Miami‑Dade board reviews framework, timeline for next strategic plan
Summary
Superintendent and staff presented a two‑year strategic planning framework for Miami‑Dade County Public Schools emphasizing community input, a dual measure structure and a timeline that includes a December workshop and a May 2026 board review.
Superintendent Jerry told the Miami‑Dade County Public Schools board at a Oct. 20 workshop that the district’s next strategic plan will be built “with” — not just for — the community and will center on connecting district operations to measurable outcomes.
The board reviewed a framework staff said was grounded in two years of outreach and nearly 200,000 completed surveys. Staff described a model that separates strategic goals from ongoing performance measures and presented a timeline that includes a December leadership workshop, cabinet retreats in early 2026 and a final plan to the board in May 2026.
The framework staff presented organizes planning around four components: community voice, an organizational diagnostic, a limited set of strategic objectives using an objectives-and-key-results approach, and a broader set of performance KPIs to monitor core business outcomes. “This new approach is rigorously researched and draws from the major bodies of work that have been proven successful in private and public sectors and in some of the most competitive environments nationally and globally,” Administrative Director for Strategic Planning Alex Ramirez said during his presentation.
Superintendent Jerry framed the work as building an “educational ecosystem” that treats community partners as co‑educators and connects schools to internships, apprenticeships and other real‑world experiences. He told the board: “We are all in the business of educating our students.” Staff said the dual‑measure design will allow a small set of strategic measures to be time‑bound and flexible while a larger set of performance measures will continue to monitor student achievement, enrollment, financial stability and other business outcomes.
Staff outlined the engagement behind the framework: multiple surveys and focus groups, a pilot Canvas Miami co‑creation effort with nine schools (one in each voting district), cabinet and senior leader sessions, and one‑on‑one conversations with each board member. Staff said the surveys and focus groups were offered in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole to broaden participation.
Board members used the workshop to raise implementation concerns and scheduling questions. Staff said they will continue one‑on‑one conversations, run an optional thought‑exchange survey to gather member reactions to draft language, and return with refined materials at the next leadership touchpoint. Tiffany Pauline, one of the district’s planning leads, said the goal for this phase is to “walk away with maybe a very high level rough, rough, rough draft of our why that we can refine for our December workshop.”
The board did flag calendar limits: several members cautioned that December is a busy holiday month and suggested early January as an alternative for a follow‑up discussion. Staff said they would seek board availability while continuing targeted engagement.
The workshop concluded with staff reiterating next steps: continued one‑on‑one board conversations, a December (or early January) workshop focused on the portrait of a graduate and guiding policy, cabinet work to translate strategy into measurable objectives in early 2026, and a draft plan for board consideration in May 2026.
Less urgent items discussed later in the meeting included operational priorities such as real estate alignment, artificial intelligence planning and proposed changes to family and community engagement workflows that staff said will simplify partner affiliation processes.
