DASD School Board reviews new comprehensive plan. An article by Glenn Schuckers.

Members of the DuBois Area School Board now have a better look at where the school district will be going in the next three years after the Comprehensive Plan Committee presented its plans for the next three years at the board’s January 12 work session.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires all schools in the state to submit a three year plan that outlines the goals and objectives they have every three years. The DuBois plan, which was developed by the committee working over the past nine months, will take effect in July of 2023 and remain in effect until 2026. That committee, which included twenty-six administrators, teachers, board members, parents, community members, and students, presented its plan at a ninety minute work session on January 12, 2023.  The plan will now be presented for approval by the board at its February 23, 2023,  regular meeting.

As the name implies, the plan covers all aspects of student life in the school including the vision for shared educational values in grades kindergarten through twelve. The plan points out that all levels of grades, from elementary through the Middle School and High School, tracked above the overall average for schools in Pennsylvania and outlined a goal of continuing that level of achievement and increasing it even further. 

The second goal will be to increase career readiness in all grades from elementary through high school.  A number of courses and activities have been instituted to achieve this goal and more are outlined during the life of the plan.

A third goal involves the social, emotional and mental well-being of all students in the district. The committee cited numerous programs that currently exist such as the “Hope Squad” at the school that employs peer-to-peer involvement to allow students who may need help to work with other students. 

The Special Education plan has already been approved by the PDE as of September  of 2022. That department reported that the students in Special Education in DuBois saw above average results in all categories when compared to other schools in Pennsylvania. 

The committee also reported on the Induction Program for professional employees. That program deals with the permanent certification of all staff members that has requirements ranging from three to six years to gain permanent certification. The committee looked at reasons why new teachers leave the profession and what can be done to retain them. The local program is designed to help new teachers be successful and to keep them working in the profession stating that the retention rate in DuBois has been excellent. 

The board will now have six weeks to examine the plan before voting to adopt it In February.