Board hears strategic-planning findings after two-day community workshop; trustees weigh priorities on equity, zones and the Portrait of a Graduate

A consultant leading Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s strategic-planning process outlined results from a two-day community engagement held at Vanguard University and asked the board to start turning community input into formal priorities.

Sandy, the consultant, told trustees the district invited a broad cross section of stakeholders and reported about 123 participants. The consultant summarized top themes captured during table work and dot-voting: belonging (being known and seen), trust and safety, student voice and agency, and life-readiness skills such as financial literacy and AI/technology literacy.

The presentation framed those themes under a short set of "commitments" the community tested — summarized verbally as “all our students are seen, heard, supported and safe.” Sandy asked the board whether they wanted a concise overarching value statement and flagged the district role in holding staff accountable to implement any adopted statement.

Trustees used the consultant’s materials to probe challenges highlighted in the data. Trustee McElroy and others pointed to a system gap in identifying students (for example missed LPAC testing) and urged stronger district systems to catch those oversights. Trustee Pearson and others raised a specific transfer-data concern, noting some schools’ college-going rates differed sharply; parent Cole Krasilius had earlier urged the board to examine school transfer data, saying 39% of students zoned for College Park are attending elsewhere.

Board members discussed "zones" as a construct that had surfaced repeatedly in community feedback. Several trustees said they want to preserve neighborhood identity while ensuring consistent high expectations and equitable resource allocation across zones. Trustees and staff identified transfer policy and communications as levers to address perceived gaps in zone reputation and enrollment choices.

Sandy described the "Portrait of a Graduate" work the community completed in three domains — academic/cognitive, personal and interpersonal — and said community participants prioritized human-centered "soft" skills (collaboration, conflict resolution, communication) alongside academic proficiency. Trustees described the portrait as a possible measure for what the district values and suggested that the board decide final language and measures.

The consultant and trustees noted that the strategic elements are meant to be measurable and integrated with existing documents such as the district’s LCAP and other plans; staff will return with draft language and implementation options. Sandy said the next steps include aggregating input, drafting a proposal, circulating it to the community participants who attended the workshop for validation, and then returning the refined draft to the board for final word-smithing and adoption.

The board set expectations for the timeline: this year for plan development and next year to finalize how the district will accomplish the priorities.

The meeting then shifted to the bike-safety agenda item.

Ending: The board moved from the strategic-planning discussion to the bike-safety item; staff will produce draft language and next steps for how the consultant’s recommendations, the LCAP, and other district plans will be aligned and returned to the board for further action.