Regional School Unit 5 is developing a new strategic plan to guide education in the district for years to come, and the RSU wants the people of Durham, Freeport and Pownal to weigh in.
A committee is working to draft a new mission statement, vision and strategic plan for the district and have developed a short, eight-question survey to learn more about how their friends and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds feel about local schools, as well as how they want education to look in the district in the future.
“We want to create a vision for our schools that embodies the genuine spirit, imagination and desires of our community,” said Lindsay Sterling, a member of the Board of Directors and the strategic planning committee. “So we need as many voices as possible to contribute ideas.”
The survey will be made available on paper at the schools in the district and other public locations, as well as on the internet, with a link to be posted on RSU5.org, by April 30. Additionally, the committee will facilitate community forums to gather public input in person.
Those forums will be held on May 2 at Freeport High School, May 3 at Pownal Elementary School and May 16 at Durham Community School.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the RSU 5 community to work together to create a shared vision that will benefit our children and our community for years,” said Jonathan Dawson, a parent representing Pownal on the committee.
The committee will hold a public event in the fall to share the feedback it received from the surveys and forums, and discuss how that input will be used to create a plan for the future of the district. The last strategic plan for the district was completed in 2010, and the district hopes to use this new plan to guide education for the next 5-7 years.
The 10-person committee includes RSU 5 Superintendent Becky Foley, RSU 5 school board members Sterling and Valy Steverlynck, community members from all three towns, as well as additional representatives from the student body, faculty, building administration and central office.
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