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D-51 unveils final draft five-year strategic plan with ambitious academic, wellness and staffing targets
Summary
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 trustees heard a final-draft strategic plan that sets measurable five-year targets — including a 2030 goal that 90% of schools be in the top state performance tier, reductions in chronic absenteeism, and staff satisfaction improvements — and staff said implementation teams and monthly reporting will follow approval.
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 officials presented a final draft of a five-year strategic plan that sets aggressive, measurable goals for academics, student wellness, staff retention and district operations and will return to the board for a vote on the 17th.
Dr. Carter, the district’s outside strategy lead, told the board the plan was built from “over 9,000 student surveys, over 2,000 family surveys, over 1,400 teacher surveys, [and] 224 in-depth interviews,” calling it “the most robust data collection of any strategic plan” he has been part of. The plan centers on four focus areas: prepared and supported students; wellness and belonging; prepared and supported staff; and effective district operations.
The academic priorities include a headline target that by 2030 the district will have 90% of its schools in the highest state performance category and a suite of grade-band metrics (early literacy through high school) to track progress. On student supports, presenters proposed cutting chronic absenteeism from 37% to 17% and raising average daily attendance to 97% in elementary, 95% in middle and 92% in high schools.
Board members pressed for detail on how targets were set and implemented. When a trustee asked why staff-resource targets were set at 85% rather than 100%, Dr. Carter said the team used current TLCC baseline data and “we just want to do like that 1% more per year” as a realistic five-year incremental plan, adding that targets can be adjusted upward if they are met early.
On staff retention and recruitment, the plan calls for “a 20% improvement” in unfavorable job‑satisfaction responses and for job‑embedded professional learning to bolster retention; presenters said the district will form operational “core teams” that meet monthly and produce 90‑day implementation plans and periodic reports to the board. The plan also proposes a 10% increase in community partnerships and performance measures tied to staff perceptions of workspace and resource adequacy.
The board and staff emphasized that tonight’s presentation was informational only and that the document will be refined with the board’s feedback before a scheduled vote. Dr. Carter recommended follow-up and continued accountability, and board members said they expect monthly updates once the plan is approved.
The board did not take any binding action on the plan at the session; staff said the vote is scheduled for the board’s next meeting.
