Solon School District seeks volunteers as it begins strategic planning process

SOLON, Ohio — The Solon City School District is seeking community volunteers to serve on four Strategic Planning Action Teams that will address key district strategic goals identified by the 45-member planning team.

The full strategic planning team met September 27-29. It represents key district stakeholders, including school board members, administrators, parents, staff, community and business leaders, and community members.

“The continued success of Solon Schools is due to the strong and collaborative partnership with all stakeholders in our vast school community,” Superintendent Fred Bolden said in a press release. “Our district strategic planning process is representative of this essential partnership.

“Strategic planning is key to the continued excellence of Solon Schools as it charts the future of the district through the clear expression of shared beliefs, lofty mission, and strategic goals that are implemented with a creative vision and a positive return on investment for our students and the community.”

Organizations that don’t continually seek to improve are doomed to fail or become stale, Bolden said in the statement.

“We have been engaged in strategic planning since 1989, and we always include the community as a whole in our decision-making,” he said. “We must constantly challenge ourselves to ensure that we are working to be the best school district we can be.

“The strategic planning process is how we capture this vision and allows us to think critically and deeply about the world we operate in to make important, forward-looking decisions about Solon Schools so that we truly live our mission of every student, every day.”

During the three-day planning session, the team reviewed and refined the District Beliefs, which are the shared core values ​​of our community, the statement said. Building on these beliefs, the team reached consensus on an updated mission statement that members believe exemplifies the district’s highest aspirations:

“Solon City Schools, a diverse learning community, will ensure that all students acquire the knowledge and skills to thrive and become caring, ethical and contributing citizens in a changing global society through collaboration and to an unwavering commitment to enable every student, every day, to achieve their personal goals. Excellency.”

The team reinforced mission language regarding the district’s commitment to empowering every student to achieve personal excellence. The planning team specifically noted that this concept encompasses all areas of excellence, including academics, arts, sports and activities.

The team then analyzed internal and external factors affecting the district’s ability to fulfill the mission and engaged in a critical reflection exercise detailing the most significant issues facing Solon Schools. Using this information, the planning team identified four major strategic goals that the district needs to focus on to fully fulfill its mission.

These objectives are:

· 100 percent of students in the district will demonstrate proficiency in the state testing system, and the percentage of students at the advanced and accomplished levels on these tests will increase each year at each school and grade level.

· Each student will meet or exceed their expected academic growth goals, as measured by the state’s value-added progress measure.

· 100 percent of students will meet Solon’s grade level or course academic content standards.

· Each student will demonstrate increasing proficiency in the state’s social-emotional learning standards.

The planning team also identified four strategies that articulate the results the district is committed to achieving. These strategies covering finances, facilities, communications, and responsive practices evolved from the team’s work identifying the most critical issues facing the district.

The team also engages in conversations regarding district parameters or standard operating procedures that create safeguards for how the district conducts day-to-day business. Parameters are related to mission, beliefs, goals and strategies.

The next stage of the strategic planning process will take place over the next two months, the statement said. Volunteers will work in four action teams researching and writing solutions-focused three- to five-year action plans.

Interested volunteers should complete the Solon City Schools Strategic Planning Action Team registration form by visiting the district’s website, solonschools.org, where the link can be found.

The entire strategic plan will review and analyze the action plans in December to verify their relevance and positive return on investment. The draft strategic plan and accepted action plans will then be presented to the School Board for review and approval.

As the strategic planning process continues this fall, additional information and updates will be communicated to the school community and the community at large.