By:John Patten
Hillsborough schools will have a new plan guiding curriculum, staffing and administration decisions, if the Board of Education approves the Strategic Plan presented by Superintendent of Schools Robert Gulick at Monday’s meeting.
The plan will be voted on by board members at the Jan. 26 meeting, with possible changes if members make any recommendations at the meeting.
In reviewing the strategic plan in a PowerPoint presentation, Dr. Gulick highlighted the seven component parts of the plan addressed by a group of "stakeholders" who met Dec. 13 to update the plan that had been rewritten twice before.
Each of the seven components curriculum, student life, communications, technology, partnerships, resources and staff development was broken down by the component’s goal, strategies meet the goals and specific actions needed.
After the board’s Jan. 26 vote, a complete version of the strategic plan will be posted on the district’s Web site (www.hillsborough.k12.nj.us).
"It’s not only about providing resources, but also about managing those resources," Dr. Gulick said about the plan. "I also believe we have to have an ongoing evaluation process."
Previous strategic plans were adopted by the district in 1997 and 2000, guiding decisions made in the following school years.
Highlights of the plan include:
The curriculum goal of providing an integrated program that motivates students to achieve their potential in an environment respectful of diversity identifies such strategies as using diverse learning styles, promoting higher thinking skills and life-long learning.
The student life goal seeks to create an environment for students to reach their full potential for "individual excellence" through the strategies of a storing support system, providing behavioral limits and accountability, and teaching students to make responsible decisions.
The district’s communication goal will be to "inform the community about the educational program and will encourage community interest and involvement in the educational process."
Board discussion the challenges of meeting some of the plan’s goals focused primarily the technology goal, "All students, staff and administration will access, use and apply technologies to teach, learn, research, manage and communicate globally."
"I was part of the working group in ’97-’98, and I know we had concerns about keeping up (with new technology)," board member Chris Pulisfer said. He asked how the district can stay current with rapidly improving technology, which Dr. Gulick admitted will be a challenge to the board.
"I don’t think we will be able to keep up with annual budget (appropriations)," he said, leaving bonding for major upgrades as the only option to "make it more feasible."
Hillsborough High School senior Todd Zubatkin of Marshall Road made a plea for the board to remember the importance of quality teachers when planning.
"Technology, computers and VCRs don’t really teach that much," Todd said. "You can fill a room with big screens, but a bad teacher won’t use it to help the students."
Dr. Gulick’s draft plan was based on comments received at a Nov. 15 meeting conducted by Carole Larsen of the New Jersey School Boards Association. The group invited to the meeting included three residents responding to notices of the meeting, four high school students and representatives from the district’s staff, teachers and community groups affiliated with the district.
While an outline version of the strategic plan will be posted on the Web site, complete drafts detailing the specific actions needed to achieve the goals in the plan will only be available at schools and the board office.
