Volunteers to help draft strategies based on new goals

Georgetown ISD officials have begun the process of creating a strategic plan.

The district assembled a 25-person strategic planning group that drafted the plans mission statement as well as outlined parameters, objectives and strategies for GISD, said Brenda Albright, GISD deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

Based on what was outlined by the strategic planning group, Albright said five action teams were created with about 25 people each.

[The plan is meant to] provide a road map, and as board members and administrators are looking at new [programs or initiatives], its a way to say, Does it fit with our strategic plan? Albright said. If it does, then its something we want to consider.

The teams, which include community members as well as school personnel, parents and students, will spend three months developing specific plans for each of the five goals outlined by the strategic planning group, she said.

This is not done by the administrative team. Its not done by our principals, Albright said. We have [representation from the district], but this is not a district plan; its a community plan.

The district has hired Cambrian Strategic Services to help facilitate the process.

The thing that weve found through the process not a single person had a vision of a broken district, Albright said. [The team] all had visions of a great district but with areas where we could do better. They all felt we were at a very good place, but what is it going to take to get us from good to great?

After the action teams develop a strategy, each will report back to the strategic planning group for approval, and everything must be approved by consensus, she said.

No one person gets their way or their opinion on the strategic planning team. You dont vote on anything because the theory is if you vote, somebody loses. So everything is by consensus, Albright said. We want consensus, and if we cant get there then thats not where we want to be.

Once approved by the strategic planning group, the entire plan will be presented to the board of trustees for final approval. Albright said she hopes to have the entire process completed by the boards April 21 meeting.

Albright said the district will revisit the plan every year to make sure the district is on track or identify areas that need to be re-evaluated.

Its going to be interesting to see what types of things [the teams] come up with, Albright said.