BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

SOUTH RIVER - The Board of Education recently approved a three-year strategy plan dubbed the "Blueprint for Excellence."

Students and parents on the Strategic Planning Committee that composed the voluminous plan were in attendance at a recent meeting to present their work, which is a collaboration between school district officials and members of the community.

"It is a living document," Superintendent of Schools Ronald Grygo said, adding that the plan can be updated as it is put into action.

The committee, including Carol Larson as a facilitator, first met on June 10 and completed the plan over the next three months, Grygo said. The effort, he said, enhanced the board's ability to work with the community and gain a wider range of support.

The plan focuses on five critical areas to maximize the abilities of each student, Grygo said. Those areas are climate, staffing and personnel, community outreach, resources, and student achievement.

The superintendent expressed pride with the district's accomplishments thus far, adding that more can be done with the community through the three-year blueprint.

"Our school district has been the lowest per-pupil cost of all K-12 school districts in the state of New Jersey," Grygo said.

In order to enhance the district's offerings to students - for instance, by providing additional speakers and updated technology - without impacting the taxpayers, the plan calls for the board to reach out to the business community, he said.

"The taxpayers are not able to support [more services], so to supplement the budget we are seeking to reach out to the business community, in and outside of South River," he said.

One of the areas Grygo noted that the district needs to work on is ethnic diversity.

"One of the best parts of South River is its tremendous ethnic diversity," Grygo said. "We need to expand representation."

Grygo encouraged residents to provide any ideas they may have for the blueprint. The board will review the idea and, if appropriate, include it in the plan. He added that these suggestions can be made at the district's Web site or at the board's office, and updates will be given on the plan on TV Channel 36 and the Web site.

Several ambitious goals are proposed in the plan over the next three years, according to Grygo, one of which is the implementation of "Parent University," which allows parents to take advantage of workshops and other services to help them guide their children through the stages of development.

"We have formulated goals and objectives," Grygo said. "Some have been implemented and some are ambitious. All should be very attainable."