Fairbanks board reviews draft five-year strategic plan after yearlong community process

Consultants from Education Elements presented a draft five-year strategic plan to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District school board on April 14 after a year of community engagement, and board members spent the session testing language and raising questions about implementation, measurement and political risks.

Anna Rizzo, consultant with Education Elements, told the board the plan is “community built” after nearly a year of meetings, focus groups and surveys. Rizzo said the steering team that drafted the proposal included students, teachers, administrators, district staff, parents and community members and that the firm conducted 24 focus groups, three districtwide surveys and roughly 10 weeks of targeted engagement to develop the plan.

The draft replaces the district’s mission and vision with shorter statements Rizzo said tested best with respondents: the proposed mission reads, “as a community we create supportive learning environments where all students thrive,” and the proposed vision reads, “empowering every student to achieve their full potential.” Rizzo said the steering team also recommended four values — belonging, community, creativity and growth — and four focus areas or pillars: achieving educational excellence; supporting access and choice; partnering with our community; and…