Our hope is that this is really a document that guides our work for the next five years.”

Superintendent Ana Riley

PORTSMOUTH — Supporting students’ social-emotional needs and communicating effectively with parents and staff were listed as priority items in the school district’s new five-year strategic plan draft.

About 35 teachers, parents, administrators, School Committee members and others got their first peak at the new plan and provided feedback during a workshop Monday night in the Portsmouth High School library. Although no students attended, Assistant Superintendent Thomas Kenworthy said he hopes some pupils will turn out for the second workshop, to be held from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, at the Portsmouth Middle School library.

All are welcome to attend and provide feedback, which is needed so that a final plan can be completed by the end of the school year, when the current plan expires.

A strategic plan is a document that sets out what the school district wants to achieve in the future, and how it plans to get there. A steering committee has been working on the new plan for eight months — sending out surveys and hosting focus groups with students, parents, staff and other stakeholders, according to Superintendent Ana Riley.

Some districts develop a plan “and put it on a shelf,” but Ms. Riley said she doesn’t want to see that happen in Portsmouth.

“Our hope is that this is really a document that guides our work for the next five years,” she said.

Changes from current plan

The current plan’s goals focus on students performing at high levels and being prepared to enter college or a career, effective leadership of human capital, harnessing stakeholder support to create and sustain an educational and physical infrastructure that will work for the 21st century, and managing the financial, physical and technological infrastructure of the district in order to support the other goals.

While the draft plan sets out some of the same goals — providing students with academic rigor and safe and modern infrastructure in particular — the new document also prioritizes social-emotional supports, communication and professional development.

“We know some students bring other things into school … that can get in the way of learning,” Mr. Kenworthy said of the increased need for solid social-emotional supports for students.

Added Ms. Riley, “It’s more than just sitting to read. It’s, ‘Are they hungry?’ … It can’t just be a piece of the academic rigor; it needs to be (a separate) priority.”

Several people in the room echoed their remarks, saying while teachers and staff members do an excellent job overall, they often lack the training or awareness to point a student who needs extra help to the right resources. 

“My daughter has really struggled this year and has had a lot of absences because of depression,” a parent of a high school student said. PHS sends the family letters but there’s no real followup, which leaves the impression that the school lacks concern, she said.

It’s important for teachers to connect with their students, she said, noting her daughter excels in a class that’s led by an instructor who checks in on her. “In the way they interact with students, (teachers) don’t know where they’re at,” she said.

Ms. Riley said she agreed that all staff members, not just teachers, need to be on board so that students feel comfortable in seeking extra support services when they need it. Part of the problem this year, she said, is that the school’s licensed psychologist is on maternity leave and the substitute is a counselor, not a psychiatrist.

Professional development

The problem also points to the need for more professional development (PD), so that staff members can recognize the warning signs and direct students to the resources they need, she said. About 40 staff members have been trained in mental health issues so far, Ms. Riley said.

“We want to continue to grow that,” she said.

Professional development is listed as one of the top five focus areas in the new strategic plan, which calls for surveying staff members to assess their learning needs before PD is scheduled. Another survey after the fact will assess whether the PD met those needs.

Communication

The draft plan also stated that one of the district’s main areas of focus is to “communicate with key stakeholders to create and deepen culture of inclusivity and transparency.” The plan recommended surveys to assess whether parents feel informed about what’s happening in the school community, and whether district employees know where and how to access information about school initiatives.

Ms. Riley said communication was the only item that members of the steering committee debated. Members considered embedding it within the other categories, “but in the end we really through this should be on its own,” she said.

Margie Brennan, who teaches in Tiverton but has children attending Portsmouth schools, said the district should host more forums similar to Monday’s, because they allow stakeholders to offer valuable input. Perhaps that should be included as a priority in the plan, she said.

“Then you can walk away thinking you can have more say,” she said.