Geneva D-304 school officials seek public input for strategic plan

GENEVA – Geneva School District 304 officials are asking the community to participate in a comprehensive strategic planning process to chart a course for the district’s future.

“We’ve got a whole webpage up and running,” Superintendent Andy Barrett said at the school board meeting Dec. 12. “We’ve got some communications going out about this. We’ve started some interviews and focus groups and we’ve started getting some feedback.”

The survey will be open until Jan. 15, 2024, to employees, parents, students and community members who don’t have students in the district.

The survey is available on the district’s website at www.geneva304.org. The survey link will take participants to a third-party website and all responses will remain anonymous.

Barrett also said a public forum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at Geneva High School, 416 McKinley Ave.

The independent research firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates will facilitate the forum.

The firm will analyze the survey data collected and prepare a strategic plan report for the district to share with the community.

Barrett said the district also will seek more information from stakeholder groups to help create a new strategic plan for the district.

“Effective education of students requires a commitment from our entire community and we are excited about this inclusive strategic planning process that allows all our stakeholders to participate,” Barrett said in a news release. “I encourage our community to take advantage of this opportunity to inform the future direction of our schools.”

The progress of the initiative and opportunities for participation will be shared at www.geneva304.org/StrategicPlanningProcess2023-24. The process is expected to conclude in the summer of 2024.