By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Now that the Lake Orion Board of Education approved the 2015-16 Strategic Plan, Goals and Objectives, the real fun can begin.
Board members approved the strategic plan at their previous board meeting, Wednesday, October 14, allowing the cabinet’including Superintendent Marion Ginopolis, and Assistant Superintendents Heidi Mercer and John Fitzgerald to commence with the work plan.
Goals include those for financial resources, operations, student achievement, human resources and communications, with several objectives underlying their completion.
Although in separate categories, each goal is intertwined.
‘Clearly when you have declining enrollment, our finances are diminished because our allocations come from the state based on the number of students we have. In terms of the budget this year we are really looking at the possibility of more reductions because we have less kids, and money is very tight,? Ginopolis said.
The November board workshop will focus on specifically what those reductions may look like, she added.
One financial goal has already been met.
The district refunded two blocks of debt’the existing district bonded debt and School Bond Loan Fund’for about a $9.5 million savings for district taxpayers.
‘We got a better result than we could have possibly hoped for,? Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Business Fitzgerald said after pricing the bonds out Oct. 7. ‘It’s like refinancing your home’s mortgage but instead of going from a 30 year to a 15 year, now our mortgage payment on that total cost is going down.?
Total debt will be paid off by 2027.
Other financial goals include increasing the district’s revenue base by establishing a shared time services program and by initiating website advertisement and sales, signage and other advertising.
One goal Fitzgerald highlighted to help strengthen enrollment outlooks is establishing a three-year budget planning module for the district. With more forward planning time, the district can better assess whether they are growing, shrinking or staying stable.?
For this year, ‘our residential kid count was down more than expected, and our schools of choice enrollment was above our expectation.? Fitzgerald said, and the rest depends on statewide demographics and local development.
Ginopolis said no large operational expenditures are planned for the year, other than maintaining the current budget.
Instead, the district may plan a facilities assessment to determine what it needs, and what it currently to determine any gaps in the infrastructure.
The district is also looking toward their long range planning committee to provide recommendations regarding enrollment and facility use and need for the next three years. The near 38-member committee was established this summer.
‘The last thing we want to do is close a building or sell a building and find out two years later that we have a new wave of students coming in,? Fitzgerald said.
Other operational goals include implementing a transportation management sharing model, continuing stabilizing food service and community services funds operational revenues and costs, and forward planning on district facilities, enrollment and capabilities.
Goals pertaining to teaching and learning stretch down the scroll.
Many of the sub-criteria include reinforcing learning that is relevant, current and attainable in a career ready world. This includes closer monitoring of math at the elementary level, expanding the teacher lab modules, reviewing Michigan Science and Social Studies Standards, ‘expanding STEM and pre-engineering program in the middle schools and high school, and reviewing media and technology plans, to name a few.
The at-large human resources goal is to ensure a high quality staff and its continuous development and improvement. This includes implementing different frameworks for effective teaching, more appropriate evaluation tools for ancillary staff members and ensuring compliance with state regulations.
Lastly the district will be working on its communication strategies. The district will be seeking input on operations from a variety of stakeholders with a community survey and plans to more effectively handle internal and external communications. The district also plans to launch a Lake Orion alumni program, among other collective communicative strategies.
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