Conway school board adopts one‑year strategic readiness plan, sets measurable targets for 2025–26

The Conway School District board on Tuesday approved a one‑year strategic readiness plan that sets near‑term performance targets for the 2025–26 school year and launches a community‑led long‑range planning process.

The plan, presented by consultant Dr. Jeff Standridge and including input from staff and community surveys, gives the district a mission and a set of priorities to guide work through July 1, 2026. Board members moved and seconded the measure and voted in favor; the board chair declared the motion approved.

Why it matters: The board framed the plan as a stopgap to provide immediate direction while a separate long‑range strategic planning steering committee completes a community survey and focus groups later this school year. The plan is intended to be the district’s operating framework while Winrock Institute and a chamber/CDC‑appointed steering committee develop a multi‑year roadmap.

Key elements: The plan sets four priorities—academic achievement and student services; a culture of excellence; transparency and trustworthiness; and creation of a stakeholder‑driven long‑range strategic plan. Specific, measurable near‑term goals the board adopted include increasing reading achievement from 44% to 51%, increasing math achievement from 38% to 43%, raising the percentage of graduates “with distinction” from 41% to 51%, and reducing total student suspensions by 10%. The plan also sets targets to raise employee engagement and parent satisfaction to at least 75% favorable.

Implementation and timeline: The board will convene a 30‑plus member steering committee—half nominated by the Conway Chamber/CDC and half by the school district—expected to deliver an initial survey report and focus group results and to return a final steering committee report in late February. The district will use that product to draft a long‑range strategic plan for board consideration in May or June 2026. Standridge and district staff said they will publish a continuous improvement scorecard and provide quarterly updates on the readiness plan.

Board comments and next steps: Board members and staff emphasized the need to “plan the work and work the plan,” saying the adopted readiness plan is the set of tasks district leaders will prioritize while the long‑range effort proceeds. The board instructed staff to begin implementing the plan immediately and to report progress to the board on a regular cadence.

The board approved the plan in public session. No legal or budgetary changes were enacted by the vote; the plan is a policy/direction document that staff will operationalize.