Part of district's strategic plan goes into effect

By Pamela Willis Wednesday January 7, 2015 11:08 AM View Larger

A new strategic plan, a major remodeling project at Tremont Elementary School and continued efforts to trim department budgets are all on the 2015 agenda for Upper Arlington City Schools.

Superintendent Paul Imhoff said the 2015-2018 strategic plan, approved at the Dec. 9 school board meeting, will move immediately into its first phase of implementation this year.

"We are really excited to begin the implementation of our new strategic plan," he said. "We used a new approach to the planning process this time, one that combines the best from both the private sector and the public sector."

He said the district used the traditional public-sector approach of using feedback and ideas from its stakeholders, but also created a private-sector type plan that was "focused and results-oriented with clear, measurable goals."

Five goals of plan

"This plan is really about what matters most for our students," he said. "The five goals provide focus areas that relate to efficiency, accountability and academic results, which are the themes that came through loud and clear during our community conversations last year."

He said the five goals listed in the plan -- performance, personalization, accountability, efficiency and ownership -- resonate with district educators "because they allow us to focus our efforts on what will make the biggest difference in the classroom."

Imhoff said the district will establish an implementation work group and plan; focus on developing a quality profile; and hear feedback about the implementation of the plan during the first six months of 2015.

He said the quality profile will answer the question, "What is the best way for Upper Arlington schools to define, measure and communicate the educational quality and performance of the district?"

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Part of district's strategic plan goes into effect