Next Step: Aligning the District's Budget to Support Full Implementation in 2015-16

During the January 20 Board Work Session, Superintendent Dorsey Hopson informed School Board Members and stakeholders that implementation of the District's 80/90/100% Strategic Plan has begun. Hopson outlined the framework for the District's 10-year plan for student success, including priorities, metrics, strategies and a district-wide performance dashboard to measure progress.

"Last April, our Board courageously embraced our goals for college- and career-readiness," Hopson said. "Our community, along with our teachers, school leaders and staff, have come together these last eight months to provide thoughtful feedback and help us determine the right priorities and strategies to truly make a difference in our classrooms and our community."

By the year 2025, SCS is committed to ensuring 80 percent of seniors will graduate college- or career-ready; 90 percent of students will graduate on time; and 100 percent of graduates who are college- or career-ready will enroll in a post-secondary opportunity. To do this, Hopson said the District's mission over the next 10 years will be centered on a specific set of "high-leverage priority areas" that will improve college- and career-readiness for our students over time. All resources and efforts within and beyond the District will be directly aligned to these five priorities:

Early implementation work is already underway, as the District continues to find easy access points for staff and the community to get engaged. Examples include the mobilization of volunteers to mentor the 6,500 seniors who applied for the TN Promise scholarship in the fall; development of the District's comprehensive literacy plan, which rolls out in February; and partnering with non-profits and community service providers to connect their work to the 80/90/100% priorities and goals.  

The most significant step comes soon, as the District will be preparing a budget for 2015-16 that aligns directly with the strategic plan. The Board will have an opportunity to approve the budget this spring; meanwhile, staff is formulating action steps and further goals for full implementation by the start of the new school year. 

"I expect that our strategies are going to evolve over the life of this plan as needs and resources change, but our goals will be constant," Hopson said. "We are committed to continuous improvement. We will empower our educators to deliver higher standards, and we will build strong community and family partnerships to support them."

Though the District has made remarkable progress in recent years—earning the state's highest growth rating, doubling Math proficiency scores since standards changed in 2010, making dramatic gains in iZone schools and becoming a national model for education policy and practice through the District's teacher and leader effectiveness work—Hopson acknowledges that the same pace is not enough. As he explained to Board Members, thousands of students are not performing on grade level, and many may have a very difficult time graduating on time or enrolling in a post-secondary experience as a result.

"When students start behind, they stay behind," Hopson said. "It's a negative trend that will continue to impact our community if we don't change course. This plan is a significant shift in culture for our District. We are striving for student outcomes that are more ambitious than anything we've attempted before, and we are ready to be accountable for our successes and failures in a very transparent way."

OTHER RESOURCES:

Work Session Presentation (January 20, 2015)

The success of SCS Supt. Dorsey Hopson's 80-90-100 plan is important to the community's future
The Commercial Appeal (Editorial) May 1, 2014

Charting a New Course for Our Community 
Blog: Brad Leon, SCS Chief of Innovations & Strategy