Pennsylvania's school districts and area vocational-technical schools are required to submit long range plans to the Pennsylvania Department of Education every 5 years. One of the required components of the planning process is the involvement of the community and staff in planning. This planning guide describes the standards that districts must meet, the activities to be performed to meet the standards, and the documentation that must be provided to exhibit compliance. The guide then discusses differences among districts and how those differences will affect the individual district's plans. Commonly asked questions about community and staff involvement in long range planning are posed next, and clarifications of the state regulations' purposes and requirements are provided in response. The guide then focuses on the role citizens' advisory committees can play in long range planning. The guide also lists questions that districts can use to help define their planning needs. Examples of worksheets for community and staff involvement are presented, and a planning checklist is provided. (PGD)