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Orange County Schools unveils draft five‑year strategic plan ‘Engage Orange’ after broad community input
Summary
The district presented 'Engage Orange: Building Foundations, Inspiring Futures,' a community‑driven five‑year strategic plan organized around four pillars (graduate readiness, whole‑student supports, staff development, and operational excellence); staff opened a public feedback window and will return the revised plan for board consideration on June 15.
Orange County Schools on Monday previewed a draft five‑year strategic plan the district says was built from extensive community engagement and student input, and set a timeline for public feedback and board adoption.
District staff described Engage Orange: Building Foundations, Inspiring Futures as a plan organized around four aligned pillars — prepare students for life after graduation, engage the whole student in safe and supportive learning environments, cultivate and retain excellent staff, and maximize operational excellence. Mariah Morris and colleagues said the draft reflects more than 600 survey responses, multiple listening sessions and student roundtables at each high school. “The portrait of a graduate and the Orange County Schools experience are the foundation of the plan,” staff said, noting that performance indicators and a continuous improvement model will guide annual reporting and accountability.
The district emphasized student voice: staff reported student roundtables at Cedar Ridge and Orange High (roughly 15 students per session) that produced candid feedback on discipline fairness, clarity of the student code of conduct and recommendations for administrator training. Equity task force members and nonprofit partners including Boomerang Youth spoke about alternatives to suspension and increasing family access to task force work.
Staff outlined the accountability approach: performance indicators aligned to 'best in North Carolina' metrics will be baselined at the end of the 2025–26 school year and reported annually. The draft will be posted for public review on the district website beginning May 19, with a feedback survey open through June 2. Staff said they will return a revised plan for the board’s consideration and possible adoption at the June 15 Board of Education meeting.
Board members asked about how to communicate the plan so families understand what it means for students and noted that some performance indicators will require multi‑departmental collaboration and, potentially, additional funding. Staff said baselines will be established this year and that the plan is designed as a living framework to guide continuous improvement rather than a single, static set of goals.
