Pickerington's Plan for Progress

Pickerington has a lot to be proud of as a school district and community, and we are constantly striving to challenge ourselves to become even better!

In order to be efficient and effective in reaching our goals, we know we must have a strategy in place. So, during the next year, we are inviting our community to partner with us in developing our Plan for Progress!

The Plan for Progress will be a roadmap for the district’s future. It will be developed using input from the community – including staff, parents, community members without students in the schools, civic groups, local governments, and businesses.

The Plan for Progress will provide a clear vision of where we are going, ensuring our students are ready for the challenges of today in college, the workforce, and life.

The Plan for Progress is a connection between schools and community that reflects resident and staff input, values, and priorities. The plan is a contract with our community to ensure Pickerington Schools offers a high-quality education while operating in an efficient manner.

The Plan for Progress will provide a roadmap for the future that ensures we are attaining greater levels of efficiency, reaching a higher level of community trust, and graduating students that are prepared for today’s world.

In developing our Plan for Progress, we have identified three primary goals:

Academic Excellence

What must we do to engage all of our students in relevant and rich learning experiences that will prepare them for career, college and life?

Efficient Operations

What can we do now to maximize resources and ensure the school district is operating efficiently?

Modern Facilities

Do our facilities reflect the environment needed to be successful in today’s world? If not, name some ways we can improve?

There are three phases to developing this plan.

Research and stakeholder engagement (now through October 2018)

The district currently is in Phase One of developing the Plan for Progress. We are gathering data and collecting feedback and ideas from our internal and external stakeholders. This process began in spring 2018 with a Community Survey and a survey of district employees.

Developing and defining initiatives (November 2018-February 2019)

Implementation and actions (beginning March 2019)

We need your feedback! Please take our brief survey by clicking on the link below. Your input will be used to help us formulate our Plan for Progress and chart a course for the future of Pickerington Schools.

Please participate in our brief survey to help shape the Plan for Progress!

Pickerington Schools also will hold two informal public events in September. At these events, the community is invited to hear about the Plan for Progress and discuss their ideas for the district’s future with our superintendent, Dr. Chris Briggs, and Treasurer Ryan Jenkins. The events will be:

• 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Sycamore Plaza Branch of the Pickerington Library (across from Pickerington High School North.)
• 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, at the main branch of the Pickerington Library (off Opportunity Way near Pickerington High School Central.)

In order to assist with our planning, we’re asking community members who plan to attend to RSVP. This is optional and not required to attend, but will help us gauge the number of people who will be at these meetings.

We look forward to hearing from you and hearing your thoughts as we develop the Plan for Progress, which will pave the way into the future for Pickerington Schools.

As part of the current stage of the development of Pickerington Schools’ Plan for Progress, Superintendent Chris Briggs and other members of the district’s administration hosted a community meeting at the Pickerington Public Library Sycamore Plaza Branch Wednesday, Sept. 12.

The next public forum will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24.

The event gave Dr. Briggs and his team a chance to explain the status of Plan for Progress, while also soliciting opinions and questions from those in attendance.

“We’ve made it a goal to go out and reach as many people as we can in the community,” the superintendent said. “We’re excited to be here.”

The district is currently in the “Research and Stakeholder Engagement” phase of developing the plan, which includes gathering feedback from the community. This will be followed by a second phase in November and February, when members of multiple committees will roll up their sleeves to develop and define initiatives, incorporating community feedback from Phase 1. Implementation of the plan will begin in March.

“The Plan for Progress will be a roadmap for the district’s future,” Dr. Briggs said. “It will be developed using input from the community – including staff, parents, community members without students in the schools, civic groups, local governments, and businesses. The Plan for Progress will provide a clear vision of where we are going, ensuring our students are ready for the challenges of today in college, the workforce, and life.”

In developing our Plan for Progress, the district has identified three primary goals:

Academic Excellence: What must we do to engage all of our students in relevant and rich learning experiences that will prepare them for career, college and life?

Efficient Operations: What can we do now to maximize resources and ensure the school district is operating efficiently?

Modern Facilities: Do our facilities reflect the environment needed to be successful in today’s world? If not, name some ways we can improve?

“First and foremost, the safety of our kids is our first priority,” Dr. Briggs explained. “But academics is very important to us. We also know that outstanding academic opportunities and a well-rounded student experiences can’t occur without great facilities and solid finances. All three of these areas play an important part in educating kids, which is why they are the three pillars of the Plan for Progress.”

Kati Mullett is an intervention specialist at Toll Gate Elementary, but she also has a child in kindergarten and another who will be going to Pickerington Schools in a few years. Having spent 13 years teaching at Pickerington, she sees Plan for Progress as a positive step for the district. She is glad to have the opportunity to give the district input.

“Having our input can help because the superintendent can’t be where we are every day,” said Mullett. “He doesn’t have young kids the same age as mine and he’s not teaching in an elementary school like I am. So, just hearing our feedback from what we’re seeing and experiencing will help.”