About

Vision Casting

In consideration of the significant changes at MCS in the last several years to include
leadership turnover and cultural shifts, the board and administration have given much thought to
the vision and expectations. Discussions of vision must also recognize the impact of the
struggling economy upon private Christian schools and projecting optimism for this area of Ohio
is fraught with difficulties. Subsequently, the focus has been narrowed and “finding what we do
best” has become imperative.

Two practices seem to emerge from our research and discussions on what has been
exceptionally good at MCS through the years:

1. Teacher care for children; spiritually and academically
2. Teaching the Truth; a clearly biblical worldview

Our ability to care about the students seems unique and is a clear part of our reputation. Students
and families knew that their teachers genuinely cared about them and loved them in a way that
modeled Christ. Former parents still report that there is no school that provides the caring
“family feel” of MCS.

Using this information and subsequent strategic planning information, the vision
statement was amended in 2009 to better reflect our abilities and goals:

Mansfield Christian School is committed to training future generations to live a
life consistent with a Biblical worldview. Our desire is to provide students with a
caring environment that emphasizes excellence with the Godly wisdom necessary
to impact their culture for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Using the vision and mission statements, as well as the philosophy statements, the school’s core
values were clearly identified and integrated into the operations. These values serve two
purposes. The first purpose is to set a standard, expectation, and atmosphere at MCS that honors
God. The second purpose is to serve as goals that we can pursue in a spirit of excellence (see
Appendix for complete listing).

Culturally and spiritually, a short-term focus of our core values is spiritual formation.
That is, to prioritize the process by which Christian students become more fully united to Christ,
especially with regard to maturity of life and calling. The administrators have been challenged to
document tangible plans by division for the intentional pursuit of such objectives.

While the Strategic Development Plan, Organizational Goals, and Expected Student
Outcomes (see appendices) delineate specific vision casting for the next several years, certain
essentials are worth mentioning here. Financially, the school board and superintendent must
pursue debt reduction according to established timelines. There are two balloon payments on the
short-term building loan that are due in November 2010 and 2011. These payments total
$900,000. The board and superintendent have launched a number of strategies to raise these
funds and they continue to explore all options available. This burden weighs heavy on the
leadership given the recent drop in enrollment and momentum for the Ed Choice program.

Professionally, the administration and faculty are redesigning the academic and curricular
standards to address student needs. Time, money, and effort will be spent on assessment,
interpretation, and implementation of strategies that are both innovative and aligned with our
expected student outcomes. Although sudden growth drove the vision casting of five years ago,
dramatic changes to student populations and economic conditions are now forcing a new
perspective. The vitality of our mission and vision has never been more critical as we balance
both the need to stay culturally relevant and yet committed to what we do best.