Great Doings in Ouray School - Erin Eddy

The Ouray School’s Strategic Plan
by Tim Finkbeiner, Elementary School Principal and Deputy Superintendent of Ouray SchoolsSep 23, 2008 | 30 views | 0 | 0 | | BOARD BULLETIN

The concept of strategic planning has been utilized in the corporate and business world for decades. It has only been in the last 15 years that school districts around the country have begun implementing strategic plans to improve education. The Ouray School District has formulated its first strategic plan to guide the board, administration, teachers, staff, and the community for the next five academic calendar years, through June 2013.

The overarching goal is that: By June 2013 the Ouray School will be recognized as a top 10 percent school on the CSAP test while educating the complete child.

We believe that this goal and the accompanying supporting goals are challenging but realistic and achievable. Success will require a dedicated effort by the entire district and community. As described in previous Bulletins, funds from passage of the mil levy override on this November’s ballot will be used to support important programs that would not otherwise be funded. Many of these programs will require extra funds because their normal funding will be required to support unfunded mandates by the state of Colorado that by law must be implemented.

The plan is being used to establish a common basis and direction for the school and the community to achieve our full set of goals. It is used to set budgets, establish curricula, evaluate the compatibility of potential new hires, hold the district accountable, and to communicate with the community progress towards our mission statement.

The plan was formulated using a process that involved planning teams consisting of district teachers, staff, administration, the board, and the community. This process created:

* a common vision for the future of the school;

* a mission statement to provide a concise yet comprehensive way to communicate articulation of our vision;

* goals, the end points to achieve during the planning period; and

* approximately 100 programs that we will implement to achieve the goals.

The vision and mission statement provide the framework for the plan; the goals and programs constitute the plan itself.

The plan is structured in three major areas, each of equal importance:

* excellence in education fundamentals,

* excellence in education enhancements, and

* excellence in education enablers.

For each of these main areas, the planning teams drafted top-level goals for the school and from these, developed the lower level goals necessary to achieve them. Each goal has a benchmark by which progress and success can be measured.

Once direction was established by the goal setting, the planning teams then defined the individual programs necessary to achieve the goals – how to reach success. Each program incorporates a year-by-year action plan which includes estimated costs by year and the individual responsible for the program.

Progress for each major area will be reviewed on a rotating basis by the board at monthly meetings. Adjustments will be made on an annual basis to reflect the current environment and progress, which will be used to extend the plan for an additional year.

The plan is available for viewing at the school’s website, http://ouray.k12.co.us (click on the District and then the Strategic Plan tabs), at the school office, and at the Ouray Public Library.

Written by Tim Finkbeiner and posted by Erin Eddy