Durango district frames community-driven strategic plan, says transparency is priority
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Summary
Durango School District No. 9-R leaders previewed a community-driven strategic plan and said an externally funded grant and broad stakeholder engagement will guide a five-year implementation and monitoring process. Superintendent addressed circulating misinformation and pledged ongoing transparency and reporting.
Durango School District No. 9-R Superintendent Dr. Chesler opened the meeting by previewing a new, community-driven strategic plan and urging the public to come to district staff with questions after recent social-media and mailer misinformation circulated. "Before we discuss that plan and the exciting progress we're making as a district, I need to address some serious misinformation that has been... circulating in the mailers, texts, and social media posts," Dr. Chesler said.
Dr. Chesler told the board the plan is the result of broad community input and will focus on student academic progress, safety, and family engagement. "This is a community driven commitment to constantly doing more and better for our students," she said. Staff said the district will use listening sessions, surveys and stakeholder meetings to refine priorities and translate them into actionable goals over the next five years.
Staff reported the strategic-plan process is assisted by an external grant and by consultants from CEI; staff singled out "Paul and his team" from CEI for support in facilitating community engagement and said the district values the group's experience in statewide educational innovation. "This was provided through grant... they are assisting us with our next step with our strategic plan," a staff presenter said.
Board members and staff discussed monitoring and public reporting once the plan is adopted. Staff said the plan will not be a static booklet but will include periodic public implementation updates and impact checks; the district intends to produce executive summaries and quarterly monitoring reports on progress toward plan goals. Staff also asked the board to consider standalone community "state of the district" events to broaden public participation and keep the plan visible.
The presentation included repeated commitments to transparency and parent engagement; staff said they will continue to involve parents, teachers and students in decision-making about supports for students with disabilities, English learners and other targeted interventions. No formal board action or vote on the strategic plan occurred at the meeting.
What happens next: staff said community-review meetings remain scheduled during design- and planning phases, and the district will return to the board with implementation timelines and monitoring reports. The district did not set a formal adoption date for the strategic plan during the session.