By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
With one change in place, strategic goals for the Burlington Area School District were approved by the School Board Monday night.
The goals – broken into five sections and defined through the Stakeholder Driven Strategic Planning conducted over the last few months – were unanimously approved by the board with one abstention.
Board member Phil Ketterhagen abstained from the vote, saying a letter to the editor and a news story from February defined his reasons.
That letter criticized the planning process and specifically singled out the district survey of the community done in February.
“The process will narrow the final answer towards the predetermined outcome. A mean or median score will determine the results,” Ketterhagen said in the letter. “I believe the results will be a predetermined outcome to present a new referendum to BASD.”
Ketterhagen’s wife also criticized the planning process. Bonnie Ketterhagen said the district’s methods had caused an invalid survey, and called it “rigging and railroading” of fake results that give the district the “elite’s predetermined outcome.”
She criticized the district’s use of the Delphi Method – a structured communication technique. She also said the way the facilities study is being approached with the Stakeholder Driven Strategic Planning meetings smacks of this process.
She also said people who commented to her had issues with the questions on the study not providing them with enough options, including such answers as “none of the above.”
A total of 1,118 responses were received. To put the number in perspective, more than 7,700 people voted in the election last spring for School Board. Louis Birchbauer of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, who led the strategic planning, grouped the answers to show how much of the population felt strongly about specific ideas or needs.
At the time, BASD Superintendent Peter Smet that the survey was “a piece of information.”
“It is not all the information out there, it is not totally comprehensive,” he said. “The people who chose to respond, these choices, these are the most concerns of the most people.”
Shown here are the goals that were approved Monday night. Changes were made to the first task in goal five. Originally, the district was promoting an open house-type event to promote BASD.
However, at last week’s meeting, the board wanted more than just a single, specific effort, so language was changed to incorporate a broader goal.
District Strategic Goals
Goal One – Academic
- By Dec. 1, 2015, a study committee will determine the best grade configurations from an educational standpoint that includes a recommendation if the Burlington Area School District 4K-6 Montessori program should be housed in one building.
- Continue character education at all levels to further develop 4K-12 work ethic, life and social skills, and civic responsibility.
- By the fall of 2016, complete a study of innovative methods to meet the needs of all 4K-12 students and their learning and technology needs.
- By December of 2016, complete and examine a cost analysis of the types of charter and virtual school options for Burlington Area School District to allow for academic opportunities for 4K-12 students.
Goal Two – Extra Curricular Activities
- By Jan. 1, 2016, evaluate current and potential 4K-12 extra-curricular offerings to determine whether opportunities are limited by facilities, cost staffing, program alignment, interest trends and transportation accessibility.
- By March 1, 2016, develop an action plan to address the findings of the extra-curricular evaluation done.
Goal Three – Facilities
- By October 2015, the School Board will appoint a construction management firm to develop a list of needed facility repairs and enhancements and the associated costs.
- By April 2016 the School Board-appointed construction management firm will present a completed study of needed facility repairs and enhancements, with the associated costs, to meet the identified academic and extra-curricular programming needs of the district.
Goal Four – Funding/Taxes
- Starting April 1 each year, the management team will investigate grants, sponsorships, advertising or other funding opportunities that are available to support our education initiatives within the district.
- By July 2016, a financial firm will identify financing plan options for all facility repairs, maintenance and improvements that BASD needs for the next 20 years.
Goal Five – Staff/Employees
- By Nov. 1, 2015, explore how to best communicate positive information about district programs.
- By May 15, 2016, district administration will conduct the Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership for Learning survey to ascertain areas of strengths and weaknesses in order to improve communication, professional development and district culture.
- By Sept. 1, 2015, create an exit employment survey for all staff leaving BASD.
- By Sept. 1, 2017, analyze the current calendar/schedule to increase the amount of time provided to teachers for training, preparation and professional growth.
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