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Riverside Unified hires Baker Tilly to guide five-year strategic plan; board weighs mission, safety and equity priorities
Summary
Consultants from Baker Tilly presented a strategic-planning timeline and SWOT analysis to the Riverside Unified board, which spent the session debating mission-language, student well-being, co-teaching pilots and draft goal areas ahead of a June adoption.
Riverside Unified moved forward on its five-year strategic-plan process Tuesday, as contracted facilitators from Baker Tilly outlined outreach, timeline and draft priorities and board members debated mission language, student safety and measurable goals.
Baker Tilly facilitators told the board the planning process, launched with interviews, surveys and focus groups, will produce a draft for board review and community input ahead of anticipated adoption in June. "This plan is really gonna guide our work over the next five years," a facilitator said, outlining phases that include community open houses, virtual options and supplemental surveys.
Board members reviewed a high-level SWOT summary assembled from stakeholder feedback. Strengths listed included connected relationships and existing programs (arts, CTE); weaknesses included inconsistent data-driven decision-making, organizational fragmentation and variable perceptions of safety. Threats cited were funding volatility, public-trust challenges and specialized-staff shortages.
Trustees discussed whether to revise the district's foundational statements (model, mission, values). Several members supported retaining the current motto "extraordinary" while updating clearer outcomes and accountability measures; others urged more specificity about student safety, belonging and measurable achievement targets. Members broadly identified top goal areas as (1) student well-being, safety and belonging; (2) student achievement and learning outcomes; (3) college, career and workforce readiness; (4) equitable access to programs; and (5) family engagement and communication.
Facilitators emphasized that the strategic plan should be both aspirational and implementable, and that board input will guide priorities that in turn should influence budget decisions. Board members asked for more disaggregated achievement and program-participation data to support decisions and for virtual engagement options to broaden participation.
Next steps outlined by facilitators include an open house (date clarified during the meeting), additional cabinet reviews, community engagement events and iterative plan drafts back to the board before a final vote slated for June.
