PGISD in process of crafting new 5-year plan

Administrators, parents, teachers and community members of Pleasant Grove Independent School District gathered in the high school cafeteria Thursday to begin the first step in creating their new five-year plan.

“We are looking to plan things for the next five years for the district in a lot of different areas,” said Dr. Todd Williams, superintendent. “Curriculum, facilities, demographics. Just looking at a lot of things tonight.”

PGISD’s five-year plan ended this year, Williams said, so now is the time to begin the process for the next five years. They will be using a model called STEEP, which addresses social demographics, technology, education, economics and political and social areas.

“We’ll kind of be scanning the community for input on those things. Those will be five committees,” he said. For the previous five-year plan, Williams said, “Some things need to be modified, some things we did accomplish. It’s kind of a … process looking at the most important things in the district.”

David Koempel, a senior consultant of leadership team services with the Texas Association of School Boards, led the meeting, guiding attendees to create a mission statement and strategic goals. He will lead at least three other meetings to help facilitate the creation of the district’s plans.

“During the course of that time, the group will be discussing those challenges facing the district, and we will use those challenges to help us determine those products,” Koempel said. “Here’s where we are. Here’s where we want to be.”

He said they will be using a process based on critical issues model of planning, the same model he’s been doing with TASB for 24 years.

He began with team-building exercises before splitting the group into scanning teams, which will gather during subsequent meetings.

Koempel said to those gathered, “All potential factors the district will be facing in developing the mission statement have to be an honest assessment.”

The superintendent encouraged that honesty. “I believe in everyone having their fair share of an opportunity to speak,” Williams said. “We appreciate you being here. I appreciate you personally being here from that standpoint of us getting your input in several different areas of school government.”

The meetings will be announced at a later date.