In this post, I want to focus on the last of my bullet points in my Focus on the Future list. That would be the development of a Strategic Roadmap.
I believe that we are in a position where we need to start making a concerted effort to plan for the future and decide as a community what we want out of our School District.
Over the past several years, the District has had to focus on the here and now and the very immediate future to rectify some situations like our finances, getting our curriculum review process back in order and structured, and having a few superintendents in a very short time span.
I am happy that I took a stand when it comes to being fiscally conservative, being focused on getting things in order via different votes when it comes to curriculum and being part of some of the interview sessions that hired Dr. Reuter and other leadership within the district
So what is a strategic roadmap and what do I see as areas that we should focus on as we build that plan?
A Strategic Roadmap is used to define priorities, focus energy and resources, improve operations because everyone is working toward a common, defined set of goals, identify intended outcomes, and create a process of how everything is assessed and adjusted based on data and a changing environment.
Creating a strategic roadmap is a collaborative event, but I want to share some of my thoughts and ideas as far as what are some of the more important things that this plan should focus on.
If we want to be a premier district in the state of Wisconsin, we need to define what that means, what we will measure against to make sure we are moving in that direction and put it in writing, not just speak about it.
As far as some of the things that I would advocate for in the strategic plan after being reelected would be:
I think we should review our Vision Statement and District Mission Statement to see if we would want to update it in any way.
I think Educational Excellence should be part of our strategic plan. We would need to define what education excellence means. We should leverage data to help define and create key performance indicators to help measure our progress and should be used to adapt our approach if we need to in the future. Special focus should be placed on reading and math.
As part of our education excellence work (and other areas), we should also incorporate Continuous Improvement.
I think Family & Community Engagement should be defined in our strategic plan. We need to identify how we will continue to partner with our students' first teachers, their parents. We also should make sure to identify opportunities to work with others in the community to add to the existing offerings that we already have.
We should create a fiscally responsible operational plan that is sustainable and adaptable to evolving needs and priorities.
Deepen investment in community partnership and district actions. We could call this Resource Allocation.
Facilities and Infrastructure - We have a need to look at our outdoor sports facilities and other infrastructure to make sure that we know what we have now, but also be forward-thinking in what kind of improvements or upgrades are needed and to work toward making places like Germantown High School a focal point for this community where we can all rally around our school.
This is not an all-inclusive list by any means, but just a short list of the things that could be included within that Strategic Plan for the Germantown School District.
What are your thoughts? What else do you think should be added?
The primary is on February 20th. Please make sure you have a plan to vote on that Tuesday.
Thank you!
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