Sharing our newly adopted strategic plan
- Preparing Students for Success
- Supporting the Needs of Students and Staff
- Engagement in Schools and School Activities
- Operational Effectiveness and Maintaining and Improving Facilities to Create Safe, Healthy, and Inspiring Learning Spaces
The following PDF provide additional details, including our action steps. We wanted to share these action steps with you and let you know that we have already begun to focus our efforts in some of these areas.
USD 348 Strategic Plan (177.9 KiB)
Information that led to the plan adopted above and previous strategic plans
Baldwin City USD 348 Strategic Direction (1.2 MiB)
In the fall, the USD 348 Board of Education surveyed parents, staff, students and patrons regarding major functions of the school district to guide them in strategic planning. The results of those surveys have been posted on the district website. The school board used those results and the suggestions for “other” aspects to develop a Strategic Direction. A Strategic Direction is a course of action that leads to the achievement of goals. It communicates where the district would like to be in the future. The Strategic Direction is a critical piece of the school improvement process. This is a continuous process that ultimately serves as a guide to improve the education of the students in our district.
The survey determined that Academics were at the top of most stakeholders lists. This was not surprising as we are an educational agency. The survey also determined that having students college and/or career ready was very important to most district constituents. The board combined these together into one goal regarding our graduates: That all USD 348 graduates will be college and/or career ready before they graduate.
The results of the survey did not show communication as a priority in the district. Although, the board felt that it was critical to always communicate effectively with our district community and continue to engage district stakeholders in supporting the educational process.
Safety was placed near the top of the list by those that took the survey, so it has been included with “maintaining safe environments and facilities”.
Quality staffing was also high on the lists according to the survey results. The board has made it a priority in the Strategic Direction, as they want to recruit, retain and develop high quality staff that truly care about children’s well-being.
Many stakeholders added issues in the “other” category on the survey. Most of these were directed at what we are defining as Non-Academic Skills. The development of skills by students that will make them responsible, productive and engaged citizens. This includes employability skills, perseverance and conscientiousness along with social and emotional stability. It also includes the ability to critically think and problem solve individually or within a team.
The responsible use of resources was another issue that was toward the top of most stakeholders lists. In these times of tight budgets, it is critical that we make the best use of what we have in the way of resources. This will require effective and efficient fiscal and operational procedures focusing on student’s outcomes.
Next Steps
In the next few months, each school and department will develop improvement plans based on the Strategic Direction. These plans will contain smart goals and action plans. Each of these plans will require board approval before implementation. The plans will be monitored for progress on a regular basis by staff, the administration and the board.