In September 2013, Clear Creek ISD began working on its second strategic plan, which became official in May 2014. Now the district is preparing to create its third five-year plan.

The CCISD board of trustees on June 24 heard a status report of the district’s 2014-19 strategic plan in preparation for the new strategic plan.

In September 2013, a 29-member planning team met with the Cambrian Group, a school strategic planning firm, to create the foundation of CCISD’s strategic plan. The district then invited parents and CCISD residents to help develop action plans to support the strategic plan’s seven strategies. Over 200 residents signed up to help, said Steven Ebell, CCISD’s deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

The district hosted eleven action plan meetings, after which the board approved the strategic plan on May 19, 2014. The community came up with 31 action plans to support the plan’s seven strategies, which include inspiring learning, providing student support, ensuring safety and more, Ebell said.

In 2017, the district combined seven of the 31 action plans with others, and 11 more have been completed since 2014, leaving 13 that will be worked on through the end of 2020, Ebell said.

Ebell shared with the board success stories for each strategy, including the growth of the district’s The Leader in Me program; an uptick in safety volunteers; the expansion of science, technology, engineering and math programs; and more.

District officials have asked board members to provide input to guide the next strategic planning team that will meet in mid-July. Volunteers will develop action plans September through November, and the board will adopt the district’s and campus’ strategic plans by August 2020, Ebell said.

“There’s a lot of work that’s built in with this,” Ebell said. “We’re excited about this.”

While the district would succeed on “sheer inertia,” the strategic plan exists to align every faculty member, student, parent and campus to the same goals and beliefs, allowing for greater achievement and growth, Ebell said.

“We aspire to be a school district rather than a district of schools,” he said.