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Brentwood Board Hears Five-Year "Graduation Plus" Strategic Plan; Student Voices Highlighted
Summary
Dr. Vincent Leone outlined the Brentwood Union Free School District's five-year Graduation Plus strategic plan, citing alignment with board goals, four strategic charge areas, and extensive stakeholder outreach; a West Middle School student read a poem to illustrate the initiative in practice.
Dr. Vincent Leone, the district's director of programs and policy, presented the Brentwood Union Free School District's five-year Graduation Plus course strategic plan to the Board of Education at a workshop on Nov. 6.
Leone said the plan aligns with board goals including student achievement and equity, whole-child development, family and community partnerships, staff excellence and operational effectiveness. "We are here tonight to talk about the 5 year course strategic plan Graduation Plus," he said, framing the initiative as a districtwide effort to ensure every student earns a —plus— credential such as a certification, licensure, dual college credit or capstone experience.
The plan centers on four strategic charge areas and two fundamental foci: helping students learn about themselves and one another, and applying learning to real-world scenarios. Leone emphasized that the plan is meant to be accountable and adaptable: it will use dashboards and aligned data systems to monitor progress and to adjust when goals are not met.
Leone described substantial stakeholder engagement during plan development. He reported that more than 6,000 stakeholders completed a Graduation Plus survey, 10,000 secondary students completed a Naviance career-cluster inventory, over 1,800 professional staff participated in immersive working sessions, and district teams recorded more than 20,000 touch points during outreach and planning.
To illustrate Graduation Plus in action, West Middle School student Dominic Peterson read a personal —Where I'm From' poem for the board and later told attendees he felt heard by the project. "I felt like I had a voice when sharing my culture and my background," Dominic said.
Board members and administrators praised the plan's emphasis on ownership and clarity. Members commended the district's effort to —declutter— overlapping initiatives so resources focus on the plan's stated goals. The board and superintendent were encouraged to continue visible support and outreach so that students, families and staff remain engaged.
No formal board action was taken on the plan at the workshop. The presentation included references to ongoing pilot work at the high school and to state-level graduation measures; administrators said the district is positioned to contribute to statewide pilot efforts for project-based learning and assessment.
