Riverton School District Scheduled to Set New District Vision
by Tom Mulligan
September 03, 2008
As part of the Riverton School District’s strategic planning process this year, the data indicated that it was time for the district to revise its current “vision” for the school district. In 2001-2002, the school district underwent a strategic planning process and developed the vision statement that is still being used to set direction for the district. That statement reads:
“Our schools are child-centered learning communities where partnerships are used to provide comprehensive educational programs that meet the needs of every child. Educational programs are delivered by quality educators who strive daily to grow professionally. There is a commitment to provide instructional programs that are engaging and provide students with the most current and relevant materials, strategies, and facilities. Our students achieve academically in a learning environment that is both safe and nurturing.”
While many aspects of that statement hold true for the district, it is not a statement that provides clear focus and direction for our district. It is also a vision that was set almost eight years ago and does no necessarily reflect the current desires of the Riverton School District Learning Community.
An effective vision statement is a concise, focused statement that provides direction for all stakeholders on where the district should be in five to seven years. A vision can be defined as “The desired state of the organization. The vision describes where the organization is headed, what it intends to be, or how it wishes to be perceived in the future.” (2008 Baldrige Criteria)
On September 10 at Riverton High School, a representative committee will meet to begin drafting the next “vision” for the Riverton School District. This committee will include teachers, administrators, board members, support staff, parents and students. This committee will review data on the district and engage in many discussions about the future direction of the district. Once the group develops a draft vision, they will present it to all stakeholders in the district for feedback before finalizing the vision.
This is an extremely important process for the district. It will truly set the direction for the district for the immediate future!
