Beech Grove pursues district strategic plan to compete for Lilly Endowment funds

Laura Kimmick, superintendent of Beech Grove City Schools, outlined the district's strategic planning work and its role in applying for a three‑phase Lilly Endowment grant during the Feb. 11 board meeting.

Kimmick said every Marion County district received a $50,000 planning grant in Phase 1. She told the board that Phase 2, an implementation allocation calculated at $500 per student, produced a $1,340,000 allocation for Beech Grove; the district submitted its Phase 2 application on the Monday before the meeting. If invited to Phase 3, districts may submit a five‑page concept paper by April and a full proposal by August; award notifications are expected by December 2025. Kimmick said Beech Grove's maximum Phase 3 request would be $25,000,000.

The superintendent presented progress on a comprehensive strategic plan the district is developing with Education Elements and a local steering committee. The plan is scheduled to be completed in March, with a full implementation plan presented to the board in June. Kimmick said the board should expect monthly updates tied to measurable outcomes once implementation begins.

Kimmick described engagement to date: eight focus groups with 91 participants and nearly 2,000 responses to the first community survey. She said the steering committee includes district leaders, teachers, students, parents and a board representative (Tara). Mary Story, the district's Director of Teaching and Learning, is part of the project team facilitating the work.

District staff have identified four strategic goal areas: community engagement and communication; wellness and belonging; teaching and learning; and leadership and development. Kimmick said the planning process is using a design thinking approach (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) and that the second survey iteration asks stakeholders to prioritize strategies.

Kimmick described the Lilly Endowment opportunity as potentially transformational and said she views securing Phase 3 funding as "the greatest professional responsibility of my career." She asked the board to hold administration accountable to monthly progress reporting on the plan's measurable outcomes.

No board action was required or taken on the strategy or grant application at the Feb. 11 meeting; Kimmick said she expects to return with updates after the endowment reviews the Phase 2 submission.