communicate with constituents.

4. Foster effective communication to support board member responsibilities.

5. Revise the district and school level websites to a version that is user-friendly and serves as a primary source of information for all shareholders.

6. Promote the use of monitoring tools for parents (such as Parent Portal) by advertising and providing “in-house” training and access to parents, while ensuring the information on the platform remains current.