Community vital in developing school plan

DELPHOS - The Delphos school board or administration won't be the ones to develop a strategic plan for the future. Instead, the community will.

"This is a communitywide thing," Superintendent Jeff Price said. "That old adage of it takes a community to raise a child, we really believe that."

About 100 people have stepped forward to serve on committees assigned to developing a plan to take to the school board in February. About half the people are district staff, with parents, businesspeople, ministers and city officials rounding up the rest.

"I believe, and the board of education believes, that you are going to find better solutions partnering with the community," Price said.

The group has been divided into six teams: finance, facilities, technology, academics, co-curricular and community relations. Each will come up with its own strategic plan and from there the total five-year plan will be developed. Implementation will begin next school year, Price said.

The teams are being asked to come up with a vision, and identify values and goals. Next, Price said, will come an action plan, including how to pay for some things.

"We hope that we can be creative in maybe coming up with some funding for different things," he added.

Price described the plan as a way for the district to shape its own future, adding that it will give the school board and administration direction. He envisions that staff members will create their own professional goals based on the plan, with pupils also setting goals.

"When we get this in place, everything we do here in school will be tied in some way to that," he said. "We really want this to drive the district, not something that is going to sit on the shelf that nobody looks at."

Residents are still invited to get involved. Call Price at 419-692-2509.