Update on USD 327 strategic plan The USD 327 Board of Education met Jan. 30, for a second special board work session as part of our Listen, Learn, Engage series that has been formulated to help in creating a new strategic plan for the school district.

Earlier this school year, we held eight listening sessions. These sessions included members of the community, parents, staff and students. In all, over 190 individuals participated and more than 1,250 comments were recorded.

This winter, the board met for a special work session to learn from the qualitative data collected. The information gathered was used to identify areas of strength, opportunity, weakness and potential barriers that exist.

A similar format was used Jan. 26, when I met with the district site council, consisting of 24 volunteers made up of community members, business leaders, parents and staff members, to go through a similar process. The purpose was to gather feedback to identify ways we can grow as a system.

Last evening’s meeting was productive, and a great deal was accomplished. The board reviewed the district’s current mission statement and determined it could be restructured and simplified to better reflect who we are based on information learned. Brainstorming occurred and a draft mission statement was created.

Next, board members discussed what we want to be known FOR, referencing the creation of a vision statement. Comments gathered from the listening sessions acted as a springboard to support the board in its creation.

These two statements will now be taken back to the buildings and discussed with staff as part of the strategic planning process, where identified areas of focus will be further developed.

Deena Hilbig USD 327 Superintendent