Five-year strategic plan, here we come.
That’s what Winslow Township School Board President Joe Thomas exclaimed as board members approved moving forward with New Jersey School Boards Association’s strategic plan program.
Michelle Kennedy, a field service representative for the association, presented the program to the board at a meeting on April 15. The program’s total cost is $4,500 and payment could be split between two budget cycles.
The strategic plan process involves creating a vision for the future of the district; aligning actions to ensure daily operations and decisions are aligned with long-term educational goals and community values, and answering key questions of Where are we today? Where do we want to be in three to five years? and How do we get there?
“This process will allow you to create your five-year road map,” Kennedy said, with a common visison, visionary leadership, a stakeholder voice, proactive planning and resource optimization. “It will allow you to have a clear vision into the future, allow your stakeholders be part of the five-year plan to elevate achievement; and align your budget in terms of what the next five years could look like.”
Consensus building among the stakeholders is part of the process. After initial work, the School Boards Association will set up four planning sessions focused on pre-planning, reflection, re-imagining, and recalibrating. Pre-planning involves a comprehensive State of the Schools assessment to establish a baseline understanding of district strengths and challenges, and set expectations.
The reflection meeting is the first planning session and will focus on strengths and challenges/opportunities and identifying key areas requiring attention. The re-imagining meeting is the second and will be where stakeholders envision the ideal future state for the district and its students. The recalibrate meeting is the final session and will bridge the gap between current reality and future vision with strategic goals.
Kennedy presented a sample timeline with a kickoff meeting in September and four sessions in October, November and December. An action planning session would take place in January and February next year and a final presentation would be held in March for the board’s approval and adoption.
A community celebration would follow to mark the successful completion of the strategic plan and the launch of implementation efforts.
