WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. November 16, 2006: Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors reported Monday evening at the Board of Education meeting  that Stephen Barone of Transformation Systems, Ltd., who has been selected to aid the district in strategically planning its future has begun his fact-finding efforts in the community.

Having already met with key coordinators and personnel in the District Administration, to as Superintendent Connors put it, get a perspective on the issues facing the district.  Barone’s next step will be the observation of meetings around the district on November 20 to develop a “diagnosis” of district issues.

On January 8, Barone will provide an “Overview” of the Strategic Planning Process for the staff and the community in a public meeting of the Board of Education. This will consist of two sessions – late afternoon for the faculty and staff and an evening session for citizens of White Plains and the Board of Education.

The key time for community input into the plan will be during events Barone calls the “World Café Sessions,” expected to be staged in mid-January.  The World Café Session (there may be more than one), is described as 3 hours in length in which school district staff and community members interact with one another “regarding the future of education in White Plains.” The impressions gathered from this interactive “town meeting” will provide input for the “Core Planning Team.”

The composition of persons making up the Core Planning Team have not been announced.

Barone will next conduct a workshop for Internal Coordinators December 6 and January 8 on how to manage the planning process. On December 8 and January 9 he will hold a Workshop on Trust for all district administrators and members of the School Board, if they wish to participate. This Workshop will be followed up by a another two-day Workshop on “Designing and Facilitating Powerful Conversations and Meetings on February 15 and march 1 for all district administrators.

An “Initial Planning Meeting” will take place February 7 to 9 by the “Core Planning Team” which will draft the strategic plan. This will be a private meeting held “offsite.”