SAUSD superintendent presents draft strategic plan; board focuses on literacy, CTE and wellness

Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Perez on Tuesday presented a draft strategic plan and a community-shaped graduate profile to the Santa Ana Unified School District board, asking members to confirm priorities and guide next steps.

Perez said the draft reflects months of one-on-one conversations with each board member and broad community work: "This special board meeting just so that our public knows, it does look different," she told the board, adding the slides are intentionally labeled a draft while staff refine metrics and actions.

The plan groups district work into four priorities: student achievement, wellness, family and community engagement, and organizational effectiveness. Perez said the academic strand is anchored by three measurable goals: students reading on grade level by third grade, accelerated English-learner progress with reclassification by fifth grade, and college-and-career readiness driven by internships, CTE pathways, AP courses and dual enrollment.

Board members pressed for clarity about the budget implications. "Point to the lines in our budget where we're investing our money that's actually gonna help us reach this goal," said a board member, arguing the budget must make the priorities visible and defensible to the community. Perez and staff said literacy coaches are a principal investment; staff reported state grant funding is currently available for a limited term and the district will model multi-year support before relying on general funds.

The board also discussed how the college-and-career goal can include CTE students without narrowing their options. Perez said the district intends to make CTE courses a-g approved where possible so pathway coursework counts toward university eligibility while preserving vocational options.

Perez asked the board for consensus to convert the draft into a formal action item in a future agenda packet, and several members signaled support for bringing a finalized proposal back for adoption and website posting.

The board did not vote at the meeting. Next procedural steps are drafting a formal agenda item and producing the budget alignments and implementation timelines staff were asked to return with.

The presentation included a short video and parent testimony about the co-design process for the mission, vision and graduate profile, which parents and board members said strengthened community ownership of district goals.