Presented and Approved at the October 14, 2024 Board of Education Meeting
Presentation from Board of Education Meeting

2024-2025 Goal Theme - Set a long-term vision while continuing near-term improvement efforts. 

The district will engage in a community-wide strategic planning process that sets a five-year vision for our schools. In the meantime, the district will continue a variety of continuous improvement efforts relating to data collection practices, academic programs, personnel support, professional development, and operations. 

The district will continue the 2023-24 strategic planning efforts, engaging stakeholders to develop a new five-year vision and strategic plan for implementation in the 2025-26 school year. 

Actions that will indicate progress toward attaining this goal may include:

1. Engaging with a consultant to serve as a strategic planning partner. 

2. Building a strategic planning timeline that includes data collection, vision development, strategic goals, and action plans. The timeline should accommodate the 2025-26 budget development timelines so that Year 1 actions are funded appropriately. 

3. Incorporating the following priorities within the strategic plan: 

   1. The articulation of a Profile of a Graduate from RHS that addresses the whole child, including academics, arts, extracurriculars, and athletics. 

   2. The articulation of the role that generative artificial intelligence and machine learning will play in our vision for student outcomes, strategy and programs

   3. The articulation of an updated college admissions/post-high school graduate advisement process

   4. The articulation of a coherent strategy to address mental health needs of students and professionals

   5. The exploration of curricular, programmatic, and structural options to ensure that our K-12 offerings prepare students for a rapidly changing future, possibly to include internships, field placements, and exposure to various professions through collaboration with alumni and local residents.

   6. Inclusive efforts that are designed to ensure a strong sense of belonging for all students and to create a welcoming environment for families, faculty members, and school leaders from diverse backgrounds. 

   7. Prioritizing the responsible maintenance and development of all district properties by conducting a comprehensive evaluation of all properties and facilities. 

4. Integrating the planning outcomes in the 2025 State of the Schools Address. 

5. Educating families regarding our efforts using the district website and social media accounts. Strategies may include parent education events and FAQ documents for areas of interest, such as rankings and ratings, reading acquisition, etc.

To achieve excellence, RPS must ensure that students receive appropriate academic, social-emotional, and behavioral support. 

Actions that will indicate progress toward attaining this goal may include:

1. Establish and leverage a university partnership to assist in evaluating opportunities to increase the inclusive qualities of our schools and to assist in continuing analysis of:

   1. The proportionality of student diversity (racial, ethnic, economic, gender, neurological, physical, and developmental backgrounds) and possible barriers to student success within:

      1. Course enrollments

      2. Extracurricular/Intramural activities

      3. Discipline rates

      4. Attendance and tardiness

      5. Survey responses

      6. Academic outcomes

   2. The racial, cultural, and gender diversity among district and contracted vendor employees within various job classifications.

2. Norm and align the efforts of school diversity, equity, and inclusion committees.

3. Identify support needed for faculty, staff, and school leaders in developing an understanding of the unique needs of students from various backgrounds.

4. Evaluate existing systems of academic, social, emotional, and behavioral support and identify needed areas of capacity building.

5. Evaluate district child study team practices and special education services to ensure that special needs students and their families are appropriately supported throughout the classification/declassification process, placement determinations, and school transitions.

6. Identify opportunities to strengthen and formalize the district's gifted and talented programs to ensure that exceptional learners are consistently identified and provided with the appropriate support and resources.

7. Explore intramural sports as an alternative athletic outlet for students. 

Align all content area scope and sequences, resources, and practices with consideration of peer-reviewed research and evidence-based programs.

Actions that will indicate progress toward attaining this goal may include:

1. Embed the RPS Habits of Work in classroom instruction, assessment, grade reporting, and school procedures, where appropriate. 

2. Assess and develop a schedule to implement aligned common assessments across all grade levels and subjects, ensuring consistent progress monitoring and data-driven instructional decisions.

3. Remain focused on program evaluations for K-5 ELA and K-12 Math 

4. Develop accessible parent curriculum resources in the form of 1-page course overviews, infographics, and FAQ documents. 

5. Align efforts to ensure evidence-based practices in reading and writing acquisition, generative AI, math learning, and Habits of Work instruction. 

Actions that will indicate progress toward attaining this goal may include:

1. Establish a 2025-26 budget projection that ensures that planned expenditures are fully funded, including preventive maintenance 

2. Develop a comprehensive 2025-26 budgetary presentation that includes a multi-year trend analysis of prior revenues and expenditures, as well as a projection of financial trends for multiple years in the future. 

3. Complete a facilities needs assessment that:

   1. Gives consideration to prior studies

   2. Ranks projects by order of priority (priority criteria should be developed in partnership with BOE trustees)

   3. Items identified for consideration in the 2025-26 budget process pending available funding

4. Develop a master site plan for RPS properties, including ambitions for learning spaces and extracurricular features that reflect the Ridgewood Tradition of Excellence.

5. Identify and address security needs within each school and district building.

6. Evaluate all vendor services and address any areas of concern.

7. Evaluate district busing practices to ensure equity of service. 

8. Develop a procedure for evaluating property acquisition opportunities. 

9. Evaluate the use of athletic fields to ensure the responsible use and maintenance of district property, including exploring opportunities to mitigate the impact of flooding events.