Rockdale Citizen

CONYERS -- The Rockdale County Board of Education has set its yearly priorities and goals for 2013.

The board recently approved seven goals for the school year, up from six last year.

"As one key criteria for attaining the Exemplary Board recognition from the Georgia School Board's Association, school district goals must be incorporated into the strategic plan and reflected in the superintendent's evaluation," said RCPS Superintendent Richard Autry in his recommendation to the board.

Each year, the board collaborates with RCPS staff to develop the goals, some of which are similar to those made in years past.

The goals for this year are:

-- Goal I: Increase achievement for all students and close the achievement gap;

-- Goal II: Provide prudent stewardship of district resources to best support student success;

-- Goal III: Foster effective communication and stakeholder engagement;

-- Goal IV: Effectively manage and lead the change process;

-- Goal V: Implement newly adopted strategic plan 2012-17;

-- Goal VI: Foster a safe and orderly learning environment;

-- Goal VII: Maintain Georgia School Boards Association's exemplary board classification status and support the school system's organizational structure to foster high performance.

Each goal contains a set of indicators, including graduation and drop-out rates, digital learning, grant procurement, staff recruitment and retention, marketing of the school system, organizational stability, cultural competence and law enforcement partnerships, among many others.