By Kyle McCaskey

As it should, the $67 million bond proposal made by Derby Public Schools is getting the lion’s share of attention when discussing district matters with community members.

Yet if you are doing your due diligence as a resident, you’ll note the district is busy with another gargantuan project.

The district is constructing its next long-range plan, a five-year outline of topics to be tackled moving forward. As it currently stands, the proposed areas of focus are career and college-ready students, facilities, funding, technology and high quality staff.

Plans in the past have been important, but the next five years will be vital for Derby Public Schools. 

Nearby schools such as Maize, Goddard and Andover have taken giant leaps forward during the past five years. Haysville-Campus is starting its own renaissance of improvement. Each of these schools have found their own niche, whether it be new facilities, athletic programs, academic excellence or another area entirely.

Derby, by-and-large, has steadily bettered itself, but that trajectory will not keep pace with other schools through the next five years. It may seem irrelevant, but as open enrollment and shifting housing markets attest, families have options for their child’s education.

That is why Derby’s long-range plan cannot be overshadowed by the bond proposal.

Enhanced curriculum to encourage career and college-ready students is paramount. Derby needs to offer programs that make the transition to higher learning seamless. The curriculum needs to inspire. Textbooks have their place, but are far from the only tool in a 21st century learning environment.

Technology ties hand-in-hand with updated curriculum. As the job market sees manual labor trades outsourced while technology careers boon, teaching the functionality of the changing economic world becomes imperative. 

Facility concerns will always be relevant. Vibrant, safe buildings are conducive to more focused pupils. 

Funding is a hot button issue as the state leaves districts guessing about their financial figures. While the worst of the cuts seem to have passed, the administration understands these are uncertain times. Grants and donations help ease the burden.

High quality staff trumps the other four issues. Without dedicated faculty, the other four areas are irrelevant. As learning tools change, so too do the educational needs of students. Derby staff must be committed to positioning the district with the future in mind, not riding the coattails of what worked in the past. 

In less than two months, Derby will have an opportunity to vote to improve its school facilities with a yes vote or be fiscally conservative, rejecting the bond proposal. That amount of money is a critical decision.

In roughly one month, the district will have nailed down the specifics of its long-range plan and present it to the board of education. That plan must complement the work done with the bond proposal. 

Will it keep Derby Public Schools relevant in 2017? It remains to be seen.