Board reviews diversity audit and drafts strategic-plan "one-page" with new measures

At the March 4 Committee of the Whole meeting, district staff presented a newly delivered diversity audit and a revised one-page strategic-plan draft that bundles the district's priorities under four pillars and proposes measurable progress indicators. The audit, delivered about two weeks earlier, grouped recommendations into five areas: recruitment, retention, culture and inclusion/accountability, training and professional development, support and accommodations, and curriculum. A copy of the audit and the draft plan were provided to the board for further review.

A staff presenter told the board, "The diversity audit came in probably 2 weeks ago," and summarized five recommendation buckets the district plans to address. The presenter noted several items already planned or in motion for monitoring, including the recently approved family liaison position and targeted training using portions of the Danielson instructional framework. The draft strategic plan places the mission and four pillar goals prominently, adds a red/yellow/green progress-monitoring rubric and proposes a small set of regular metrics such as ninth-grade on-track rates.

The board discussed specific proposals that arose from the audit and plan drafting. One recommendation cited building a staff "pipeline to the classroom" — a grow-your-own program that would offer tuition support, a contractual obligation to teach in the district for a set period or repayment if the participant leaves early. The presenter said the program would likely require annual board funding and negotiation with bargaining units; current contract language includes some tuition stipends but may not cover full costs for classified staff seeking certification.

The plan also references targeted Danielson training (noted on the draft in three places) and a proposed ninth-grade seminar and Link Crew pilot to increase freshman support. The audit suggested reviewing staffing for 504 and IEP case management and expanding field-trip opportunities to broaden cultural experiences. On curriculum and instruction, staff proposed clearer, districtwide expectations of "what good instruction looks like" to guide walkthroughs and professional learning.

Staff also reported briefly on a separate 'wind time' proof-of-concept: the district piloted an altered schedule first semester and the improvement team recommended modifications for the second semester; staff said the second-semester plan is being negotiated with the union and is on hold pending agreement. "We're holding right now on that second semester plan until we've got an agreement," the presenter said.

Board members asked staff to refine the plan with clearer measures by demographic subgroup (for example, ninth-grade on-track disaggregated by subgroup) and to return with a key and more detailed progress indicators. The board did not vote on policy changes at the March 4 meeting; staff will continue refining the one-page plan and return with a defined monitoring approach.