An Evesham Township Board of Education meeting recently produced a strategic plan for the district whose goal is to elevate student achievement for the next three to five years.
Strategic planning for a district is a collaborative roadmap process that defines its mission, vision and core goals to improve student outcomes and operational efficiency. The New Jersey School Boards Administration (NJSBA) provides fee-based collaborative planning services and resources to help districts develop and implement their plans.
A facilitator for the association helps a district by organizing and facilitating the board of ed’s next annual planning workshop to help create a process for monitoring and evaluating, identify a district’s strengths and weaknesses, target critical issues, prioritize and implement annual goals and objectives and identify appropriate roles and responsibilities.
NJSBA facilitator Justin Wright and school Superintendent Dr. Justin Smith presented a strategic plan with the district’s objectives and action plans.
“(Wright) had facilitated (the board’s) strategic sessions that we had, three of them in the fall,” board President Janis Knoll explained at the presentation. ” … He’s going to present the results of those planning sessions, as well as some actions plans for our district moving forward.”
“First, I just want too thank each board member here tonight, even the previous board members (who helped) get the process started,” Wright noted. “I appreciate your partnership, your work, and your hospitality. (The school board members) are the visionaries in tandem with the superintendent and the ambassadors of the community.”
Wright explained that 60 community stakeholders attended three separate public strategic sessions last year on Sept. 15, Oct. 15 and Nov. 12 at the DeMasi School cafeteria. Full meeting notes and drafts were posted online for public review. He noted that the sessions produced a prioritized list of district strengths and challenges that were later translated into goals and objectives.
The first meeting focused on where the district was (an overview of its strengths and challenges); the second session laid out the district’s vision, initiatives and goals; while the final meeting outlined a road map (strategies, objectives, and action plans) on how the administration will achieve its goals.
Smith and district administrators described converting community input into action plans by having administrators form teams and sub-teams draft objectives and measurable action steps. The board then retained responsibility for strategic direction while the superintendent and his staff develop the operational “battle plan” to carry the work out daily.
The district’s plan centers on five priority areas for the next three to five years: culture and climate, mental health and wellness, curriculum, student achievement and success and communication and community collaboration.
For student achievement, district staff outlined five objectives, including strengthening curricula aligned to state and national standards, expanding Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), integrating technology and artificial intelligence ethically, strengthening SEL and experiential learning and expanding inclusive approaches in special education.
The board did not take a formal vote to adopt the strategic plan at the presentation but approved related curriculum and administrative consent items later in the agenda. The administration said the action plans and a dashboard will be posted on the district website for public tracking.
Three reports from the meeting last fall are available to view on the district’s website under its April 30 meeting agenda.
