Newport-Mesa board adopts 2026'031 strategic plan; staff to return with metrics

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District board voted to approve a five-year strategic plan for 2026–2031 after brief public comment and trustee edits. Trustee Crane moved to approve the plan "as edited tonight," and the motion carried on a roll-call vote.

Parent and school-site council member Chelsea Cody Waters urged the board to define "equity" and include measurable metrics. "However, there's no definition of equity in the document or metric or even a semblance of a framework for a metric to measure equity," she said, asking the board to ensure the plan's language is operationalized.

Superintendent Smith told the board the plan will be followed by staff-developed strategic actions and metrics for board consideration. "The board will establish what the strategic plan is. Then staff will work on strategic actions that we'll bring before the board with metrics, with accountability," Smith said, adding that the board would assess whether those actions met the mark.

Trustees discussed small wording changes suggested during the meeting, including edits to the "portrait of a graduate" and replacing the term "fundraising" with "fund development" in the resources section. Trustee Anderson pressed for clarity on how the plan would be tied to superintendent goals and staff accountability; the superintendent responded that annual goals and the evaluation process would provide that link.

The board moved and approved the plan with the edits discussed; staff will return with implementation steps, recommended metrics and timelines for board review. The motion to approve was made by Trustee Crane and seconded by Trustee Anderson; the chair announced the approval by roll call.