BY DEBBIE PAGE
After a six-month process of gathering stakeholder input with the assistance of Insight Education, Mooresville Graded School District Superintendent Jason Gardner and his staff presented the district’s five-year strategic plan to the MGSD Board of Education on Tuesday night.
The plan seeks to consciously and efficiently move the system toward accomplishment of its goals in multiple areas.
“We utilized staff and community surveys as well as a total of 13 focus group meetings that included classified staff, parents, students, community members, teachers, school leaders, and district leaders,” said Gardner.
“This feedback was shared with a district steering committee that met monthly to work on drafting the new plan you have before you tonight. The steering committee was composed of various stakeholders as well including teachers, classified staff, school and district leaders, parents, community members, and board members.”
Based on the input, the draft document develops the system’s core values. mission, vision, priority areas, measurements of progress, and strategies to accomplish its goals.
The board will vote to approve the plan at its June 6 meeting.
CORE VALUES
Gardner detailed the five core values developed from stakeholder feedback, including developing authentic relationships in an inclusive, welcoming environment that creates a sense of community where all voices are valued and all people know they belong.
Another core value is the empowerment of students, families, and staff in the growth and development of the school system to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improve.
Equity is the third core value, based on a belief in the inherent worth of all people and ensuring that all have the opportunity and access necessary for a successful outcome.
Integrity includes a culture of honesty and transparency in the district’s work to develop a culture of trust between staff, students, families, and the community.
Lastly, the core value of safety involves creating an environment where everyone feels secure and supported, including physical safety, mental health, and a sense of well-being.
VISION AND MISSION
The committee articulated the system’s vision as “creating a better community by empowering every individual to grow, thrive, and succeed.” The system’s mission statement emphasizes that MGSD is “a learning community committed to providing a supportive environment where everyone can reach their full potential.”
FOUR PRIORITY AREAS
The Strategic Plan’s areas include (1) maximizing opportunity and achievement; (2) creating safe, happy, and healthy environments; (3) growing, recruiting, and retaining staff; and (4) creating a culture of relationships.
Maximizing Opportunity and Achievement
Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Michael Royal said that maximizing opportunity and achievement occurs by focusing on a student’s individual strengths, interests, needs, and culture to allow them to reach their full potential. Exposure to various career pathways and opportunities to develop life skills prepares students for their future.
To measure progress on this area, the district proposed to:
1) Meet or exceed growth targets on state assessments. The average growth index of MGSD schools will improve from -4.10 to +0.50 or greater.
2) Close academic gaps between student groups on state assessments. The growth rate of Black, Economically Disadvantaged, Exceptional Children, and Hispanic student groups will be above the average overall growth rate in MGSD.
3) Develop interpersonal skills for K-12 aligned to the NC Portrait of a Graduate. The percentage of students who agree that the development of NC Portrait of a Graduate durable skills is a part of their instructional day (student survey) will increase from 2023-2024 baseline data.
4) Graduate students with a plan for employment, enlistment, or enrollment. All students will enter their senior year with a career development plan.
Strategies to meet this goal include researching and implementing a high dosage tutoring model as part of the academic day for specific grade levels/subjects based on assessment data, developing a consistent process that provides all students with a core curriculum that is culturally relevant, provides rigorous learning opportunities, and meets the unique needs of a diverse student population, as well as all student groups.
Other strategies include exploring grading practices that provide students opportunities to take ownership of the learning process and refining data-decision making and data analysis processes to drive instructional and organizational decisions.
The district will also develop a plan to ensure that NC Portrait of a Graduate durable skills (ability to adapt, to collaborate, to communicate, to think critically, to show empathy, to learn, and to take personal responsibility) are embedded into content area instruction for K-12.
Other strategies are ensuring all K-8 students have access to in-school club opportunities aligned to exposing students to student interests during the instructional day and expanding opportunities for high school students to explore their post-graduation plans through internships, apprenticeships, College-Career Promise (CCP) courses, Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) and other work-based learning opportunities at the high school level.
The district will also create a clear and uniform process where every student creates a career development plan in middle school and refines it based on changing interests through his or her high school years and will additionally explore new innovative school models to be implemented in MGSD.
Safe, Happy and Healthy Environments
Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services Scott Smith noted the proposed plan’s second priority of creating safe, happy, and healthy environments is based on the belief that learning and productivity flourish in an environment that is safe, happy and healthy. Everyone should feel safe to express themselves in an inclusive and respectful environment in a climate of happiness that increases meaningful engagement. A healthy environment also provides support for both physical and mental health.
Progress on this priority will be measured by:
1) Providing an environment that prioritizes student and staff safety. The percentage of staff and students who report their school is a safe place to work and learn (student/staff survey) will increase from 2023-2024 baseline data.
2) Providing for a positive and supportive climate for all students and staff. The percentage of staff and students who report their school is a positive place to work and learn (student/staff survey) will increase from 2023-2024 baseline data.
3) Supporting and enhancing the social-emotional health of students and staff. The percentage of staff and students who report they have adequate resources to support their social-emotional health (student/staff survey) will increase from 2023-2024 baseline data.
Strategies to achieve this priority include examining and reviewing the approach to school physical safety and implementing practices and protocols to enhance as needed; allotting resources to focus on school physical safety, student safety protocols and procedures, as well as student behavioral needs, and developing a comprehensive approach to alternative learning for K-12.
The district will also ensure clear and consistent expectations for student discipline across all schools, as well as a uniform professional learning framework focused on a safe and supportive learning environment and develop a district problem solving advisory team, as well as ensure every school has a behavior problem solving team as part of their MTSS framework.
Other strategies include developing a yearly plan at each school/department to create and foster a positive culture and climate with a systematic way to get input from staff members and students; implementing a consistent, research-based social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum K-12 and provide staff members strong support for implementation, and exploring innovative partnerships with health organizations to offer additional mental and physical health support for students and staff.
Grow, Recruit, and Retain Staff
Chief Human Resources Officer April Kuhn said that because the success of a school district rests in the quality of its staff, the district’s proposed strategic plan includes a commitment to recruiting, growing, and retaining the best and brightest staff to ensure excellence in every aspect of the school district.
To measure this priority’s success over the five year plan implementation, the district will:
1) Recruit a talented and qualified workforce representative of the community, as well as the student population within the district. The demographic makeup of MGSD staff members will increasingly reflect the demographic makeup of the school community per baseline data established in 2023.
2) Grow talent by providing a variety of opportunities for professional learning. The percentage of staff that report they receive adequate opportunities for professional learning (staff survey) will increase from 2023-2024 baseline data.
3) Retain a talented and qualified workforce that enhances a learning environment for all to thrive. The retention rate of MGSD staff members will increase from 81 percent to 90 percent.
Strategies to achieve this district priority includes developing a comprehensive staff recruiting plan that includes innovative and research based practices to attract talent; evaluating market rates to strengthen competitive pay structures for employees; and creating innovative and accessible career development pathways.
The district plan also suggests enhancing partnerships with community organizations to support staff wellness and employee experiences; enhancing leadership development opportunities across the district and a culture of support for the education professionals leading students.
Other strategies include creating an all inclusive onboarding system to immerse employees in the Mooresville Graded School District culture and ensuring district and school leaders have the skills needed to establish a culture of inclusive practices and belonging for all employees.
Culture of Relationships
Chief Communications Officer Tanae McLean told the board that a successful district must create relationships that value inclusivity, effective communication, and positivity that are at the heart of the community. Staff, students, and families want to be involved in schools where they are known, cared for, valued, and empowered, so the community needs to feel connected to the work of the district.
To measure the success of this priority, the district will:
1) Develop positive and supportive relationships between staff, students and families district-wide. The percentage of individuals who feel welcome by the MGSD community (community survey) will increase from 2023-2024 baseline data point.
2) Continue growing partnerships with local businesses and organizations that benefit our staff, students, and families. The number of quality local business and community partnerships increases on an annual basis based on 2023-2024 baseline data point.
Strategies to meet this district priority include developing a uniform communication framework from the district and from schools that is user-friendly and engages the community and evaluating and refining the advisory committee process for parents and teachers, while also developing a student advisory committee.
The district will also facilitate at least four community engagement events, and each school will hold at least two community engagement events per year with an effort to plan these events at a variety of locations.
In addition, the district will create a community outreach advisory group that will develop a framework for identifying strategic alliances, laying out goals, keeping track of progress, and evaluating results.
Developing a comprehensive volunteer program to encourage community engagement and a uniform approach to student mentoring that includes engagement with community members and students in partnership with school staff are other strategies to be employed.
The district will also offer training and resources to staff and families to help them develop strong relationships that support the success and wellbeing of all students and develop a plan for targeted community outreach initiatives to traditionally underserved and underrepresented populations.
BOARD REACTION
Board member Debbie Marsh commended the superintendent and senior leadership for their hard work in developing this strategic plan with the help of outside consultants to have honest and transparent look at the district, including compensation, performance, student well-being, and community connection.
She noted the board had studied the plan at a recent work session and had the opportunity to digest its contents.
Board member Rakeem Brawley noted the growth the district has had in fostering positive relationships within the schools as well as the community.
“The word is out that Mooresville Graded School District is one of the greatest school districts,” he said. “We are alway looking for collaborative efforts to do the work that it takes us all to do. As the saying goes, it takes a village and we are asking that the village come and help us do this work.”
Marsh added that this “wonderful document is going to be a living, breathing document that will be our guiding star.” She noted that once approved by the school board school improvement plans will be directly aligned to his strategic plan.
“There will be consistency in terms of the data points that we will be looking at so that we as a board, with our responsibility for oversight, will be able to look at what we are doing and compare our district vertically and horizontally within our district and to other districts in our state and beyond. That is critically important for us.”
Board member Kerry Pennell lauded the open process and believes all stakeholders can see a future for themselves in these realistic, attainable goals.