Parents question Vernon schools' future plan

VERNON — The Vernon Township School District Board of Education is trying to face the future head on and is asking for the public to help with its Strategic Vision Plan.

The plan will define the district's strength and weaknesses and last up to 1 to 2 years, and at the end of that time from, the plan's success will be evaluated.

In response to parent Ginny Moore, William Adams, president of W.H. Adams and Associates said the plan will improve the students' education by giving the district specific goals outlined by the community. Adams said much of what is taught is dictated by mandates from the state and federal governments, which will have to be respected regardless of what the study reveals. Anything else would be tailored to suit the district's needs.

A special focus of the rpesentation was on technology, which is constantly changing and Adams said children in the district need to be prepared to roll with those changes.

Parent Dee Mackery pointed out that the new PARCC test is online, and that for the younger students, this presents a challenge because they can't type properly — only hunt and peck. Adams said this this is one of the items that can be addressed as part of the process.

Another parent, Christine Leon, asked how, if we don't know how technology is going to proceed, can we prepare kids for the future?

“In all of our classes, we're teaching the children how to use the skills they acquire,” Adams said. “We don't know the future, but have to teach them how to cope with what comes.” He thinks that involves balancing creativity with the Common Core Standards required by the state.

Another parent mentioned the need for immediate action, saying he didn't understand the focus on 1 to 2 years in the future when the district has immediate issues, and needs practical answers for the events of the last two years.

Adams replied by asking how the school board and administration were supposed to make decisions on per pupil cost or foreclosures. He said the demographic survey was spot on, and that the population of the district will bottom out in two years. So what does the district do from there? There are lots of factors, he continued, and the steering committee will look at the facts as they are right now.

Other members of the public brought up ideas such as a grant writer to fund improvements, and the option of an extended school year. Adams said all of the ideas were open for inclusion into the project.