Visalia Unified School District holding meetings to ask for input on its facilities plan

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Visalia Unified School District is focusing on its future.

That's why the district is rolling out "Forward 2030: A community driven blueprint for the future."

It involves a strategic plan and facilities plan.

"We really want to set our district up for long-term success," Superintendent Kirk Shrum said.

Shrum says while the strategic plan looks at programs and student outcomes, the facilities plan looks at resources and accommodations.

"Ten-plus years out, what new construction might we need to think about? What boundary adjustments might we need to take," Shrum said.

Chief Operations Officer Erik Keher says before deciding on the next steps, they're going to the experts - the parents and community.

"We are trying to get out way in front of this process so that the community can engage, they can give us feedback," Keher said.

The district has created a website with background information. There's also a place for the community to ask questions and receive a response.

A series of meetings will be held for people to learn more and give their input.

At least one of the sessions will be recorded and uploaded online for those who are unable to attend.

Keher says the input is important because there are plans that could take up to 10 years, but others that need to be addressed in the next one to three years, like school population size.

Superintendent Shrum says he wants to move forward with confidence that these decisions are made collectively.

"When we present something to the Board of Education to make short-term decisions, to make long-term decisions, I want to be able to stand in front of our board and say, 'We're making these recommendations because this is what we heard from our community.'" Keher said.

The community is welcome to attend any of the seven upcoming meetings.

• 6 p.m., September 19 at Mt. Whitney High School
• 6 p.m., September 26 at Linell Camp
• 6 p.m., October 1 at Goshen Community
• 6 p.m., October 3 at Ivanhoe Elementary School
• 6 p.m., October 10 at La Joya Middle School
• 6 p.m., October 22 at Ridgeview Middle School
• 6 p.m., October 29 at Golden West High School