Superintendent Jill (last name not specified in transcript) told the Burlington Area School District annual meeting that the district will place new emphasis on its mission, vision and values and on implementing its 2024–2029 strategic plan.

Jill said the district’s new mission statement — "inspiring good humans and capable minds together" — was developed in coordination with the Building Burlington Leadership Council (BBLC) and local partners. "Inspiring good humans and capable minds together was what was developed and came up with for the mission statement," she said.

The change, Jill said, aligns with the BBLC and a recent community push the superintendent summarized as a "be a good human" campaign. She told the board the phrase was introduced by Mayor John Schultz at BBLC meetings and that local businesses and community groups have endorsed shared expectations for student behavior, attendance and workplace readiness. Jill said teachers will introduce the traits in classrooms and that staff will receive shirts and materials using the city colors so the campaign is community-owned rather than solely a district brand.

Jill reviewed the district’s vision and three core values — compassionate, committed and comprehensive — and summarized the strategic plan’s four pillars: students, staff, finance and community. She listed five long‑range student goals for 2029: higher English language arts proficiency (grades 3–8), higher math proficiency (grades 3–8), an improved ACT composite, 90% of graduates aligned to a career path by graduation and elevating student experience measured by a nationally normed Studer survey.

For the 2025–26 school year, Jill presented interim targets: ELA proficiency increasing from 60.7% to 64.7% (a state cut-score adjustment means that target already surpasses the district’s earlier 2029 benchmark), math proficiency from 58% to 64%, ACT composite modestly higher toward a 21 goal by 2029 and a goal to align 80% of underclassmen to career paths. She said the student experience target is a rise from 3.76 to 3.86 on the Studer survey taken in October.

On staff, the five‑year goals include raising staff retention from 82% to 90% and moving staff satisfaction toward the 80th percentile. The 2025–26 staff targets are a retention increase from 83.9% to 85.4% and a staff satisfaction increase from 3.92 to 4.02. Finance goals include building a 20% general fund balance by 2029; the district plans an 18% fund balance target for the 2025–26 year. Community goals include moving parent perception from the 30th to the 70th percentile, establishing a minimum of 20 business/community partnerships by 2029 and increasing student headcount by 7% by 2029; the 2025–26 targets include modest growth (0.4 percentage point) after a decline in the prior year.

Jill described programming that supports the "comprehensive" value, naming specific programs such as PACK House, Project WIN, FRC and Wisco options, and she said the district is considering birth‑to‑3 child-care as a future service to support families and early learning.

The superintendent closed by noting local uptake of the "be a good human" framing at the Rotary and city council, and by saying business partners have started using the shared language in youth and community programs. She said the BBLC and several businesses are coordinating rollout materials and that there is preliminary interest in expanding the idea countywide.

Board members did not take a formal vote on the mission and plan during the annual meeting; the presentation was the superintendent’s report to the electors and board members.