Sparta — Student needs, district communications and emergency preparedness are top priorities for Sparta Area Schools as the district implements its new three-year strategic plan.
After starting the process in late 2023, Sparta’s Board of Education in August unanimously approved the 2024-27 plan. Superintendent Joel Stoner said board members are “very comfortable and excited about the project.”
The plan consists of 12 key goals spread out over three phases. Goals were informed by input from stakeholders, starting as responses to survey questions that were explored further through focus group sessions.
‘The hard work is coming. Although it’s been a process and taken a lot of time and energy to get to this point, once it’s adopted, now that work begins.’
— Superintendent Joel Stoner
“We met with … a collection of staff, students, families and community members … with the idea of looking at themes,” Stoner said, noting that several of the items “really resonated,” standing out as important areas for improvement.
Priorities for Phase 1
The district’s administrative team worked to prioritize the goals into first-, second- and third-year priorities.
Priorities for the first year are:
- Improving support systems for students’ social, emotional and behavioral needs.
- Developing a system to identify and address all students’ learning needs, including advanced and struggling learners.
- Evaluating current communication practices and improving consistency, ease and availability of information for all stakeholders.
- Improving preparedness and response to emergency situations.
Building administrators now are forming subcommittees to tackle each area, with a goal to present a progress report to the Board of Education in May 2025.
“This school year will focus on information gathering, with the understanding that we’re in a position to advance these areas as much as possible over the course of the year,” Stoner said. “The goal is that there’s some completion of this work over the course of this school year.”
Other Focus Areas
Goals for the second phase of the plan include addressing disruptive student behavior, increasing professional development opportunities for staff, preparing students for life after graduation and enhancing partnerships between home and school.
The third year will focus on exploring academic opportunities to positively impact student achievement, supporting performing and fine arts programs, expanding curricular and co-curricular opportunities, enhancing school pride and strengthening community partnerships.
The plan will continue to be tweaked and adjusted even as it’s implemented, Stoner said, adding that the bulk of the work is still ahead.
“The hard work is coming,” he said. “Although it’s been a process and taken a lot of time and energy to get to this point, once it’s adopted, now that work begins.”
Read more from Sparta:
• District starting strategic plan process
• Leadership group brings students together to make connections and share their views
