District 51 consultant outlines timeline and community input for 2025 five‑year strategic plan

Alex (last name not provided), a consultant with CEI contracted to lead the district’s strategic planning work, told the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 Board of Education that the district is roughly halfway through designing a five‑year strategic plan and expects a final draft to return to the board for review in May and adoption in June.

The update matters because the plan will guide district priorities, measurement and annual reporting for the next five years, and board members told CEI they intend to hold the district accountable for progress. Alex said the new plan will build on the district’s current graduate profile — “engaged, equipped and empowered” graduates who are “creative problem solvers, culturally connected, and ready for career and life” — rather than replace it.

Alex described a multi‑layered design process. A steering committee of about 68 people is gathering input from the community through trained interviews and school walkthroughs; a core design team of district educators is reviewing detailed data on student achievement, postsecondary readiness, student well‑being, staff growth, family/community collaboration, finances and facilities; and the board will receive drafts for revision and approval. Alex said CEI has recorded more than 2,100 voices through steering‑committee interviews and noted earlier community engagement in the district’s prior strategic plan in which roughly 4,550 people participated.

Dr. Hill (first name not stated), who introduced the CEI presentation, confirmed board members have attended steering‑committee meetings and described district leaders’ outreach to student advisory groups, principals and teachers. Alex said the steering committee has done “school walkthroughs” to help non‑school community members see classroom instruction when forming priorities.

CEI gave a timeline showing steering‑committee sessions and core‑team work through March, a final steering‑committee review in April, then iteration and board review in May for a June adoption so the plan can take effect for the 2025–26 school year. Alex said the design will establish priorities and metrics the district can use to report progress annually.

Board members asked about opportunities for continued input and monitoring. Director Lima and others praised the breadth of community participation to date. Alex and CEI staff said the process uses iterative two‑way feedback — steering committee to core team to board and back — and that the district will hold the implementation team accountable with regular reporting to the board.

The consultant emphasized that the new plan is unlikely to be a major departure from the current priorities because most respondents asked leaders to “stay the course,” but added some priority adjustments are expected after reviewing the recent data and community feedback. Alex closed by saying CEI will continue the core team’s data work and return with priorities in the next meeting cycle.

Board members thanked CEI and Dr. Hill for the update and said they look forward to the next steering‑committee meeting and the draft that will come to the board.