The Bethlehem Central Board of Education recently adopted its goals and objectives that will guide the board’s work during the current school year and throughout the 2016-17 school year. The goals are aligned to support the district’s longstanding commitment to deliver knowledge, character and value to students and to the community, and will serve as a guide for policy-making decisions made by the seven-member board.
The goal-setting process began last summer when district administrators joined the Board of Education in a retreat led by a trained facilitator from the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA). During this session, Board members and staff identified and evaluated key areas and priorities, which were then used to craft overarching goals that would direct the work of the Board in the coming year.
“These goals were determined with care and are designed to tie directly to the work our faculty and staff do on a daily basis,” said Board of Education president Matt Downey. “School administrators will be working to apply these goals throughout the district.”
In addition, Downey said that Interim Superintendent Jody Monroe and her leadership team would conduct surveys this fall to solicit feedback from students, staff and parents on key issues and concerns, based on their experiences with multiple areas of the educational program. For this survey, students in grades 4-12 will be asked about school culture; parents will be surveyed about preferred methods of communications; and staff will be asked about aspects of working at BC.
More information about the parent and student surveys has been posted to the Aspen Parent Portal. The staff, parent and student surveys will be made available beginning the week of November 23.
“The district will use the data collected from the anonymous surveys to benchmark progress toward meeting the newly developed board goals,” Downey said.
Data from the surveys will be shared at a Board of Education meeting in 2016.
Board of Education Mission Statement & Goals
Children and learning are the heart of Bethlehem Central. We cherish our students and challenge them so they develop the foundation to become thoughtful, responsible individuals. Through leadership and integrity, we pledge to provide this education, encouraging all students to reach their potential.
To fulfill this mission, the Bethlehem Central School District will use the following goals to guide our work:
KNOWLEDGE: to improve learning and achievement for all students.
Board of Education Goal – To provide students with an innovative and cohesive educational program that includes a diverse and rigorous academic curriculum and a range of co-curricular activities that challenge students to become creative, critical thinkers and engaged members of their community.
CHARACTER: to foster a positive and safe school culture and environment
Board of Education Goal – To create and maintain a positive and safe environment that supports the learning and development of all students; an environment guided by the principles of respect and understanding where the dignity of all students is recognized and protected.
VALUE: to manage and improve the quality, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency of the District’s current and future operations.
Board of Education Goal – To maximize the engagement of parents and community members within curricular and co-curricular programs to increase connections and opportunities between education and real world application as well as relationships between the District and the public.