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Date: 8/23/2022
WESTHAMPTON – With the school year fast approaching, the Westhampton School Committee met on Aug. 16 to conduct preliminary discussions about their 2022-2025 Strategic Plan for the entire Hampshire Regional School District (HRSD).
The plan, which will be introduced in final form during a future meeting, aims to “unify HRSD as one cohesive district while maintaining each school’s autonomy and uniqueness as [the district] collectively provides a high-quality education experience.”
The goal of the plan is to delineate ways in which the district presents a “safe, supportive, and positive environment that fosters inclusivity, empathy, and acceptance of others.” According to HRSD Superintendent Diana Bonneville, there are four strategic objectives the district hopes to encapsulate in their final plan: maintaining a positive school culture, communicating efficiently across the region, providing curriculum and assessment, and offering instructional leadership and professional growth.
“The overall objective is to make [HRSD] an inclusive environment that respects diversity,” said Bonneville. “We respond to the whole child, so that means we’re looking at them socially, emotionally, behaviorally, as well as academically.”
Among the strategic priorities for this three-year plan are improving the administrative office to operate more efficiently, enhance school community partnerships, and develop, review and maintain K-8 curriculum maps for ELA [English Language Learners] and math aligned to instruction, assessment, and state standards.
“Overarchingly, we’re working as administrators to provide effective feedback for teachers for them to be more effective in the classrooms,” said Bonneville. “This is not just a Hampshire Regional thing, but I think all teachers could do better with formative assessment.”
The action plan was discussed during a meeting with district administrators on Aug. 18, according to Bonneville. The hope is that the District Improvement Plan will spring from the strategic plan. All of the school committees in Hampshire Regional will have to accept a final version of the strategic plan.
Business administrator position
After 28 years of service, HRSD Business Administrator Bobbie Jones recently took the position of business administrator at Northampton Public Schools, where she plans to begin on Oct. 1.
According to Bonneville, six people have applied for the vacant position so far, with two being viable options for the position. The plan is to conduct interviews for the position the first week of September.
If the district cannot find anyone, they will have current Assistant Business Administrator Denise Cashin add some responsibilities.
“I’m optimistic that there is somebody out there,” Bonneville said.
The first day of school for Westhampton Elementary School is Aug. 31. According to Principal Dean Bates, the school expects to return to a more normalized lunch schedule. The COVID-19 isolation room will now be in the staff room.