In late October, the Board of Education of School District 67 Okanagan Skaha undertook the launch of a strategic planning process.
Using facilitator Terry Sullivan, former Superintendent of the Kamloops School Board, a series of meetings were held over a two-day period of Oct. 20 and 21.
These included individual meetings with the Okanagan Skaha Teacher’s Union, support staff through the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Principals and Vice Principals Association, the District Parent Advisory Committee, a representation of middle school and secondary school students from throughout the district, a session with district staff and with the school trustees of SD67.
The major purpose of this district strategic planning process is to arrive at a point where the Board of Education continues to have a coherent, cohesive alignment of human, financial and community resources so its mission can be fulfilled in the most efficient manner.
Inherent in the process is a desire to identify clearly the many strength areas of the district and to focus on these areas in building a future vision based on a foundation of existing strengths.
The following five questions were created to guide that process, identify those strengths and assist SD67 in developing that strategic vision.
In all of the sessions attendees were asked to answer the following questions:
1. What would you identify as some of the strengths of your district?
2. What would you identify as some of the challenges for your district?
3. What would you identify as some of the opportunities you have as a district to build on those strengths?
4. What would you identify as some of the obstacles or constraints to your realizing those opportunities?
5. What major initiatives/areas would you identify as directions the Board should be undertaking in the next three to five years to continue to build on your strengths?
The Board of Education will be meeting Dec. 15 and 16 with senior district staff to discuss the responses of all partner groups and develop themes in the coming weeks as to the next step in this process.
We look forward to sharing those developments in the coming months. More information will be available on the district website in the coming weeks. http://www.sd67.bc.ca/Pages/default.aspx
Julie Planiden is a Summerland school trustee on the Okangan Skaha School Board.