HARVARD

Harvard Community Unit School District
Strategic Themes and Goals
Approved July 18, 2012

Strategic Theme #1: Academic Achievement
Harvard Community Unit School District 50 will continue to expand and grow its academic program with the goal of being a recognized leader of student achievement by 2025.  Recognizing that a key component to student achievement is excellent teachers, the district makes a commitment to recruit, train and retain the best teachers possible.

Goal 1: Student Growth
• 90% of students will show growth in reading each year as measured by nationally recognized district assessments.
o Administrators will present to the Board near the beginning of each school year to share the assessments that we will be using to measure growth.  Administrators will present to the Board a second time after the end of the school year to share the growth measures for the assessments identified in the first presentation.
• 90% of students will show growth in math each year as measured by nationally recognized district assessments.
o Administrators will present to the Board near the beginning of each school year to share the assessments that we will be using to measure growth.  Administrators will present to the Board a second time after the end of the school year to share the growth measures for the assessments identified in the first presentation.
• Recognizing that District 50
o has a responsibility to nurture the student growth of all students
o has embraced RtI and differentiated instruction for students
o During the 2012-2013 school year, district administration will develop a plan for how they will differentiate instruction for students in all four quartiles in math and reading. 
• District administration will also work with the Board Strategic Goals committee to determine measures acceptable to both parties that will be used to measure “grade level achievement.”

Goal 2: Maximizing Opportunities for Students
• The district will have each 8th grade student who is transitioning to high school establish expectations and goals for their post high school career.  These goals will be part of an annual discussion, review and readjustment between the student and a high school official (guidance counselor/homeroom teacher/etc.).  They will also be part of parent/teacher conference discussions.  Success of this goal will be measured by 95% of all rising 8th graders having completed a career goals sheet.
o Future measurements related to this goal might include academic progress toward goals
• District 50 will provide opportunities for students to be exposed to options for continuing their education beyond high school.  2012-2013 goal is that 200 high school students participate in a college or trade school tour during the school year.  In addition, the district will facilitate presentations by representatives of the different branches of the military.
• District 50 will provide opportunities for student success post-graduation by pursuing trades programming with McHenry County College, George Williams College and other school districts and colleges as appropriate.  This will be an ongoing effort with the goal of establishing a viable trades program in the Harvard community by 2019.
o The Administration will make an annual assessment of progress toward the development of trades programming in Harvard and will share that report with the Board.

Goal 3: Teaching Excellence
• The District is committed to hiring and retaining the best teachers possible.
• The District will foster excellence in teaching by:
o Encouraging and assisting teachers performing beyond expectations to seek out and participate in leadership opportunities
o Providing professional development opportunities for teachers to improve their classroom skills
o Encouraging current qualified D50 teachers to work with student teachers to foster an exchange of the latest ideas and practices in education and to allow the district to identify and evaluate excellent new teachers
o Implementing staff recognition programs, including possibly a district-wide program.
• All teachers will be encouraged to pursue National Board Certification at an appropriate time in their career.  The District goal will be to have 5 teachers in the District with National Board Certification by 2018.

Goal 4: Bilingual & Bicultural Learning Environment
• By 2020, when our first class of Dual Language students graduates from High School, all Dual Language students will take the Spanish AP exam before high school graduation.
• All K-5 traditional bilingual classes will transition to a Dual Language instructional model by 2017.
• The district will develop multicultural education objectives, by grade level, for pre-K through 12 by 2017.

Goal 5: Explore ways to increase and enhance quality instructional time
• The district will continue to explore ways to add quality instructional time to the school day and the school year, including, but not limited to:
o Reconfiguring the school day to increase instructional time
o Exploring the use of technology, non-traditional settings, and community partnerships to add instructional time during non-school hours.
• The Administration will prepare an assessment on the current status and opportunities to increase and enhance quality instructional time annually and share that with the Board. 

Strategic Theme #2: Communication
District 50 recognizes that a good relationship with the community and with its many stakeholders is essential to future success. 

Goal 1: Community Engagement
• The District will continue its series of Superintendent Community Roundtables, conducting a minimum of 3 during the 2012-13 school year.  This year will serve to establish a participation baseline.  The goal in subsequent years will be to increase participation by at least 10% per year.
• Each school in the district will conduct at least one parent listening session during the 2012-13 school year.  These sessions will be designed to provide parents with a chance to meet with school officials.  This year will serve to establish a participation baseline.  The goal in subsequent years will be to increase participation by at least 10% per year.
• The District will formalize and implement a volunteer recruitment strategy during the 2012-13 school year.

Goal 2: Communications Technology
• The District will develop an annual strategy for evaluating and implementing social media as is deemed appropriate and desirable.   District Community Outreach Director will conduct an annual survey of parents to determine their interests.

Goal 3: Enhancing School Communications
• Recognizing that school-to-parent communications are essential to a good working relationship between parents and schools, the district will devote resources to improving and enhancing school to parent communications.  The specific nature of the assistance will be determined by the annual parent survey and the identified needs of the school administrators.

Strategic Theme #3: Facilities and Learning Environment
The District recognizes that for students and teachers to succeed, we must provide them with an environment that is safe, secure and comfortable.

Goal 1: Update and implement the Capital Development Board (CDB) grant
• The Facilities Department, working with the rest of the Administration, will develop a plan to implement the CDB grant in an effective and efficient manner.
• Go out to bid on all planned work under the grant and accept all winning bids within 2 years of the official start of the grant.
• This project will be completed by the end of 2017.

Goal 2: manage and implement a plan for Life Safety improvements and scheduled maintenance.
• The Facilities Department will develop, maintain and annually update a 5 year plan for planned facilities maintenance and life safety improvements.

Strategic Theme #4: Financial Stewardship
The District is committed to strengthening our financial condition in order to ensure excellence in education.

Goal 1: Develop and maintain responsible budgets that are responsive to climate conditions and educational needs.
• Maintain financial records consistent with generally accepted
accounting practices.
• Work with Administrators and staff groups to understand budget needs.
• Work with Administrators and staff members to foster an understanding of the budget, the budgeting process, and how to work within the guidelines of the budget.

Goal 2: Conduct outreach to staff and the community to increase the financial literacy and understanding of our most important stakeholders.
• Hold school financial literacy classes whenever the district has all day in-service during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years.
• Business Services will work with Director of Community Outreach to develop a School Finances 101 community program by fall of 2013.
• Business Services will work with Director of Community Outreach to identify and pursue opportunities to offer School Finances 101within the community during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.

Goal 3: Seek out alternative sources of funding.
• Seek out and nurture partnerships that will have a positive financial impact on the district.
• Seek out and apply for appropriate grants and other opportunities to bring new sources of funding into the district.

Goal 4: Maintain and publicize the Financial Dashboard for the district.
• Develop a dashboard tool that meets the reporting needs of the School Board.
• Share the dashboard quarterly with the School Board during 2012.
• Starting in 2013, with prior education, share the Financial Dashboard with staff.

Strategic Theme #5: Board Development and Effectiveness
The District 50 School Board takes its effectiveness and responsibility seriously.  The Board will have goals to further its effectiveness and to set into place practices that enhance the actions of the Board as a whole.

Goal 1: Board Diversity
• The Board will encourage a diversity of community members’ viewpoints and perspectives on the School Board by
o Working with administration to actively recruit community members that are representative of the age, ethnicity, social economic status and general demographics of the greater Harvard community to serve on Board committees.  The goal will be to identify committees appropriate for community involvement and recruit at least two community members (non-Board & non-Staff) to serve on those committees
o Board members will participate in a Superintendent’s Roundtable addressing the issue of community diversity.

Goal 2: Encourage the Transparency of the Board’s Actions
• The Board will encourage the transparency of the Board’s actions through encouraging
o Audio taping of school board meetings
o A welcoming atmosphere at School Board meetings
o Each summer, the Board will form an ad hoc advisory committee to look at ways the Board can improve its transparency.

Goal 3: Board Member Development
• Develop and implement a thorough New Board Member training before the April 2013 elections.
• Encourage Board member participation in appropriate affiliate groups and local and regional training opportunities.
• Encourage Board member participation and involvement in district and school activities.

Goal 4: Board Outreach
• The Board will develop a Legislative Affairs committee that will serve as the district’s informal lobbying arm.
o The Board will form a Legislative Affairs committee during the 2012-2013 school year.  The first charge of that committee will be to develop and submit for approval a structure, objectives and strategies for this committee.