Led by an educational consultant, Dr. Dave Kircher, Boardman Local School Supt. Tim Saxton announced a “strategic planning process for Boardman Local Schools,” during a forum held last week in the small auditorium at Center Middle School. About 80 persons attended the meeting.
      Kircher proposed the creation of a “strategic plan…to create civil conversation…and strengthen the relationship between the schools and the community.”
      Saying he had been in education for more than 50 years, Kircher said the “schools don’t want to be stagnant. Education is changing quickly.”
      Kircher said meetings that will begin later this year will help facilitate a report on the ‘state of the schools’ and a community meeting next spring.
      “We have to look ahead to the next five years, and narrow [the plan] down to five, major goals,” Kircher said, adding he hoped the focus groups could start meeting by mid-November.
      The school superintendent said input in creating a plan will need input from different points of view and could include development of a new mission statement.
      The current Mission Statement for Boardman Local Schools says, “In cooperation with school, home and community, the district is dedicated to the development of independent, life-long learners. This is achieved through assessment, identification, and individualized instruction. Our goal is to help students achieve their fullest potential.”
      Kircher is from the consulting group, Finding Leaders, based out of Cleveland, Oh.