Mission:

The mission of the Waterford Public Schools, a premier educational system within a community that fosters high aspirations, is to guarantee that each student acquire the skills and knowledge to become successful and a responsible citizen by setting high expectations and requiring excellence in an atmosphere of integrity and respect.

Beliefs:

This plan is based on a series of beliefs which reflect the values and philosophy of our school community. The belief statements listed below serve as the basic tenets which guide our plan.

• We believe each individual has inherent worth.
• We believe the family is a fundamental and ongoing influence on an individual's development and learning.
• We believe appropriate standards of behavior, consistently adhered to, are a necessary condition for education.
• We believe high expectations and dedicated effort promote excellence and achievement.
• We believe integrity and respect are values that permeate an effective organization.
• We believe a quality education ensures the development of skills necessary for lifelong learning.
• We believe education is the shared responsibility of individual, family, school system and community.
• We believe genuine accomplishment builds self-esteem.

Parameters:

1. We will continue to achieve among the highest scores in each area of the Connecticut standardized tests in our Educational Reference Group (ERG).
2. We will not tolerate behavior that interferes with the learning process.
3. We will not tolerate behavior which is disrespectful or demeaning to any individual or group.
4. We will always expect the highest degree of professionalism from all employees.
5. We will always provide staff training for any change we implement.
6. We will not tolerate incompetent employees.
7. We will institute a new program only if it is consistent with the mission and its benefits justify the costs.
8. We will always use our resources in a cost-effective manner without compromising quality.