Board of Education sets goals

The Board of Education in late August outlined its goals for the 2024-25 school year, setting achievements in four categories — efforts to enhance students’ educational experiences; fiscal planning to produce a sound budget for the 2025-26 school year and invest in environmental improvements within the building; enhance community outreach; and enrich efforts at leadership and culture development.

Educational goals

The Board has committed to developing district-wide expectations and opportunities members believe will lead to optimal student growth and learning in academics, technology and social and emotional development.

They want to continue to review programs to measure advancements in the curriculum and academic intervention services to ensure all students are are meeting their potential.

The district will provide students with the resources to enable them to become successful and fulfilled citizens and confident and engaged learners.

Fiscally responsive

Looking ahead — because the budgeting process starts early in 2025 — they will oversee the spending plan developed in consultation with the administration and staff. The aim is to ensure spending will be conservative without compromising programs.

At the same time, they want to be able to take a long-range view by creating a five-year budget plan that also affords ecological improvements to the building.

Community outreach

The district has long been committed to being a resource for the entire community and efforts have been made and will continue to be made to assure no part of the community is left out of that effort. Toward that end, the Board will continue its efforts to create strong links with those who may not be fluent in English, but need to be involved with the school for the sake of their children. There has been an enhanced effort to involve Spanish-speaking parents with other families and the school staff to assure the information they need is provided in their language and to extend assistance to parents through English as a New Language classes for parents.

At the same time, they want to continue to enhance multicultural activities that bring all parents closer to one another and the school faculty and staff.

The Board pledges to assure the entire community is aware of the many events offered by the district so they can be aware of “how amazing our school is,” said Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D.

Building relationships through direct involvement with the community should also provide opportunities for community service. At the same time, involvement with the wider community enables students to learn from the many Islanders with a wealth of knowledge about various fields of endeavor and interests that can lead to vocations and interests outside of the world of work.

Plans call for ongoing efforts to promote district activities through newspapers and social media.  

Leadership and culture

The Board is committed to maintaining a sense of mutual trust among its members and with administrators, faculty, staff, students, parents and the wider community. Members want to provide an open and honest dialogue and demonstrate in their own interactions a commitment to maintaining “a positive, safe and inclusive learning environment where everyone acts with respect and collaboration while seeking excellence,” Mr. Doelger said. 

They have committed to surveying the community, something that hasn’t been done in a few years, to get a sense of  how their aims mesh with community interests and ways in which they can improve their approach.