ALBANY - Members of the Albany school district equate the future to a wilderness. They need a map to find their way.
"As it becomes more important to ensure our resources are used well and efficiently, we need a solid plan to focus our efforts," District Administrator Steve Guenther said Tuesday at a long-range planning meeting. "Effectively managing our schools without a clear plan or specific goals would be difficult at the very least, but might also prevent us from helping our students achieve the future that we would like to see for them."
The district held two meetings Tuesday, one for staff and faculty during the day and one for district residents in the evening.
Bruce Miles, consultant with the Big River Consulting Group LLC of St. Cloud, conducted the sessions.
"The heart and soul of this community is the school," Miles said. "By working on the long-term planning, the administration, the members of the school board and the faculty and staff want to insure that the district is around for the future to grow together with the community."
Priorities identified in the community session include prepared for efficient transition to post-secondary schools or vocations, individualized education, reduce open enrollment out of the district, higher expectations and improve curriculum and instruction through best practices.
Priorities identified by staff and faculty include improve and increase student accountability and discipline by developing consistent expectations and consequences, and recognizing positive achievement, improve curriculum assessment to improve student test scores, service learning, differentiation and allow for an advanced course of study or greater selection.
The same survey of staff identifies discipline, technology, and staff retention as areas that need improvement.
General areas that community members identified needing improvement include retaining teaching staff, technology, community communication and curriculum.
Today at 6:30 p.m., a smaller group of administrators, school board members, staff, faculty and community members will sort through information and identify the final mission, outline six priorities with goals for each and from this will have a "detailed blueprint for each goal," Miles said.
"This will give us a solid plan including short term goals with this school year and long term goals for the future," Guenther said.
"As it becomes more important to ensure our resources are used well and efficiently, we need a solid plan to focus our efforts," District Administrator Steve Guenther said Tuesday at a long-range planning meeting. "Effectively managing our schools without a clear plan or specific goals would be difficult at the very least, but might also prevent us from helping our students achieve the future that we would like to see for them."
The district held two meetings Tuesday, one for staff and faculty during the day and one for district residents in the evening.
Bruce Miles, consultant with the Big River Consulting Group LLC of St. Cloud, conducted the sessions.
"The heart and soul of this community is the school," Miles said. "By working on the long-term planning, the administration, the members of the school board and the faculty and staff want to insure that the district is around for the future to grow together with the community."
Priorities identified in the community session include prepared for efficient transition to post-secondary schools or vocations, individualized education, reduce open enrollment out of the district, higher expectations and improve curriculum and instruction through best practices.
Priorities identified by staff and faculty include improve and increase student accountability and discipline by developing consistent expectations and consequences, and recognizing positive achievement, improve curriculum assessment to improve student test scores, service learning, differentiation and allow for an advanced course of study or greater selection.
The same survey of staff identifies discipline, technology, and staff retention as areas that need improvement.
General areas that community members identified needing improvement include retaining teaching staff, technology, community communication and curriculum.
Today at 6:30 p.m., a smaller group of administrators, school board members, staff, faculty and community members will sort through information and identify the final mission, outline six priorities with goals for each and from this will have a "detailed blueprint for each goal," Miles said.
"This will give us a solid plan including short term goals with this school year and long term goals for the future," Guenther said.