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Health & Fitness

BHSD and the Original 52 page Strategic Plan: 2008 to 2018

Hello All,
I received an email about an upcoming meeting discussing the BHSD strategic plan.  Here is part of that email from Charlie Fleetham, Consultant to the district:

  • "Subject: Revisiting the 10 Year Strategic Plan - Tuesday, October 1 - East Hills Middle School - 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
  • I ( Charlie Fleetham) am pleased to announce that Bloomfield Hills School District will soon be revisiting its 10 Year Strategic Plan. The first meeting will be on Tuesday, October 1st at East Hills Middle School from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm.  The second meeting will be on Thursday, October 24th  at West Hills Middle School - also from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
  • including:
  • A one page update on the original 2008  Plan  (not currently in use)
  • A one page description of the current District strategic thinking  - 2012 to 2018  (this document which will be used as the starting point for our two meetings)
  •  The 45th Annual PDK/Gallup Poll Results of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools  (a great warm-up read for our sessions)
  • During the first meeting, we will focus  on the original plan and how the District has modified it to respond to the changing environment.  In the second meeting, we will focus on the road map for the next five years.  The meetings will feature lively discussions and many opportunities to interact with District leaders and Board members."
I (Marcia) then emailed back to Charlie Fleetham and to Rob Glass and the school board asking for the entire 2008 strategic plan... all 52 pages... to be posted on the website.  After all, if the meeting is to REVISIT the 10 year strategic plan.... let all of us READ it AGAIN..... not a one page summary.
 
I could not find that 2008 52 page document on the BHSD website

Charlie Fleetham responded to that email with a link......
Honestly,  I did not see that link that Charlie provided ...although I tried every link I could find on the BHSD website.  
The new link for the 52 page DOCUMENT  on the website.... today... Saturday...9/28/13   is:   http://www.bloomfield.org/board-of-education/strategic-plan/index.aspx    I highly recommend you read it... especially the financial section.

Charlie's email mentioned that there was  "...overwhelming feedback from the CPC during the May 2013  meeting..... that the (2008 ten year Strategic) Plan was too long and a shorter version needed to be created."  I will admit I did not attend THAT meeting of the CPC...but if it was a typical CPC meeting ... there were less than 30 maybe even less than 20 people in attendance making that recommendation.
  
Is the BHSD just expecting the same 10-30 people at the Oct. 1 meeting and not many others?   A true discussion of the ORIGINAL strategic plan that was created in 2008 .... for ten years to 2018.... should BEGIN with a copy made available to EVERYONE...thousands of people in BHSD.   Regardless of whether or not one plans to attend the Oct. meetings....a true copy, not a one page summary should have been included for pre-reading.  Some may read the original document and then decide to attend the meeting.

The financial portion of the original  (2008) document should be reviewed.  That includes different scenarios suggested for outsourcing, closing buildings, reducing staff, how much money is in the reserve fund,  collecting a stated goal of $40 Million in donated funds for their Foundation, etc. and what results could or may be expected. 
Many of the scenarios presented in that original document had rising costs, reduced revenues, cost reductions in a variety of suggested ways and still there was the need to use the BHSD reserve funds through 2018...AND the document suggested that there will still be financial problems to solve after 2018  even after making many cost reductions.
  
Will reserve funds or new millages be needed in 2013/2014/2015 ?  

I believe that costs are still up, revenues are still down. I know the school board has already used reserve funds in the past and wonder how much that fund has been reduced and to what percentage? How much money has been donated toward that $40 million goal for the BHSD Foundation? How will those funds be used?   What cost reductions have been taken over the past 5 years? How will the school board reduce costs without raising taxes and avoid using the "rainy day" funds?

I will attend the meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1.  Will YOU?


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