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El Monte board asks staff to distill strategic-plan priorities after broad discussion on academics, engagement and digital citizenship
Summary
Trustees discussed a long list of candidate priorities — including an academic 'floor' for readiness, student engagement/real-world learning, digital citizenship/AI literacy, leadership development and enrollment concerns — and directed staff to return with three to five focused goals and measurable indicators.
At the same March 31 study session, the El Monte City School District Board of Education spent substantial time identifying and debating candidate priority areas that will drive the district's strategic plan and budget alignment.
Dr. Susette Lovely, the district's strategic planning consultant, told trustees that boards should limit top priorities so staff and schools can focus implementation. "If everything is important, nothing is important," she said, urging the group to select three to five "wildly important goals" with clear success indicators. Lovely recommended success measures that translate the board's 'what' into staff 'who' and 'how.'
Trustees proposed a range of possible priorities, repeatedly returning to three themes: a defined academic "floor" (clear, districtwide expectations for literacy and numeracy to ensure students are prepared for high school), student engagement and real-world/strength-based learning opportunities, and digital citizenship/AI literacy. Several trustees also raised facility and resource alignment, leadership development for staff, and concerns about declining enrollment.
Trustees emphasized alignment to receiving high schools: board members asked staff to show what students must know and be able to do when they transition to the next district level, and how the proposed priorities link to that readiness. One trustee urged that the district's many programs be pruned or aligned to the priorities so staff are not "distracted" by too many competing initiatives.
The board gave staff homework: compile the trustees' suggestions, propose three to five top priority areas and recommend measurable metrics and brief descriptors for each. Staff will return with a distilled set of priorities and proposed indicators to help the board choose final goals.
What happens next: staff will use the meeting input to produce a prioritized list (three to five goals), include suggested success indicators, and present that package to the board for selection and budget alignment.
