What the board approved Monday night

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Following is a list of items from the five-year strategic plan approved by the Mt. Pleasant School Board Monday night. Only the major items of each component are listed.

Early childhood

? Kindergarten classrooms for five-year-old students. The district has 30 students signed up for the program. The program would require two teachers and two classroom associates (cost of approximately $140,000). The district would receive $6,300 in state funding for each student or $189,000 which would be received a year later.

? Partner preschool teachers/associates (Grasshopper Green and Little Bs, for example) would become school employees. That would include three teachers and three associates (cost of approximately $210,000).

? Purchase an early childhood center (part of the facility plan which will be considered at the May meeting.

? Create a farm school (preK-fifth grade).

Vocational agriculture

? Reinstate high school vocational agriculture (2015).

? Hire a vocational agriculture teachers (spring 2015).

? Develop an FFA program (2015).

? Plant an orchard.

? Start a farm-to-school program.

World language

? Pilot a K-5 Spanish program at Salem Elementary and one Mt. Pleasant Elementary School (fall 2014).

? Reinstate French in high school (2015).

? Create a middle-school Spanish/French program (exploratory program 2015).

? Implement a Chinese program (2016).

? Implement a foreign language academy with other schools.

Teacher leadership and compensation

? Hire six instructional coaches (funded by teacher leadership grant of $607,000 in 2013-14).

? Hire replacement teachers focusing on master of arts degree in content area (2014).

Career academies

? 2014-15 Henry County Career Academy will have construction trades, engineering, marine biology, health careers, automotive, welding, arts/science (54 college courses through Iowa Wesleyan College).

? 2015-16 Henry County Career Academy will add culinary arts, electrical technology academy and early childhood.

? 2016-17 Henry County Career Academy will add foreign language academy, plumping.

? 2017-18 Henry County Career Academy will add project management, heating and cooling, cosmetology.

WisdomQuest

? Place Trenton Keefer to WisdomQuest.

? Hire one teacher (April 2014).

? Increase face-to-face teaching (language arts).

? Personal learning plans for all students.

? Create one-to-one laptop program.

Data teams

? Continue current practices.

Literacy

? MTSS training for teachers (summer 2014).

? Create/select IK-3 screening tools.

? Summer reading/enrichment camp.

STEM

? Add Microsoft certification program to the high school curriculum (2014-15).

? All-school STEM event (2014).

? Create K-12 science curriculum (2014-15).

? Middle-school math proficiency project (2014-15).

? Create STEM clubs (2014-15).

English Language Learners (ELL)

? Rewrite ELL plan as required by the Iowa Department of Education (summer 2014).

? Professional development for staff on sheltered instruction.

Special education

? Professional development training for special education/regular education teachers.

? Learn best practice (2014-15).

? Rewrite the special education delivery plan (2014-15).

? Implement special education delivery plan (2015-16).

Nutritional program

? Eliminate the use of Styrofoam (2014).

? Create a pilot program at Salem Elementary School to make all meals from natural ingredients and implement family-style meals.

? Create family-style meals at preschools (2015).

? School gardens (2014-19).

? Add salad bars at the middle school and high school.

? Expand family-style meals to other elementary schools (pending pilot program).

Support services

? Create STEM clubs at each elementary school (2014).

? Virtual reality programs (2014-15).

? School gardens (spring 2014).

? Art clubs (2015).

? Elementary running clubs (2014).

? Model United Nations clubs (2015).

? Outdoor education clubs (2015).

? FFA (2015).

? Junior ROTC (2015).

? Quiz Bowl elementary contests (2015).

Communication plan

? Rewrite the crisis (Aug.-Dec. 2014).

? Create a district emergency plan to parents/community.

? Create a marketing plan (2014).

? Create a social network for schools.

? Create a school information packet.

Community meetings on the facility plan are scheduled for April 23, 9-10:30 a.m.; April 30, 7-8:30 p.m.; May 5, 7-8:30 p.m.; and May 6, 7-8:30 p.m.