Board shown progress‑monitoring plan for MMSD Excellence Together; staff propose two annual stepbacks and monthly updates

The district’s research, assessment and improvement office presented a detailed update on MMSD Excellence Together, the five‑year strategic plan, focusing on how the board and district will monitor progress.

Research Director Brie Monahan summarized the plan’s structure: three board‑approved performance objectives (academic achievement, student sense of belonging, and college credit/credential attainment), five focus areas that organize strategies and KPIs, and strategy teams that will identify implementation data. Monahan proposed a monitoring cadence for the board: two annual comprehensive "stepbacks" (one in August reviewing prior‑year summative data, one in February as a midyear snapshot), plus monthly informational updates tied to specific strategies so the board has context when it conducts the comprehensive reviews.

District staff said they will set annual KPI targets and five‑year performance objectives after baselines are complete and will build a project‑management function and public reporting products (dashboards, infographics) to support transparency. Board members asked how the district will judge when to continue, pivot or stop strategies, how to align progress monitoring with budget calendars, and how peer districts and research evidence would be used to set realistic but aspirational goals.

Staff said many details remain in development — including baselines and leading indicators — and invited board feedback on aligning board meetings and work‑group topics with the monitoring cadence.