The Spencerport School Board has approved a strategic plan that is already setting the course for the district, according to school representatives. Work on the plan began more than a year ago. The first meeting of the Core Team, a diverse group of community members, took place in November 2002. The group used consensus to develop a mission statement, strategic objectives and core values.

The mission statement is: Our mission is to educate and inspire each student to love learning, pursue excellence and use knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute respectfully and confidently to an ever-changing global community. This statement is based on the core values developed by the Core Team, which are that the district believes that: everyone has inherent worth; everyone can learn; lifelong learning sustains and enriches the individual, community and society; each individual is responsible for his/her choices; every individual wants to succeed; respecting diversity affirms individual worth and benefits the community; a sense of belonging is essential to personal well being; and when people work together toward a common goal, all things are possible.

"We will use these core values and our mission to now implement the plan," says Phillip W. Langton, Superintendent of Schools. In determining the implementation, the superintendent will consider the recommended action and measurement plans developed by four teams of community members and school personnel throughout the year. "The people who have worked on this plan have been incredibly dedicated and passionate," says Michael Crumb, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, who served as the district's internal facilitator of the year-long planning process.

At its July 1 meeting, the board also appointed Laura McFarlane as president and re-appointed David Dorofy as vice president.