During the September Board meeting, the members of the Board approved a contract with Cambridge Strategic Services to initiate our new 5-year strategic plan process. I believe this is a big step for GCISD as we continue to work towards our mission to be the Best. For an organization to be successful in any field, the most important component needed is strong leadership. I am confident that our new superintendent, Dr. Robin Ryan, will provide that leadership to continue to move our district forward. But right after strong leadership, a strong plan is also critical. This is why we are partnering with Cambridge, an entity with many years of successful experience developing strategic plans for school districts in our state.
The Cambridge process has two purposes: to create a long-term strategic plan by rejuvenating the district's planning process, and to ensure implementation through a complete organizational alignment and systemization of plans and actions.
GCISD will have a 30-member team working with Cambridge to develop the plan for the district, and their first meeting will be in mid-October. The team will include two Board members (Jesse Rodriguez and myself), GCISD staff and other members of our community. The strategic plan should be ready for Board approval by February of next year.
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I saw the article in "The GV Courier" on this issue. I'm a little surprised a long term plan did not exist. I'm also concerned about how much this will cost and if this is budgeted. Why do we have to hire an outside contractor, Cambridge Strategic Services? Shouldn't the staff be able to come up with a plan? At least one for Cambridge to review and make recommendations?
ReplyDeleteDeclining property values (and tax revenues), Robin Hood obligations, teacher raises and a shrinking student population trend seem to point to rising taxes and deficit spending. Please consider this as we strive to be the best.
You have proven this possible in the past with your great work on the dyslexia and recycling programs. I'm convinced without your efforts, the previous Superintendent and staff would have done nothing to address those issues. Thank you!
It is not a good idea to cut corners when developing a strategic plan for an organization. We have to bring experts to assist us. We need a new approach in GCISD in order for us to become the finest public institution in the state and the nation, which is what we want to be. This is what the Cambridge process will help us do. I can guarantee you this is money well spent. I am very involved in this process, and I am very confident we will have a very strong 10 year plan.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of taxes and deficit spending, this is something that we are dealing with right now.
The district continues to look for ways to save, but due to school finance laws, our hands are tied. It is critical that all citizens contact their senators and representatives during the current legislative session to let them know that it is critical that we fund our public schools appropriately. Overall, the education in the state of Texas lags the quality of many other states in the nation, and a 5% or 10% budget cut that has been mentioned would be devastating for many school districts.