The Pike County Board of Education held a special meeting Monday evening to discuss the creation of its five-year strategic plan.

John Osburn addressed the board concerning the plan. “Now, the school board has always had a number of plans that it implements throughout the year,” Osburn said. “What the strategic plan does is put all those plans under the umbrella of a larger plan.”

As the school board goes through the process of creating the strategic plan, Osburn said it was important that the local community and students’ parents have input in to the process. “We will be holding two community forums in Goshen and Brundidge, and we will administer surveys online,” Osburn said. “This will provide parents and community members with an unprecedented opportunity for input in how they think the school can best serve their children and community.”

With the strategic plan, the school board hopes to provide direction for its upcoming policy in the years to come. “The five-year strategic plan will help the school board to frame the future of the Pike County School District’s students five years down the road,” Osburn said.

Pike County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Bazzell agreed with Mr. Osburn. “Creating the strategic plan is as important an activity as we have ever done in the school system,” Dr. Bazzell said. “Creating the plan gives us the opportunity to go forward with something that will serves as a more comprehensive guide five years from now.”

The community forum meetings will be held a Goshen High School on Jan. 16 and Pike County High School on Jan. 21. Both meetings will be held from 6-8 p.m. and will allow community members and parents the opportunity to share their ideas on where they believe the school system should be headed.

The online surveys will be made public on Jan. 10 and will be open until Jan. 24. The surveys can be accessed through the Pike County School District website at www.pikecountyschools.com