HAMLET — Richmond County Schools held a Strategic Planning Meeting Thursday at the Cole Auditorium with a group of district administrators, board members, principals, school staff, parents and community members.
The group met to discuss the district’s current Strategic Plan and how the goals and core beliefs can be updated for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan.
Superintendent Jeff Maples began the meeting with a “walk down memory lane” and highlighted the lessons learned during COVID-19.
“We’re very resilient,” he said. “We’ve also learned how to be more forgiving and how to understand each other’s circumstances.”
Other lessons included technology and digital skills, the importance of mental health, grace, perseverance and relationships.
“The pandemic has resulted in new challenges and opportunities for our district,” he said. “Additionally, new ESSER funding sources are available to support our students and schools. We believe it is important to review our district’s Strategic Plan to make sure we are meeting both new and existing needs.”
Prior to Thursday’s meeting, a survey was sent out to all stakeholders on social media, in an email and was posted on the district’s website asking for input on what the district has done well, what can be improved upon, what can be changed, and what it means to be part of the Richmond County Schools family. The survey results were then compiled and shared during the meeting.
“Being part of the RCS family means you do the right thing even when it’s the hardest thing,” read a survey response.
Participants were then broken into groups and asked to review the district’s five goals — preparing students for the future, personalized learning, quality educators, modern systems and quality of life — and core beliefs, and shared their input on what Richmond County Schools is currently doing to support the goals and what additional work should be considered.
District administration will compile the input from Thursday’s meeting into a draft plan to share with the invited community stakeholders in another meeting in July. Following their final input, a final draft will be presented to the board during the August board meeting.
