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Canton Local unveils three‑year "one plan" and a new "Portrait of a Wildcat" framework
Summary
Jamie Brown presented Canton Local’s three‑year "one plan," which separates literacy and math goals, prioritizes attendance and will set a target to reduce chronic absenteeism 10% by 2029; the board heard a companion "Portrait of a Wildcat" describing four soft durable skills the district will measure by grade level.
Jamie Brown told the Canton Local Board of Education on March 16 that the district is consolidating its improvement work into a single three‑year "one plan" intended to simplify state reporting and sharpen local goals. "So it's a three‑year plan. We will improve the performance of all students in all grades at Canton Local to decrease 10% in chronic absenteeism as reported on the state report card," Brown said, describing a plan she said will be posted for public comment before the April 30 submission deadline.
Brown said the state-directed changes require the district to separate literacy and math into distinct topline goals rather than tracking both under a single instruction category. Under the proposed structure, attendance becomes a primary goal with PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) and graduation measures aligned beneath it. Brown said student measures will be paired with adult measures and that the district will use its building leadership team (BLT) and district leadership team (DT) to monitor progress.
The board also heard a presentation about a new "Portrait of a Wildcat," a visual and competency framework the design team created to capture soft, durable skills the district wants graduates to show. Brown summarized the four skills the team developed: adaptive thinking; community strength; purposeful communication; and resilient spirit. "A Cat thinks critically and creatively, remains open to new perspectives, and adjusts strategies confidently in a changing world," Brown said as an example of the adaptive‑thinking competency.
District staff said the portrait grew from survey input with families, staff, community partners and alumni and that the design and administrative leadership teams met several times since January to refine the language and visuals. Staff plans to pilot visuals on school buildings and to phase grade‑level definitions of what each skill looks like (for example, what resilient spirit looks like in kindergarten versus 12th grade) during the coming school year, then audit current practices to align discipline policy, PBIS matrices and incentives with the new framework.
Why it matters: Brown framed the shift as both a compliance and instructional move — responding to state guidance while aiming to make local goals clearer and measurable. Board members and staff repeatedly emphasized that the work will move beyond posters to audits of practices so the portrait is embedded in day‑to‑day instruction and student supports.
Next steps and public input: Brown said the draft plan and visuals will be posted on the district website for public comment and that the board will receive the materials before the public posting. The board will provide feedback prior to the district’s submission to the state, which the presenter said is due by the end of April.
