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District updates strategic plan progress; officials highlight belonging, retention and rising dual-credit enrollment
Summary
Mount Vernon school administrators briefed the board on the strategic plan, citing three goals — belonging, staff recruitment/retention and elevating student learning — and shared metrics including retention rates, dual-credit enrollments and revised essential learnings aligned to new state standards.
Mount Vernon school administrators reported progress on the district’s strategic plan goals Thursday, describing new programs to increase student belonging, improve staff recruitment and retention, and expand college- and career-readiness offerings.
Maria Bond, director of community relations, presented the status of three district goals launched last July: fostering a sense of belonging, enhancing staff recruitment and retention, and elevating student learning through college- and career programming. She said schools have developed “belonging plans” that include mentoring, advisory time, counselor-led small groups and expanded affinity-based student activities.
Why it matters: the district is linking those local strategies to student outcomes and operational metrics. Bond and other staff reported the 2024–25 certified staff retention rate as 96.13% and noted classified-staff retention near 95%. The district assigned mentors to 16 beginning teachers and said it is expanding registered teacher apprenticeship programs under a statewide WorkOne partnership to increase candidate pipelines.
On learning outcomes, Bond reported increases in dual-credit participation and career certifications: dual-credit enrollments rose to 937 from 815 the prior year, and trade certifications increased from 33 to 61. Bond said essential learnings were realigned during 2024–25 to the 2023 state standards for math and language arts and that the district will use standards-tracking software to report student progress and graduation plans.
Board members asked whether the district is giving teachers additional time to build intentional relationships and whether non-teaching staff (bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers) will be included in belonging strategies. District staff said building administrators are implementing strategies that use support staff and administrative systems for celebration and recognition; data tracking for some relationship-building programs is handled by administrators rather than individual classroom teachers.
No action was required; staff asked board members to review provided materials and said administrators will continue to refine key results and tracking measures over the coming year.
