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Charles County Public Schools presents draft 2025–2029 strategic plan, seeks board feedback
Summary
Superintendent Maria Navarro and staff outlined a four‑priority draft strategy built from more than 3,000 community responses and stakeholder retreats; board members pressed for measurable middle‑school metrics, clearer family engagement strategies and workforce pipelines.
Charles County Public Schools officials presented a draft of the district'wide strategic plan for 2025'2029 at the June 23 work session, asking the board for feedback ahead of an August vote to adopt the final plan.
The draft centers on four priorities: instructional outcomes to prepare students for college and careers; safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments; recruitment and retention of a diverse, effective workforce; and strengthened partnerships with families and community organizations. Superintendent Maria Navarro and presenter Chris Miller said the draft grew from ‘‘over 3,000 different responses'from teachers, families, students and community members’’ collected via virtual and in-person engagements, plus a 28-member retreat in April that prioritized the four goals.
District leaders said the plan aligns with the Maryland State Department of Education blueprint and is intended to include measurable outcomes tied to the state'provided metrics. Miller described draft strategies and example metrics: raising participation in advanced-placement, early-college and career-technical education programs, expanding dual-language and Seal of Biliteracy pathways, strengthening mental and behavioral health supports and formalizing transitions for students between school levels. Navarro said the district plans to return with a final draft at the August board meeting so the plan can launch for 2025–2029.
Board members broadly praised the outreach and the draft'but pressed for more specificity and clarity on measurement. Student board member Sam Burke and board member Jamila Smith both asked for concrete metrics and for the plan to include middle-school benchmarks, especially for dual-language and biliteracy progress that now focuses primarily on high school. Smith requested a middle-school metric tied to preparations for the Seal of Biliteracy so early instruction is aligned with the high-school credential.
Board members including Tamisha Thomas and Bella Washington asked the district to build continuous improvement processes into partnerships with higher-education institutions and employers, and to expand 'Grow Your Own' workforce pipelines that help paraeducators, instructional assistants and other support staff become licensed teachers. Several directors noted scheduling conflicts that can limit students'ability to complete both CTE pathways and early-college programs, and asked staff to explore virtual scheduling and transportation solutions that would reduce conflicts.
On safety and wellbeing, the board discussed targeted supports at transition points (e.g., elementary'to'middle and middle'to'high school), stronger alignment with local behavioral-health resources, and whether volunteer onboarding and partner coordination could be streamlined. Navarro and Miller said the district is examining lessons from community schools and MSDE supports that could be scaled across more schools.
Board members also emphasized tailoring professional development by role and tenure (new versus tenured staff) and improving mentoring and coaching for all staff. Several members recommended explicitly naming 'who' will be accountable for delivering metrics, and asked for the district's next draft to include clearer milestones and responsibilities.
District staff said the draft already includes example targets tied to the state blueprint and reiterated the goal of framing the plan as a narrative about the characteristics the district expects a Charles County Public Schools student to have by 2029. Miller said metrics will include both participation rates (AP, CTE completers, dual enrollment) and growth-oriented measures (stretch growth targets) and that the district continues to refine how progress is measured and reported to families.
The board did not vote on the plan at the meeting; members were asked to submit final comments to staff in advance of the August meeting when a vote is planned. Navarro said staff will collect board feedback and community input between now and the August meeting to finalize performance measures and implementation steps.
