BEDFORD - Efficient budgeting, expanded use of technology in the classroom and enhanced teacher and community relations are on a list of priorities which was recently updated by the Bedford School Board.

Members of the board approved a new set of goals and objectives for the district at their October meeting.

The 22-page document contains six general goals, including multiple specific objectives which coincide with each goal. All five board members voted to approve the new list.

During the discussion at the meeting, board member Scott Earnshaw said he was glad his fellow board members shared similar priorities.

Of the extensive list, Earnshaw and board Chairman Don Graff said the same three objectives were their top priorities. There were also common sentiments on which goals should be focused on between the other board members.

“I was very pleased on Monday night as we shared our perspective on those goals that there was as much overlap as there was,” Earnshaw said. “For the majority of the board members, there was a strong consensus.”

Earnshaw said the three most important objectives for him were the budget, the implementation of technology in the classroom and the partnership the district has with its teachers.

“The primary responsibility that I think the board has is to make sure our students are getting a great education,” said Earnshaw. “That has to be done in the context of responsible spending. That’s the burden or the responsibility that the board members feel most acutely.”

As the country continues to become more technology reliant, board members agreed the curriculum must evolve.

Board member Terry Wolf put technology at the top of her priorities list, and Earnshaw listed it as his second most important objective.

“There’s a lot of great minds out there,” Earnshaw said of the district’s educators. “If they’re freed up, they will find ways to include technology in the curriculum.”

Another common priority among the board members, as well as both superintendent Tim Mayes and assistant superintendent Chip McGee, was the continued improvement of community and teacher relations.

“The partnership that we have with the professional teachers association, with our teacher staff, is critical,” Earnshaw said. “We need to understand their goals and needs.”

The list and description of each goal and objective is accompanied by an action plan which outlines the district’s blueprint to achieve each goal.

Although the list is 22-pages, Earnshaw said this new collection of goals and objectives is actually more condensed than he has seen in his three years as a board member.

He said to better evaluate the progress toward the list the board needs to look at a subset of each goal. Still, Earnshaw said, the district has the potential to achieve every bullet-point as it is laid out.