The Jefferson County Board of Education is in the midst of formulating a new strategic plan for the school system, and is asking for help from parents, staff and anyone else with a stake in educating local children.

The board has hired a consulting firm, headed by Dr. Marcia Burke, to put together the new strategic plan — the first for JefCoEd in several years. Burke’s firm has scheduled a series of public meetings at schools throughout the system, and there are two meetings remaining: one at North Jefferson Middle School on Monday, Oct. 27, and another at Pinson Valley High School the following night.

The meetings begin at 6 p.m. and are scheduled to run two hours. The session at Pinson Valley will also utilize a Spanish-language interpreter for those who need one.

The meeting at North Jefferson was originally scheduled to be held at Gardendale High School, but was moved to what spokeswoman Nez Calhoun called “a more neutral venue,” in light of the ongoing breakaway negotiations between the county system and the new Gardendale City Schools.

There’s also an online survey that JefCoEd has made available through its website, for those who can’t attend the community meetings. One survey is intended for parents of county students, another is for JefCoEd staff members, and the third is for members of the general public who don’t qualify for the other two.