District 33 sees gains in strategic management survey; vice president urges continued progress

At the May 7, 2026 meeting of the West Chicago Elementary School District 33 Board of Education, Cathy Park, the district's Director of Assessment and Accountability, presented an overview of the Strategic Management Survey and reported increases in nearly every dimension measured between 2024 and 2025.

Park described the survey framework, which measures eight dimensions of strategic management on a maturity scale from Level 1 (no implementation/plan) to Level 5 (continuous improvement). She told the board that the district improved in most dimensions and maintained its leadership rating; stakeholders including the board, administrative council, faculty advisory committee, classified action team and building leadership teams will complete the survey in May with results to be returned to the board at a future meeting.

Vice President Morgan Banasiak, reflecting on the school year, highlighted facility upgrades and program expansions that she said illustrate district progress. Banasiak said, "For me, this is a time to take a moment and reflect on what District 33 has done this past year... From these efforts, we have a beautiful soccer field right outside these doors. There are more after-school programs at all the schools, and we have a new partnership to help with these programs. McCauley School is in the process of getting a huge facelift... Preschool is being streamlined to better prepare our littlest students for kindergarten... A new reading program has been implemented, and our administration has just started working with the high school to streamline classes for high school credits."

Why it matters: The survey is intended to monitor district performance against action plans and to guide continuous improvement across curriculum, leadership, operations and family engagement. Park's presentation signals the administration's intent to track progress empirically and to return measurable results to the board.

Board action and next steps: Park said stakeholders will complete the survey in May; she will present aggregated results at a subsequent board meeting. The board took no vote on the survey presentation itself.

Also at the meeting, the board issued Board Salutes recognizing substitute teachers and classroom staff for their service. No public comment was recorded.

The district will return with complete Strategic Management Survey results at a future meeting, and the board will continue to monitor implementation as part of the five-year strategic plan.