By Natasha L. Adams, Superintendent
As superintendent, I enjoy engaging with students, staff, parents, and community members in designing a strategic plan. Our intention for this process is to engage stakeholders to dream big for our students while maximizing our resources for the future. As a result of our work, we will provide a roadmap for our vision with student learning, wellness, and operational areas of focus over the next several years.
Our main purpose is to design a plan so all students achieve excellence. Therefore, this strategic plan will be a “living document,” and as such, will adapt and grow as time passes and new student needs arise. This strategic plan will affirm or update our vision, mission, and values, help prioritize and coordinate our thoughts and planning for the future, and inform our resource allocation to best meet the needs of our students and community in a fiscally responsible manner. It will also serve as a primary avenue of communication to our residents about our planned improvements and programming revisions.
This is work that cannot be accomplished alone. I would like to give a special thank you to:
- The 1,645 participants who participated in our district-wide Thoughtexchange exercise to answer the question, What do our graduates need to be successful in learning and life? Click on this link to see the common themes that emerged. This insight on student success will help us design a strong plan by “keeping the end” in mind.
- The district strategic planning design team, which includes board member Tina Sanborn, five community members and/or parents Kathi Hatcher, Trisha Lyons, Greg McElfresh, Missy Bastin, and eight educators, including Jennifer Brown, Ben Kilbarger, Randy Gebhardt, Cheryl Turner, Mike Overbey, Lance Perry, Ellie Preston, and Kelly Sininger.
- 25 participants who attended the Parent Engagement Session in March.
- Mr. Gebhardt’s WCHS Student Advisory Council participants attended the Student Engagement Session in April.
But our work is not finished! In fact, we have focus groups this spring for parents, students, and staff in April and May. Please stay tuned in the district and building newsletter emails to reserve your spot in an upcoming focus group session designed to get your perspective on potential strategic themes! Your voice is important as we continue to write our story. We need your ideas to collaboratively build a picture of our future. Together, we will identify goals and strategies to move the district forward to meet the challenges of today’s dynamic world.
Visit the strategic planning page on our website to stay informed on our progress as the planning process continues through the remainder of the school year, summer and early fall!
