It was a lengthy list, but it is getting shorter.

Ironton City School officials said they are already making progress in implementing changes outlined in the school's new five-year Strategic Plan. The changes deal with everything from technological advancements and facilities to professional development.

"I'm very pleased in what we've been able to accomplish," Superintendent Dean Nance said.

"I'm also encouraged to see that this plan is actually driving what we do in the system.

"When we first talked about having a strategic plan, one of the things we heard from the community was that they did not want to see this plan just sit on a shelf somewhere and gather dust. That isn't happening. We are using it and we are making improvements."

School officials began discussing a strategic plan late last year. At that time, a 25-member planning committee made up of educators, business people, parents, students and other community members established a mission statement. They then used that mission statement to establish firm parameters about what the district should and should not do in the future. That 25-member team also created seven areas or strategies for development.

Those interested were invited to sign up for action teams that would make recommendations for improvements. After several months of work, the strategic plan was officially presented to the board of education in June.

Nance said each action team chose to highlight a few recommendations in each category and marked these items as changes that should be made within the next two years.

School board Vice-President Robert Pleasant, Jr. said

some of the recommendations in the strategic plan will require large amounts of money that the school district does not have at this time. These recommended

changes can only be made if they do not overextend the school district's budget or can be paid for through grants.

Strategy #1 - Technology

District officials were asked to determine what deficiencies exist in the district's computer equipment inventory and how these deficiencies could be corrected.

Nance said two new sets of laptop computers have been purchased for use at the junior high and high school. The computers - 36 in all - have wireless Internet capacity and are loaded with Carnegie programs in algebra and geometry.

"They come in this stand and it can be rolled from room to room," Nance said. "You pass them out like textbooks."

The new computers, costing approximately $20,000, were paid for with federal grant monies. Nance said he hopes to purchase the same system for use at the middle school.

Strategy #2 - Revenue Enhancement

The action team asked district officials to pursue more federal and state grants to supplement the district's budget and to work with the Lawrence County Prosecutor's Office in collecting delinquent tax dollars.

Nance said

Bill Dressel, who was principal at the middle school, was transferred to the administration building to oversee federal and state programs.

This summer, Lawrence County officials filed suit against seriously delinquent property owners in an effort to collect back taxes on some 1,600 parcels of property.

Much of the money collected in this effort will go to the county's school districts.

Strategy #3 - Facilities

Nance said a number of improvements have been made at several of the district's buildings over the summer. Among other things, school employees removed dead shrubbery and pruned trees from around buildings, the air vent in the high school gym was repaired and is now circulating air and the front sidewalk at Kingsbury Elementary was replaced just before the new school year began.

"This was a safety issue," Nance said. "We had a teacher who fell there last winter. In some areas, the sidewalk had dropped four inches."

Perhaps the most odious complaint about school facilities was the offensive odor that struck the third floor of the high school at random.

"We found a four-inch sewer line break and it was next to the ventilation system," Nance said. "We did repair this and the odor has not been noticed since then."

Strategy #4 - In-service

One of the recommendations for improving classroom instruction was the implementation of a professional development program for the staff. This year, teachers will receive in-service training in a number of areas, including special education, using various forms of computer software and how to motivate students to learn.

"I don't think we ever stop learning," Pleasant said. "We have a great staff - a dedicated staff. But life is a learning process and we have a variety of students from different backgrounds and we must find creative ways of working with these students. Our staff is getting the chance to learn new ways of doing that."

Strategy #5 - Career awareness

Nance said the board made several recommendations for improving career awareness. To date, senior students are involved in job shadowing and Internet job research programs. The district has purchased library books and other information about various careers. Fields trips have also been planned for students to get an up-close and personal look at some career fields.

Strategy #6 - Partnerships with parents and community

Throughout the process of developing the strategic plan, district officials heard time and again that school administration and staff must do a better job of communicating their activities and objectives to the community and should develop some process for concerned citizens to share their thoughts and concerns.

Nance said that parent-teacher conferences at the elementary, middle, junior and senior high schools were scheduled for different nights so parents who have children in different schools could attend conferences for each child. Teachers have extended an invitation for parents to get involved in classroom activities as volunteers and the school district's Web site

(tigertown.com) has been revamped with new and updated information.

Nance said community partnerships with local businesses have resulted in a refurbished gym at

the middle school. A partnership with Coca Cola Bottling, Inc. has resulted in new lights at Tanks Memorial Stadium.

"I think these are some of the changes I am most proud of," Pleasant said. "It shows community involvement and we do want the community to be involved in our district.

Strategy #7 - Unified school district/community program

Nance said the staff and administration have worked to improve consistency and fairness in discipline and attendance policies through the development and communication of a matrix. Principals are encouraged to get out of the office and spend time talking with students and teachers. School officials are now contacting parents to report both positive and negative behaviors.

Moving forward

Nance said the teams will meet at the end of the year to look at what has been

accomplished this year and what needs to be done next year. Nance said, reiterating his pledge that the district will implement the recommendations in the strategic plan.

Nance said he is also pleased that so many members of the community chose to get involved, and hopes they know now that their efforts were not wasted.

"I'm thrilled with the community's involvement," Nance said. "After all, this school system is here for the community."