School board to create strategic plan

By Jennifer Jean Miller
SPARTA — The Sparta school district will be hosting a series of meetings in the upcoming school year to create the district’s long-range strategic plan for the next three to five years.

Al Annunziata, the district’s representative of the New Jersey School Board Association, introduced and presented the schedule of meetings to the board at its Aug. 18 meeting.

Each of the meetings will be held at 7 p.m. at the Sparta High School Media Center, and will include a general meeting involving parents and members of the community, then will involve breakout sessions.

Annunziata said the results of the sessions would be reported back to the larger group at their conclusion.

“I think you’ll enjoy the process,” Annunziata told the board. “What’s really rich is the conversation between the small groups."

Annunziata explained to the board members that they would not have formal roles at these meetings.

“Once these meetings go into session, you’ll be acting as a community member,” he said, and board members would be participating as the community does.

The first meeting would last approximately two hours, with the duration of the subsequent meetings lasting about an hour and a half.

Annunziata said it would be ideal for people to attend all three meetings, but said he knows that may not be realistic with the hectic schedules of the participants.

On either Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, or Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, the New Jersey School Board Association will present the plan. In March 2015, the board would need to schedule action planning and approve the strategic plan in April.

Superintendent Dennis Tobin said that the meetings will be advertised in local newspapers, on the district website, Facebook, email, on the Honeywell system, and through the township.

He said the township has agreed to help advertise to reach those who would like to participate in the meetings, but do not have children in the school district.