"I think the most exciting part is this strategic plan was built on the thoughts and ideas of our community, which is something that hasn't been done in a long time."
After months of community input sessions, planning retreats, and internal meetings, Kingsley's strategic planning process is complete. The Board of Education adopted the Michigan Association of School Boards' (MASB) summary results at the March 11 meeting.
Penny McWilliams from the MASB synthesized input from several hundred internal and community stakeholders to identify five key focus areas: Academics & Programs, Learning Environment & Culture, Communications & Community Engagement, Operations & Finance, and Personnel.
Within those focus areas are 15 objectives, which are listed below. District administrators, along with KAS's business manager Nadia Hoover further narrowed the list by identifying four objective focuses for this year. Those focus objectives are in bold:
Personnel
Goal Statement:
Kingsley Area Schools will build trust through open communication, mutual respect, and collaboration to provide efficient operations that support success.
Objectives:
• Develop guidelines and procedures for onboarding
staff.
• Attract and retain staff, teachers and administrators
"We want to provide a really comfortable work environment for everybody. In the last, probably, five years with COVID, and some other factors, people weren't super excited to come to work. We want a comfortable learning environment of collaboration. It's a culture effort," said Superintendent Rothwell.
Learning Environment & Culture
Goal Statement:
Kingsley Area Schools will be a safe and collaborative learning environment for students and staff.
Objectives:
• To execute Professional Learning Community (PLC) with fidelity.
• Acclimate new and current stakeholders to the Kingsley Area Schools community.
• Create a plan for Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports (PBIS) implementation districtwide.
Operations & Finance
Goal Statement:
Kingsley Area Schools will be fiscally responsible in meeting the needs of students and staff through alignment with the Strategic Plan.
Objectives:
• Collaborate development of budget.
• Develop methods to communicate department and building budgets.
• Monitor expenditures to ensure fiscal responsibility.
• Evaluate growth to determine needs for future expansion.
Right now, Kingsley is undergoing a facilities study that will be finished the week of April 22. Superintendent Rothwell says the results of that study will help identify the greatest areas of need in terms of infrastructure. A future ballot initiative to fund these projects is something that will be considered.
"What I'd like to do is put a presentation together to present to the community with the facilities study results," said Superintendent Rothwell.
Academics & Programs
Goal Statement:
Kingsley Area schools will increase engagement and opportunities to enhance student
achievement.
Objectives:
• Provide time and opportunities for staff improvement.
• Align curriculum in grades K-12 to provide students a guaranteed viable curriculum.
• Utilize district and state data to identify trends and inform decision-making.
"Curriculum purchases over the last number of years have been very inconsistent. I think they were kind of picking and choosing instead of actually having a true curriculum cycle. Right now, we're focused on aligning our language arts curriculum," said Superintendent Rothwell.
Kingsley ELA teachers are currently visiting other districts for curriculum observations. They have identified two or three strong contenders for new curriculums to implement.
Communication & Community Engagement
Goal Statement:
Kingsley Area Schools will consistently communicate to engage students, staff, parents and the community.
Objectives:
• Implement intentional positive communication to celebrate success.
• Create partnerships with local businesses and organizations to support the district.
• Maintain and strengthen parental involvement in school community.
To see the final report full summary click below:
"Now, we're going to put these thoughts and ideas into action for improvement."
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For questions regarding the Strategic Plan, contact Superintendent Rothwell at jrothwell@kingsleyschools.org or email the School Board at schoolboard@kingsleyschools.org