West ISD 2017 Strategic Planning Team Work
Building Futures... Together!
Back in the fall of 2017, the West Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees and Leadership Team held several planning sessions and discussions about the future of the school district. With the completion of the new West Middle and High School campus, the district's attention turned to other areas of need. Topics included student and community growth projections, facility needs, teaching and learning initiatives, technology implementation, staffing, state and federal accountability mandates, and budget needs. Through this work, goals and actions statements were crafted, but West ISD believed the vision needed to be shared and discussed with a much larger cross section of the community of West.
On October 2, 2017, letters were mailed to over 100 staff, parents, community members, and business leaders calling for their membership on the new West ISD Strategic Planning Team (SPT). Membership was even open on a volunteer basis for any interested stakeholders. The goal of this team was to help draft an action plan with recommendations to our Board for consideration and approval in several areas across West ISD. From discussing how we envisioned educating our youngest learners at Grades Prekindergarten through Grade 5 to completing the vision of our new Athletic Complex to discussing options for tuition-free dual credit at West High School to brainstorming ways to improve existing or infuse new teaching and learning strategies, West ISD desired to discuss any and all ways to help insure West ISD was the school district of choice for all current and new families.
The district believed the strategic planning process was the way to go. Strategic Planning helped (1). Maintain focus on our vision, mission, and goals, (2). Ensure effective use of resources, (3). Provide additional opportunities to interact with and educate our many stakeholders, (4). Use a formal process for developing and analyzing a plan (including fiscal impacts), (5). Provide support for West ISD as an integral part of the community, (6). Document district improvements, and (7). Provide the “why” about every piece of the plan.
The West ISD Strategic Planning Team met four times during the months of October and November 2017. The breakout session topics included:
- Tuition-Free Dual Credit Program Partnerships
- T-STEM Designation and Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Strand Planning
- New Athletic Complex Planning
- New West Elementary School Planning
- 21st Century Teaching and Learning Initiatives
- Staff Compensation, Retention, and Wellness Planning
- School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) Initiatives
- Board of Trustees Presentation
- Resolution Action Statements with Addendum(s)
- Resolution Action Statements: Voting Results