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Tempe Union board adopts strategic-plan timeline, asks for broad community input
Summary
The Tempe Union High School District board reviewed a timeline to develop a five-year strategic plan that will use community surveys and a Delphi-style design process; the board urged clear metrics, wider student participation and outreach to feeder districts.
The Tempe Union High School District governing board on Wednesday reviewed a proposed timeline to develop a five-year strategic plan and asked staff to broaden survey participation and clarify how progress will be measured.
Acting Superintendent Dr. Wilson told the board the district will begin surveying parents, staff, businesses and students in the coming weeks and use a Delphi-style method to gather diverse viewpoints. She said the design team will reconvene in late September, strategic initiatives and five-to-seven commitments per initiative will be developed, and the district expects to return a full plan for board feedback in April with community rollout in late spring and summer.
"I have to give credit to Dr. Maya Alexik, who introduced this Delphi study method," Dr. Wilson said, describing the technique as a way "to gather diverse viewpoints" when there is not a single true answer.
Board members pressed for specifics on how progress will be tracked. Member James thanked staff for the timeline and recommended starting with a five-year goal and working backward to define annual commitments and measurable indicators. "For each of the goals, we'll have things that we call key performance indicators," Dr. Wilson said; she and the executive team said they plan dashboards and checkpoints to report progress to the public.
Vice President Steele asked why only two of four planned questions were initially proposed for students; Dr. Wilson said the team could include all four questions if the board prefers and that the survey format is intended to stay concise for students. Member Hodge suggested incentives or contests to raise student response rates and asked that results be disaggregated by school; Dr. Wilson said the district can provide school-level breakdowns.
Board members also discussed recruiting community members for initiative committees, emphasizing diverse representation and a multi-year commitment. Dr. Wilson said invitations to committee members would go out beginning in November and that committee meetings would start later that month.
The board gave overall support to the timeline and asked staff to return with the metrics, selection criteria and communication plans discussed at the meeting.
