This month, Edina Public Schools will revise its strategic plan through the 2014-2015 school year. The district revises this roadmap every three years and it includes initiatives and goals that will guide the district’s action during that time. According to Superintendent Ric Dressen, the new plan will include a “new vision focused on international comparison” and a goal to have “all students graduate with one year of college under their belts,” whether that be through A.P. classes, engineering classes that offer college credit, or other classes co-sponsored with Normandale Community College and the University of Minnesota-Mankato. The new plan will also include all-day kindergarten for all Edina students, to be implemented over the next theree to five years.
Dr. Dressen also said that the plan will include a focus on “how we understand students,” and put a greater focus on individual student learning styles and helping students pursue their interests. There will also be a greater focus on “understanding courses and why [students] are taking them.”
Another aspect of the plan is how to manage the district’s aging facilities in a digital era. The district’s newest building was built in the 1980s, so there is always the issue of maintenance. Dr. Dressen also mentioned that the district’s 24 acres of roofs will need to be maintained. A major focus of renovation will be on media centers in schools, where not only will equipment be upgraded and replaced, but the district will look at how the centers themselves should operate. “You used to have to come to the media center for your information. Now you can look it up on your smartphone,” Dr. Dressen said.
The new strategic plan will address racial balance across school buildings. Dr. Dressen said that “part of the elementary work will be looking at having schools reflect the demographics of the school district” to avoid any racially-isolated schools.
The commitee gathered formally to discuss and plan for the future changes on Monday, March 5th for the first of three advisory meetings. Input for strategic planning and insight for the future will mainly be given by commitee members, but later on they do plan to get input from what the community and general public thinks, too, later in the process. Additional details about this public input will be released in the future.
A total of 60 staff members will get together to set the new goals for what is called the, “new standard of excellence” and dicuss the possible benefits, cautions, possibilities, solutions, concerns, and perspectives to make Edina Public Schools the best it can be.
