Stow‑Munroe Falls board kicks off 2026 strategic‑plan process with Impact Group facilitators

The Stow‑Munroe Falls City School District Board of Education on Aug. 21 began a districtwide strategic‑planning process aimed at producing a new plan by 2026, with consultants from the Impact Group facilitating board visioning, stakeholder focus groups and surveys.

Consultants Doreen Osman and Phil Herman said the work will run in three phases: leadership visioning (already begun), broad stakeholder engagement with focus groups and surveys, and drafting goals, objectives and measurable action steps for the board to approve. "This is not Impact Group's strategic plan…This is a strategic plan that's going to reflect input in the priorities of your school community," Osman said during the kickoff.

Superintendent Dr. Gould said the timeline drove the early start. "The reason we're starting this process now is because the strategic plan is up in 2026," Dr. Gould said, adding that beginning engagement now creates time to collect feedback and refine draft goals before adoption. Board members pressed whether beginning before a November board election risked duplicating work if membership changes; one board member warned, "everything we talk about tonight could be moot," but consultants and the superintendent said new members can weigh in during focus groups and in the revision phase.

Board members and facilitators outlined the expected community engagement methods: district and parent surveys, staff surveys, focus groups at each elementary school, interviews with key stakeholders (mayor, police chief, state legislators if appropriate) and one‑on‑one meetings. Dr. Gould and the Impact Group said the contract with Impact Group was selected from multiple proposals and that the $34,000 fee "did not cost the district any additional monies" because it was drawn from educational‑service‑center and foundation funds.

During a facilitated SWOT exercise, members flagged district strengths—career and technical education pathways, strong arts and extracurricular programs, award‑winning teachers and close nonprofit partnerships—and growth areas including aging facilities, communications gaps since the loss of a local newspaper, inconsistent internal processes, and the need for clearer, measurable goals. Board members identified external threats such as possible state or ballot changes to property‑tax authority, freezing or reductions in federal special‑education funds (noted by a participant as a multi‑million‑dollar exposure), and declining enrollment that could force staffing cuts.

Several members urged explicit inclusion of union leadership in staff engagement. One board member asked the consultants to "be very, careful to include the union," and Impact Group representatives said union leaders will be invited to participate in focus groups and that staff surveys and one‑on‑ones will provide alternative avenues for input.

Consultants described three deliverables for the board: a concise goals/objectives document for board approval, a working implementation plan with action steps and measurement, and a poster/communications package for public display and social sharing. They recommended twice‑annual reporting on progress to keep the plan from "sitting on a shelf." The facilitators said they expect to run the outreach and synthesis over the next four to five months, starting with leadership meetings in September.

The board closed the session with a motion to adjourn that was seconded and approved by roll call. The next formal planning step will be the leadership‑team meeting to schedule the district’s focus groups and surveys.