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Date: 9/27/2022
EASTHAMPTON – Following months of surveys, discussions and feedback from the community, the Easthampton Public School District has a new strategic plan.
Presented at the Sept. 20 School Committee meeting, the plan has four goals: ensuring curricula are aligned with guiding principles, a continually refined approach for community engagement, ensuring that equity guides the decision-making process and fostering advocacy so there are adequate resources to meet strategic goals.
Superintendent Allison LeClair said the schools worked with the consulting firm Strategy Matters out of Boston, two different committees, and hosted town halls for public discussion. Much of the work was done over the summer, and moving forward the district will take apart the curriculum and see where the guiding principles match.
“This was important work and we wanted to do it right,” said LeClair.
The superintendent went over each of the four goals and how they’d be applied in the future. On the subject of engaging with the community, she said a transportation committee would be formed to ensure that parents have equal access to the buses. Part of this will include surveys for families to learn where the need is greatest.
For the goal of equity, LeClair said that one part of the process is understanding the term and how it applies to the schools, as people have different perspectives on what that means. Advocacy for the schools will entail departments clearly communicating their needs and working with the district to see that they are met.
Mayor Nicole LaChapelle asked about the timeframe for the plan. LeClair said it was a five-year plan, but that each goal would have its own timeline. She added that some goals may change, or new ones could be added as time passes.
“We can survey families and students – that’s how we’ll know if that’s working,” said LeClair. “We’ll work in equity with key stakeholders. I don’t think the work will be done in isolation. I think it will be done with input with key stakeholders.”
Committee member Laurie Garcia felt that the goals of the strategic plan coincided with the need to create a dual language program. Garcia said many residents have reached out to the committee, concerned with the lack of language programs for the upper grade levels. She added that many communities have dual language programs and this demonstrates an awareness of the global community.
“It should not be my voice, it should be a united voice for a dual language program,” she said.
LeClair felt this was an issue worth exploring, but in the outreach done for the strategic plan, parents seemed satisfied with the education their children were receiving.
“I didn’t hear a lot of condemnation about any areas of the curriculum in a deficit,” she said. “English Language Learner numbers have been stagnant the last few years. I figured we’d move to a dual language when we hit a certain number [of students]. I want to make sure we’re focused on what people see as the priorities.”