Portsmouth School Board

2002 Goals

(From the December 1, 2001 Retreat; Approved by the Board on January 8, 2002)

1.	As one of its highest priorities, the Board will continue its endeavor to make decisions predominantly based on tangible evidence and minimize decisions that are influenced by innuendos and personal preferences. In doing so, the Board intends to accomplish more efficient and effective business meetings that support decisions that are in the best interest of all students.
2.	The School Board and administration will work cooperatively to update and keep current the School Department's policy book. Members of the School Board's Policy Committee will meet regularly with the Superintendent of Schools to examine each school district policy and bring recommended proposals, amendments and revisions to the Board for their adoption.
3.	The School Board and Superintendent will work cooperatively with the elementary schools and neighborhoods to ensure the implementation of the redistricting plan effective the Fall of 2002.
4.	The School Board will work cooperatively with the Joint Building Committee, architects, the construction manager, Central Office administrators, and Portsmouth High School staff and administrators to monitor and oversee the completion of major construction at Portsmouth High School. In addition, the School Board will support a transition plan from the old building to the new construction that will minimize interruption of education for students.
5.	The Board and administration will conduct governance standards and guidelines for each affiliate group that supports interscholastic and co-curricular activities. Such groups (e.g., booster clubs, music club, etc.) should include by-laws and operational strategies that conform to best practices in regard to cash flow and liability factors.
6.	During the upcoming budgetary process, the School Board will evaluate all programs in our schools to determine priorities in supporting the mission statement of the Portsmouth School Department. The Board will work closely with budgetmakers to support an educational narrative that provides quality programs for students while being mindful of its responsibilities to the taxpayers.
7.	In support of a child specific education for each student in the Portsmouth School Department, the Board will support programs which document tangible evidence of academic performance for each child. The Board will further expect from each school in the district, an annual report that documents multiple forms of assessment and individual evidence that we are achieving our goal of a child specific education.

LBT/paw