The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is seeking input through as broad a swath of the community as possible on a survey as it forges a five-year strategic plan.
The survey, which is available online through Jan. 19, seeks input on a variety of topics, from how well the district prepares students for the next phases of life to the general perception of how safe the schools are.
SOCSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant said the survey is the beginning of the district’s strategic planning processes.
“We’ve opened it up with the survey that’s open to all stakeholders,” he said. “That includes internal stakeholders as far as faculty and staff and students, and external stakeholders, such as parents, our business community — anyone who has an interest in the school district.”
Once the survey is completed, Peasant said, the results will go to a strategic plan committee made up of internal and external stakeholders, including administrators, teachers and members from various departments within the district, to review the data. The committee will work to develop a set of goals, with input from the SOCSD board of trustees, and a plan to reach those goals.
“We will develop a clear vision for the district and these goals will help guide us to make sure we’re meeting and operating toward the vision that’s been set forth for the district,” Peasant said.
The survey results will help focus the district as it creates its strategic plan. All survey responses are anonymous, and the district says the survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete.
Peasant said the district plans to have the strategic planning process completed and ready for implementation by the end of the school year.
“It’s important that we get input from all of our stakeholders as we move forward,” he said. “We appreciate people’s time and interest in our district. We sincerely value the thoughts of our stakeholders as we move forward with our district goals and a vision for our future.”
Board member Lee Brand said he hopes the community will take the survey seriously.
“I hope people will look at this for what it is,” he said. “It’s more than a formality. We need as much participation in the survey as we can get. This survey gives us a platform to reach many more people. That’s what I hope the community members will see it as — an opportunity to get as much input as possible.”
The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/starkvillestrategicplan. All responses are anonymous.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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