The St. Tammany Parish School Board recently released its five-year strategic plan report, which covered the school years 2003-04 through 2007-08. In reviewing the plan, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Cheryl Arabie said the plan is a driving force as in getting things accomplished in the district.

“We set expectations, and the plan keeps us on our toes and gives us something to strive for,” said Arabie.

She said the plan is not meant to be a report card as much as a work in progress to remind everyone of things that need improving. The plan shows the expectations for the five-year period, and the report gives a snapshot as far as how well the school system has done, said Arabie. In five years, trends have been set, and there is a sense of accomplishment in some areas, Arabie said.

She said some indication of performance and achievement can be seen in the report, but there are still challenges to be met. She said the report reflects some disruption in continuity due to Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005.

In general, the report shows improvements in student performance for the past five years of about 3 percent in grades 4, 8 and 10 for English language arts and math.

Surpassing set goals are teacher categories, including certification, those working on certification and critical need certifications in areas of science, math, music, special education, kindergarten, pre-kindergarten and vocational courses.

Other areas surpassing goals include the computer/student ratio and students using technology as well as student attendance, teacher attendance and nationally certified teachers and retention of personnel, both instructional and non-instructional.

The process of developing a new strategic plan will begin soon. All stakeholders will be represented — parents, teachers, the community, employers and even students. The focus group will decide which of the many issues are important enough for the school system to focus on through a strategic plan for the next five years.

The district design team composed of district stakeholders will analyze the input and prioritize the issues. The stakeholder groups will examine the indicators and see how they can be achieved. It is a lengthy process and will take all of the 2008-2009 school year. A new strategic plan would then be presented to the School Board for approval in June 2009, Arabie said.