Strategic Planning Committee

Overview & Purpose:

The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) is a standing committee directed by the Lakeland
Joint School District (LJSD) Board of Trustees. 
The purpose of the SPC will be to establish and maintain a long-term strategic plan for the
district, focusing on the ongoing goals of the school district. The main product of this team will
be the LJSD “Strategic Plan”, a document that will span two (2), five (5) and ten (10) year
plans for operations and academic programming in the district.
To support the work, the SPC will establish guiding principles for decision making, identify the
core areas that will make-up the plan, and create subcommittees to complete research or
planning on any given topic that contributes to the overall plan. Due to the comprehensive and
complex nature of this ongoing work, it’s expected that several standing subcommittees will be
established and maintained longer than what is typical for a project-focused subcommittee. For
example, a subcommittee focused on creating school choice within our district may exist for a
school year, but a subcommittee focused on monitoring enrollment and attendance, or
curriculum development, may need to be ongoing.

Team Composition:

The SPC will be led by the Superintendent or designee. District-level academic directors, the Curriculum Director and Federal Programs Director will be highly involved in this group. Trustees of the Board will always be invited to attend and encouraged to participate. Board-designated representatives will be included as members of the core SPC, and would be expected to participate regularly and keep track of the progress of the group. Members of sub-committees will be chosen by the core SPC.

All SPC meetings will be open to the public, and open for public comment & participation.
Because public attendance varies greatly meeting-to-meeting, it will be the core SPC that will be
responsible to bring formal recommendations to the board, with input from any public
comment/participation along the way.

Focus Areas of the SPC and Strategic Plan:

Some focus areas of the SPC and the Strategic Plan would be:
Academic Programming & Performance
● Ongoing long-range academic goals & monitoring measures
● Identification of barriers to academic achievement and creation of subcommittees to
work on solutions
Funding and Community Priorities

● Research and communicate with the LJSD community about levies and funding-
ultimately aiming to create channels for two-way communication and information sharing to guide decision making about levies and where money is being spent.
Enrollment & Schedules
● Explore and create school choice options that match community values/needs, including
online education opportunities.
● Explore scheduling options such as the 4-day week, creative PD opportunities, etc
Safety & Security
● Establish and monitor district-level goals for school safety & security.
Other
● Any other goals directed by the Board of Trustees or identified by the Superintendent.

Mission:

The Mission of the Strategic Planning Committee is to develop and maintain a long-term
strategic plan that strengthens student learning and district operations across LJSD.
(Draft) Guiding Principles:
● Students first. Every recommendation is measured against how well it serves students'
learning, safety, and wellbeing, and the staff who support them.
● Plan with data, not just instinct. Recommendations are grounded in evidence such as
enrollment and achievement trends, and documented community input rather than
assumptions or short-term pressures.
● Steward the community's investment. Each recommendation weighs long-term
impacts, and keeps outcomes in the forefront. Ultimately, we are responsible for
equipping our students to be contributing members of our community.
● Think long-term. Options are evaluated against both their near- and long-term
implications, favoring solutions that stay sound even if enrollment and community needs
change.
● Plan in the open. The committee works transparently, meetings open to the public,
decisions and their rationale documented, and community input actively sought and
carried forward to the Board.