More than 90 members of the Broadalbin-Perth community came together Thursday, Jan. 12 to begin the work of developing the district’s next five-year strategic plan. Members of the Innovate 2.0 Committee — including students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, leaders, and members of the community — learned about their charge and then talked with each other to brainstorm ideas for the district’s future.
Superintendent of Schools Stephen Tomlinson welcomed the volunteers in the Margaret Robin Blowers Auditorium and then provided them with some essential background information through an interactive presentation. (Read a recap of the presentation.) Committee members then divided up into preassigned small groups where they engaged in a brainstorming technique called mind mapping, responding to the same guiding question: “What areas do you believe Broadalbin-Perth should focus on over the next five years? Why?” (View the final mind maps and read the notes from each table.)
As Tomlinson explained to committee members, Broadalbin-Perth similarly engaged the community during the 2014-15 school year to develop the district’s first strategic plan, “Innovate,” which featured six long-term goals. “Innovate” was published in 2016 and copies of the plan were mailed to all households in the district. Tomlinson said he expects the work of the Innovate 2.0 Committee to result in a new five-year strategic plan, and that the new plan will be mailed to households this summer.
Over the next few weeks, district leaders will review the notes from the Jan. 12 meeting and start identifying common themes. Members of the Innovate 2.0 Committee will continue their work on Thursday, Feb. 9.