As teachers and students set up their academic goals for the year, Turlock Unified School District Superintendent Sonny Da Marto laid out his plan to keep the district running smoothly.

The main theme behind 23 of his goals — which was approved by the TUSD Board of Trustees at Tuesday’s meeting — is communication.

Building partnerships with local higher education sources, news agencies, the board of trustees, district feeder schools and the City of Turlock is a main goal Da Marto plans to work on in the upcoming year.

Other goals include working on the Crane property and encouraging extracurricular activities for TUSD students. Here are some of the items on Da Marto’s Action Plan:

• Move the district forward in response to the state budget in regards to education
• Build upon the implementation of the district’s Strategic Plan
• Assist those school sites needing help to raise student test scores and continue to work towards bringing the district out of Program Improvement
• Continue open communication with district staff by continuing quarterly forums with all groups
• Act as the main resource for news agencies regarding district matters
• Continue to work very closely with the chief financial officer to streamline and monitor expenditures throughout the year
• Participate, monitor and promote our arts and music programs district-wide with the idea of preserving and education suited for a well-rounded student
• Continue to support athletics to promote a well-rounded student
• Work on the transition of the Crane property
• Continue efforts to build a partnership, communication and relations with CSUS, Merced and Modesto colleges and UC Merced

To contact Maegan Martens, e-mail mmartens@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2015.