SPRING VALLEY – The Spring Valley School District is currently in the process of creating a strategic plan. This process began in September and the school board as well as the rest of the community has gone through several stages in order to come to an end result.

The solidified strategic plan will be decided on Tuesday, Oct. 19 during a special school board meeting (after The Journal’s print deadline). The last step in the process included a community listening session on Wednesday, Oct. 13, where district residents could share their perspectives and ideas for future goals.

At this listening session, Dr. Bruce Miles from Big River Group spoke to attendees about the process thus far and what is expected to come from the strategic plan once it is in place.

“I think this is one of the most important things that school districts have, so we’re not just going about day-to-day hoping that good things will be achieved, we are intentional and driven towards multiple goals based on the priorities the community has given to make sure that we stay the course and meet the goals,” said School Board President Cristy Peavey.

“As a new superintendent, this is an awesome opportunity for me to know what the community wants and what our staff wants so the plan that is developed will have impact for at least the next five years and possibly beyond that,” said Superintendent John Groh.

A strategic plan is a vital part of how a school district operates and moves forward. Many school districts have a strategic plan that is referred to when making changes and progress toward what the district’s leaders, staff and community want within the district.

The process included surveys for both the faculty and the community and encouraged input. The community survey listed aspects of the district that are working well as well as places that could use improvements.

The survey indicated the district has great staff, good communication to parents and a great new elementary school facility. Places the community felt needed improvement were COVID precautions, post-secondary preparedness, athletic and activity facilities and more awareness around bullying.

Aside from the community listening session and surveys, there were also staff meetings to hear input from the faculty and staff.

The strategic plan will be a big step in the direction of continuous progress for the district.

“Dream big for what you want for this community, whatever that means to you, because your kids and the staff will benefit from it,” Groh said.

These are all considerations and data the school board will take and implement into the official strategic plan, which will serve as a guide for progress within the school district going forward and will help with changes in curriculum and operations.