Solon Schools Strategic Plan - Mission/Beliefs/Objectives

Solon City Schools - Strategic Plan

(Approved by Solon Board of Education January 2023)

 

Mission:

(The loftiest aspiration of the district)
Solon City Schools, a diverse learning community, will ensure all students attain the knowledge and skills to thrive and become empathetic, ethical, contributing citizens in an evolving global society through collaboration and unwavering commitment to empower every student, every day, to achieve personal excellence.

 

Beliefs:

(The district’s fundamental convictions, shared values)
●   We believe every individual has inherent worth and dignity.
●   We believe education empowers people.
●   We believe lifelong learning is essential in a changing world.
●   We believe educated citizens are essential to our global community.
●   We believe quality public schools are essential to a democratic society.
●   We believe quality public education is worth the investment of time, effort and money.
●   We believe our public schools serve the entire community.
●   We believe the education and well-being of our students is a partnership of the student, home, school and community.
●   We believe diversity is a cornerstone of our community.
●   We believe in a culture of acceptance, respect and belonging.
●   We believe integrity and empathy are essential values throughout our school community.
●   We believe learning thrives in a safe, nurturing and supportive environment.
●   We believe social-emotional wellness fosters learning.
●   We believe high-quality teachers are essential to high-quality education.
●   We believe high-quality school support staff are critical to the education of our students.
●   We believe students learn best when they take ownership of their learning.
●   We believe all students have the right to reach their potential.
●   We believe all students can and will learn.

Parameters: 

(Operational guidelines and procedures of the district)
●  We will always expect people within the Solon school community to treat everyone with respect and dignity.
●  We will not tolerate behavior that demeans the self-worth of any individual.
●  We will only establish new programs that align with the strategic plan and with the revenue and staff training necessary to support them.
●  We will always make site-based decisions aligned with the district’s strategic plan.
●  We will always use data to drive district decision making.
●  We will annually review each program and facility for relevancy and cost effectiveness.
●  We will review facility needs whenever average daily membership (ADM) reaches 80% capacity.
●  We will annually review staffing needs.
●  We will always hire the best candidate.
●  We will always engage in practices to recruit applicants reflective of the diversity in our community.
●  We will always strive for 100% of our students passing state-mandated assessments.
●  We will always strive to support the social-emotional needs of our school community.
●  We will provide relevant and timely communication to the entire community.
●  We will always strive to ensure all students are actively engaged in their own learning and demonstrate increasing responsibility toward becoming a self-directed learner who is capable of utilizing skills such as critical-thinking, self-reflection, problem-solving and collaboration.
●  We will always maintain an assessment system to monitor the achievement of content standards for grade levels or courses as well as measure growth against those standards.
●  We will always prioritize the safety of our school community.

Objectives:

(Measurable, observable or demonstrable results)
●  100% of our students will demonstrate proficiency in the state assessment system and the percent of students at the advanced and accomplished levels on these tests will increase at each school and grade level annually.
●  Each student will meet or exceed their expected academic growth targets as measured by the state’s value-added progress measure.
●  100% of our students will achieve Solon’s grade level or course academic content standards.
●  Each student will demonstrate increasing competency in the state social-emotional learning standards.

Strategies: 

(Commitments that priotize the deployment of resources to achieve the mission and objectives)
1. We will educate our policymakers and stakeholders about the financial challenges facing the Solon Schools community and actively engage them to find solutions that secure funding for the district’s growing financial needs.
2. We will improve the quality of our facilities to better support academics, arts, athletics and activities.
3. We will strategically communicate with all stakeholders to increase engagement and support.
4. We will implement responsive practices in all facets of school operations to support and promote the social-emotional wellness and inclusivity of our school community.

Specific Results: 

(Action Plans to achieve the Strategies)

We will educate our policymakers and stakeholders about the financial challenges facing the Solon Schools community and actively engage them to find solutions that secure funding for the district’s growing financial needs.

• Design and implement a public education campaign to continuously disseminate information to our entire community on how our Solon City Schools are funded.

• Determine the viability of alternative funding options to generate new revenue for the Solon City Schools. 

We will improve the quality of our facilities to better support academics, arts, athletics and activities. 

• Provide facilities that are aligned to the short-term and long-term enrollment and capacity needs.

• Provide a comprehensive report that details the feasibility and costs of renovation of Solon High School.

• Provide a comprehensive report that details the feasibility and costs of building a new Solon High School. 

 

We will strategically communicate with all stakeholders to increase engagement and support. 

 

• Create systemic districtwide communication guidelines.

• Redesign the website with an integrated mobile app so it functions as a communications hub that is available on multiple platforms and is user-friendly for all Solon Schools stakeholders.

•  Complete a job analysis on positions that deal with communications.

 

We will implement responsive practices in all facets of school operations to support and promote the social-emotional wellness and inclusivity of our school community.

• Implement district teams and processes to make decisions related to data collection; analyze data; write, review, and communicate about responsive practice (SEL/inclusivity) goals.

• Continue and extend responsive practices (SEL/inclusivity) professional development for all stakeholders and embed SEL skills into the content areas and support activities and services.

• Implement a systematic plan to recruit, hire and retain a staff that mirrors the diversity that exists in our community.

• Complete a job analysis for positions that deal with social-emotional wellness above and beyond a baseline for  general social emotional support.