Community shapes new SD57 plan

“One thing that I have learned since being here is that we really have to get as much feedback as we can around any major decisions, and certainly around setting strategic goals,” Aziz said.

The process gathered about 900 online survey responses and held focus groups with students, the Parent Advisory Council, rural communities, and the Indigenous Education Council.

Aziz said the themes that surfaced were not unexpected.

“I can’t say big surprises,” he said. “As a public system, we know that there’s room for improvement. We’re always striving to do better, but there is no perfect.”

Stakeholders praised SD57 for its extracurricular programs in sports, music, drama, and the arts. Aziz agreed the district does well in these areas, but said not everyone has the same access.

“I would like that to be more equitable across our entire system, because I think certain students and families can take advantage of those opportunities and others may or may not be able to,” he said.

Next, trustees will spend two days narrowing the feedback down to about four priorities. Aziz said the current strategic plan is too complicated for most people to remember, even district staff.

“We have an existing strategic plan. It has a mission statement, it has a vision statement, and nobody knows what those are,” he said. “Even here within my own office, when I went around and asked people, what is the vision statement for our school district, nobody could tell me.”

That’s why the new plan will focus on one short vision statement and four clear priorities. Aziz said the district will display them where every student, parent, and staff member can see them.

“When you walk into our buildings, you will know that these are the strategic priorities for the next five years for our school district,” he said.

A separate operational plan will come next. Aziz said that the document will explain how the district will reach its goals, including the tools and measurements staff will use to track progress on things like literacy.

Public engagement, he added, has been the missing piece in the past.

“I certainly have heard from partners and employee groups that they really weren’t engaged in the previous strategic plan,” he said. “Public engagement seemed to me to be a really vital component of any changes that we’re going to make.”

Aziz said the district has a responsibility to reach every community it serves, including Prince George, McBride, Valemount, and Mackenzie.

The final five-year strategic plan is set for public release in mid-October.

by Dave Branco

Community shapes new SD57 plan

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