The manual is one of nine resulting from a project to design planning procedures for local and State vocational education agencies. It describes the overall planning process for LEAs and is to be used in conjunction with the related documents. Planning involves two aspects: making decisions that have long-term consequences and making analyses that lead to such decisions. The ideal planning process begins with preparation for planning (forming and training a planning committee, duties of coordinator and staff, convening the committee). Next the needs for data collection are determined. The district planning model is composed of eight sectors, each representing a major operating center or otherwise active component of a school district. Data collected is then analyzed and goals and objectives are set. The first series of committee work sessions culminated in school board action establishing short and long term objectives. The second series of sessions leads to the approval of operating plans by the board of subsequent budgeting and implementation. (MS)