With school set to start Monday, Aug. 18, the board outlined a five-point plan which focuses on student performance, staff, facilities, parent and community involvement and governing procedures. "It's important to set goals we can achieve," said Superintendent Chris Gaines. "So you have to be realistic in what you set forth for the district." The student performance goal's objective is to ensure the district will meet all indicators on the annual performance report, which comes out Oct. 3. The evaluation report is issued by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). It reflects a school district's "report card" from the previous year. "There are 14 indicators on the report," said Gaines. "They include issues such as MAP testing, the ACT testing and student attendance, among other categories." Gaines said when the 2007-08 report comes out, the district will adopt a strategy to address any standard which the district fails to meet. The qualified staff aspect of the goals addresses the district's ability to attract and retain a quality support staff for both teaching, administrative and support positions. Components of maintaining a qualified staff, Gaines said, include salaries, benefits, staff recognition and development of a professional learning community (PLC). "We know that many of the districts to the east of us have higher salary scales," said Gaines. "That's a fact that we're just going to have to live with from year to year. "But while money does attract people, the working environment is what entices them to stay in a job," he added. "We want people here who enjoy what they do." In the area of facility support, Gaines said the district is entering an especially key year with the Wright City school system set to open its new elementary school building in August of 2009. Before that can happen, Gaines said the district will have to prepare for issues such as redrawing the attendance boundaries for the student population, which teachers to place in the new building, additional bus routes and other concerns. "The new school will really impact the entire district," Gaines explained. "It's not just a matter of opening a new school. "It's also the issue of moving the fifth-grade students out of Wright City Middle School and back into the elementary school setting," Gaines added. "Plus we've got to decide which students will stay at Wright City Elementary and which ones will attend the new school." The school district also set Aug. 28 as the date for establishing its tax levy for the upcoming year. A public hearing will be held during the regular school board meeting that evening. The school board meeting starts at 6 p.m. The tax levy is expected to remain approximately the same as the 2008 school year levy, $3.9438 per $100 of assessed valuation. Gaines said for a six-year period starting in 2001 and running through 2006, property values in Wright City rose by an average of 8.7 percent per year. But for 2007, Gaines said, property values rose only by 3.2 percent. In addition, new construction starts slowed down considerably. Although he has only been on the job for approximately three weeks, Gaines said he's enthusiastic about the upcoming school year. "We're in relatively good shape overall," Gaines said. "I think most people are excited about the new school year and there's a feeling of anticipation for the following year as well when the new school opens."