Hingham School Committee reviews draft 2025–28 strategic plan emphasizing student-centered ‘portrait of a learner’

The Hingham Public Schools School Committee reviewed a draft strategic plan for the 2025–28 school years during its June 16 meeting, presenting a student-centered portrait of a learner and five focus areas that the district said will guide curriculum, staffing and community engagement.

The draft, prepared by a strategic planning committee that included administrators, educators, students, community members and school committee members, lays out a mission and vision update and proposes initiatives under five focus areas: culture and community partnerships; innovative and responsive teaching and learning (with an elementary math pilot and a focus on secondary schedules); special education and student services; healthy, equitable and inclusive environments (including SEL and technology integration); and capital and finance and human resources and leadership.

Superintendent (Katie) said the committee’s work began with a portrait of a learner to ensure future initiatives remain student-centered and noted the committee met six times for roughly 12–15 hours to draft the plan. The district plans to align future curriculum and scheduling work to that portrait and to the new plan’s priorities. The superintendent said the district would shift its curriculum emphasis from literacy (the focus of the 2022–25 plan) to mathematics for 2025–28, including a math pilot and “building thinking classrooms.”

Committee members asked for clarification about items that carried forward from the prior plan. The superintendent said the district’s most complete outcomes under the last plan were around MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support), particularly at the elementary level, and that the new plan is intended to build on that success while extending secondary MTSS work and continuing SEL efforts.

The draft also proposes increasing parent and caregiver programming, partnering with nearby districts on specialized services and professional development to lower per-district costs, and pursuing revenue and messaging strategies tied to the five-year capital plan. Ayesha Opong, director of business and finance, was identified in discussion as a lead on revenue-seeking efforts.

The superintendent asked the committee to consider the draft before the committee votes to finalize format and distribution to a graphic designer; she said a final printed/dashboard version could be available in 6–8 weeks and that the leadership team could begin using the draft in mid‑August. The committee did not vote on the plan at the June 16 meeting.

The committee and multiple speakers emphasized that the plan is a working document: some items (for example MTSS and communications) are “evergreen” and will require sustained attention. Committee members also asked whether a three-year horizon (versus a five-year plan) is appropriate; presenters said most districts now prefer three-year plans because of financial and programmatic uncertainty.

The district will circulate the draft for review, prepare a graphic/dashboard version and return to the committee for a formal vote and final edits later this summer.