BOARDMAN — What will a newly revamped Boardman Local School District look like several years from now?

That was the central question for which a consultant the district hired about a month ago sought to collect input during a special work session Monday with the board of education.

The emphasis was on seeking feedback for developing a three- or five-year districtwide strategic plan. A similar session took place last month for administrators.

During the one-hour gathering at Boardman High School, Doreen Osmun, director of strategic services with The Impact Group of Hudson, collected feedback from board members regarding what they see as the district’s key strengths, as well as where they feel improvements were needed. The members also ticked off what they hope such a plan will include.

Among the items the board said it wants in the plan were building one new school, ensuring financial stability, clarifying a long-term facilities plan, completing the district’s branding profile, stabilizing and growing enrollment, hiring additional staffing, attracting and retaining more students, converting some programs from “great” to “elite,” tackling a bus driver shortage and further adapting to and planning for the use of artificial intelligence.

Board members told Osmun they see as the district’s strengths its commitment to the arts, along with a diverse student body, connections to and relationships with alumni members and the greater community, and the board’s ability to speak as a unified voice.

Improvements needed, they said, included modernizing certain aging facilities, developing further ways to reach residents who don’t have children in the district and handling the possibility of open enrollment.

Monday’s work session is part of an ongoing effort to gather as much data and input as possible before drafting, tweaking, revising and ultimately developing a strategic plan, Osmun said. Such an approach also will allow “themes” to develop in the pool of feedback gathered, which will further aid in formulating the plan, she added.

In addition, focus groups and surveys are planned for March that will include students, parents and staff, Osmun said, adding that she also intends to conduct five to seven interviews with township leaders. Nevertheless, she was unable to provide a date and time next month for those sessions.

“The community is really in on this one, and that’s what I’m excited about,” Amy Radinovic, the district’s communications coordinator, said. “From my perspective, I look at it as an opportunity to get everyone in the community involved.”

About five years ago, the school district was nearly finished assembling a strategic plan, but in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and interrupted the plan’s flow and process. Despite that setback, the district has been ready for a while to develop another plan anyway, Radinovic said.