Tempe Union outlines first-year progress on 2024'029 strategic plan
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Wilson and executive-team leads presented a year-one progress report on the district's 2024'029 strategic plan, highlighting completed and in-progress actions on financial transparency, staffing, recruitment and retention, culture and climate, and new instructional models emphasizing problem-based learning and oracy.
Tempe Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Ester Wilson and executive-team leaders told the governing board they have completed several first-year tasks from the district's 2024'029 strategic plan and are moving other initiatives into planning or pilot phases.
"This plan takes us from 2024 to 2029," Dr. Wilson said as she introduced the board to year-one accomplishments and ongoing work across the plan's initiatives.
Executive-team leads described work across four strategic initiatives: academic achievement, financial responsibility and transparency, recruitment and retention, and culture and climate. Megan Sterling, chief of staff and strategic partnerships, described the district's public engagement and said the plan is based on community input gathered during a Delphi process that surveyed teachers, parents and students.
Under financial responsibility and transparency, the board heard that the district has begun monthly ADM (average daily membership) monitoring in the governing-board financial reports to show how enrollment affects budget assumptions. Staff also described an assembled staffing team focused on certified staffing monitoring, and a district committee to develop long-range plans for future capital overrides and bonds.
On recruitment and retention, Dr. Keller described a renewed emphasis on employee wellness (a wellness fair held March 24), development of "pathways to leadership" with a proposed fast-track administrative certificate program in partnership with Northern Arizona University and outreach to the Arizona Department of Education, and an automated evaluation system (Frontline Professional Growth) being piloted with classified staff and teacher evaluations at site.
The academic achievement initiative includes seven subcommittees covering assessment, curriculum, grading and graduation requirements, a portrait of a graduate and technology. Presenters Maggie and Emily gave a deeper dive on new instructional models that emphasize student choice, differentiation and a four-year sequence toward problem-based learning. Emily said year one focused on oracy and developing a district instructional playbook and one-page teacher resources to support implementation.
The culture and climate initiative has completed security and safety audits and is preparing a comprehensive school safety update for the board. The district also reported technology work on artificial intelligence guidance and a planned public-facing strategic-plan dashboard to post progress and metrics on the district website.
Board members asked for parent-friendly versions of the dashboard and for the district to examine whether historical ADM and exit surveys could shed light on past departures. Sterling and other staff said parent-friendly design and expanded outreach are priorities for the dashboard rollout.
Ending: The board received the update as an informational item; staff indicated multiple initiatives will return for future board review and public dashboard publication.
