After receiving the results of a survey sent to teachers, students, parents and community members regarding a new five-year strategic plan for the Lamar County School District, district officials have compiled that feedback into data to present to an upcoming two-day strategic planning committee stakeholder meeting later this month.
The plan, which was adopted at a December meeting of the Lamar County School District Board of Trustees, updates the district’s last strategic plan – which ran from 2017 to 2022 – in particular in the midst of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that hit in early 2022
“We’re required by the state to have a strategic plan, and so we sent out (this) survey,” district superintendent Steven Hampton said. “We opened up (the feedback period) for at least a month or so … and this (stakeholder meeting) will be a group of approximately 20 people – we’ve got high school students, we’ve got teachers, we’ve got parents, we’ve got administrators, and community members.
“We’re asking them to join to be a part of that committee. We’ll ask them to look at the data and help us come up with a plan to move us forward for the next five years.”
Development of the plan is being handled by Hattiesburg-based Impact Education Group, a group of professionals in the education arena who are dedicated to improving schools and increasing student achievement. “Seeing as how we’ve had so many changes due to COVID – with the implementation of technology, the change in the school calendar, the change in the (redistricting) makeup of some of our schools as far as the elementary schools in the Oak Grove area – we just felt like it was a great time (to do this), as we’re back to somewhat of a normalcy now,” Hampton said in a previous story. “(This is the time) to get back in and really do a STRATEGIC PLAN to get all the stakeholders involved, and where our district wants to be in five years. (We need to see) what direction we need to go in, what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, and how we move forward.”
Part of the plan entailed meeting with various officials to come up with certain academic measures.
“I don’t want to sit here and say it’s going to be A, B, C and D, because that would be just what my perceptions are,” Hampton said. “I want to be able to get our stakeholders – as far as our building-level administration, our teachers, employees, students, parents and community members – around the same table and let’s come up with those things together.
“Academics is going to be a part of that, (as well as) facilities, personnel – as far as high-quality teachers – anything in operations, as far as our school district, could be involved in that as well. Transportation, food services – all those things. It’s just going to be sitting down and prioritizing what we do good and what we need to work on.”
Impact Education Group’s leadership team includes managing partner Scott Lewis, partner James Hutto, partner Kevin Lewis, chief operating officer Susie Dillard and chief development officer Tom Clark. Consultants include Terry Ingram, Lynn Brewer, Ann Sullivan, Malisha Siders, Tammy Hubbard, Mary Webb, David White, Elizabeth Repsher, Debbye Reed, Si Thompson, Kathy Stennett and Paula Thomspon.
For more information on the group, which is located on Old Highway 11 in Hattiesburg, call (601) 271-7929.
