Ahead of the new school year, North Shore officials identified continuing outreach initiatives and revenue generation as some of their primary goals.

Administrators and board members discussed these and other objectives at the district’s Aug. 25 Board of Education meeting.

Superintendent Christopher Zublionis said that COVID-19 had caused confusion in the district. But now, he said, concentrating on a more concise strategic plan, with the same objectives but with greater clarity and emphasis, will help.

His objectives included creating efficient systems and budgeting processes and long-term revenue sources. He also wants to keep assessing the district’s course offerings and progressions.

“Again, to think about focus, to think about depth and that we also feel that will help us find some efficiencies,” said Zublionis. “Not at the expense of our students. But in a way that actually we feel can create more depth and a more focused and intentional experience as our students move through their journey here in North Shore.”

Trustee Maria Mosca said the overarching goal is to preserve the district’s programs amid challenging budget cuts. She reiterated her trust in Zublionis to find the needed balance between all the stated objectives.

Vice President Andrea Macari expressed similar sentiments. She added that besides saving every dollar possible, they also needed to find more too.

“We have a history of getting legislative grants, which I think is great,” she said. “But I think we need to be expanding our grounds. We need to be looking and applying for federal and state grants that are specifically earmarked for K-12 schools.”

In particular, she suggested more thorough grant searches, teaching educators how to gain grants and developing revenue-generating programs.

Macari also said that as the district’s five-year plan comes to a close, it’s important to review those initial goals. In doing so, she highlighted continuing last year’s aim of increasing community outreach. A large part of this, she said, comes in fighting misinformation.

“I think we’ve done a decent job at defense in terms of communication,” she said. “But we need to play better offense and really focus on how do we establish ourselves as the best source of district information.”

She said that even when proven wrong, many will still believe in misinformation. She advised the district to better share knowledge earlier to combat this.

The board will continue the discussion on goals during the Sep. 8 meeting. They plan to adopt them at the Sep. 22 meeting.

Zublionis also provided an update on the construction occurring throughout school buildings. He said this is the heaviest period of bond construction under this current bond.

“Schools will be open on time, but some areas will not be ready for use for a couple of weeks,” he said. “We’re making contingency plans with our building teams and our curriculum leaders. Work will continue after school and on weekends.”

The next ed board meeting is scheduled for Sep. 8. It will be at 7:45 p.m. in the high school library.