District strategic planning committee outlines five priority domains; final plan due June 11

Superintendent O'Neil told the Norton School Committee on April 30 that the district’s strategic planning process has produced draft priorities and that a final strategic plan will be presented to the committee on June 11.

O'Neil said the district used staff, student and family surveys, community forums and a SWOT analysis to collect input. From that work the strategic planning committee and leadership identified five priority domains: prioritizing improvement and communicating urgency, setting clear performance expectations, diagnosing and responding to student learning needs, building a community intensely focused on student learning, and providing rigorous evidence‑based instruction.

The planning process used a root-cause exercise (the "5 Whys") to dig into underlying issues, and O'Neil said the committee focused on what the district can control—curriculum, instruction, assessments, leadership and professional development—rather than external constraints such as budget. The superintendent said the district will solicit further feedback and that principals will begin school-improvement plans this summer to align with the strategic objectives.

O'Neil said the finalized plan, including mission, vision and core values, will be returned to the committee for approval at the June 11 meeting; implementation work will continue over the summer and into the fall.