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Springfield Public Schools Seek Community Input on Proposed Strategic Plan for the Next Six Years

|   City News

After a nearly three-year process of gathering community input to create the Springfield Public Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate (POG), the district is now soliciting public feedback on a draft of its 2022-2028 Strategic Plan, which is based on the priorities set forth in the POG by the community.

The 2022-2028 Strategic Plan details a plan of action for executing the community’s vision of essential skills and attributes that students will learn before they graduate.  Priorities set forth by the community and established in the Portrait of a Graduate fall under six categories: learn, work, thrive, lead, persist and communicate.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno stated: “I want to commend Superintendent Daniel Warwick and his dedicated team at our Springfield Public Schools for their ongoing efforts to enhancing the quality of education and programs for our students and their families.  The Portrait of a Graduate was a tremendous success, and we are looking forward to building off this tremendous initiative through community involvement and input.  It truly takes a village to set forth these successful initiatives that have the best interest of our students and their families.  I want to applaud everyone who has taken the time to provide their input as we look to continue to move our District forward.”  

The Strategic Plan drills down on how to support all students in each category and will serve as the map for re-imagining teaching and learning over the next six years. Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said dedicated teams of educators and community members pored over the Portrait of a Graduate during the 2021-2022 school year formulating strategies to enrich instruction, expand connection between home and school, and measure progress as the district moves towards the community’s vision. In addition, the district received monthly guidance and input throughout the 21-22 school year from a group of community leaders engaging in conversations such as district and community accountability in executing the Portrait of a Graduate, and ultimately, the Strategic Plan.

“The Strategic Plan is the single most important document in driving the district forward in terms of realizing the hopes and dreams members of our community have very clearly articulated for our Springfield students,” said Warwick. “In all my years in education, never has the community had such an empowered role in formulating the district’s future. It’s been a wonderful partnership.”

Warwick also emphasized the contributions of educators to the Portrait of a Graduate and Strategic Planning process. “Everyone was invited to take a seat at the table, and we are extremely grateful to those who answered the call. We’re especially grateful to those 150 or so educators who committed to serving on Strategic Planning committees. Their dedication has been unwavering, and I can’t see how we could have done this work without them.”

Since 2019, more than 3,000 members of the community – including educators, students, families, alumni, and community leaders – participated in more than 400 meetings to contribute to the creation of the Portrait of a Graduate and the development of a new six-year plan.

Now, a draft version of the Strategic Plan, an outgrowth of the POG, is available on the SPS website (www.springfieldpublicschools.com – click on the Portrait of a Graduate Quick Link) along with a survey, which will provide an opportunity for feedback, suggestions, ideas, and opinions. “We hope to continue with that level of engagement at this point,” said Warwick. 

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Page last updated:  Tuesday, March 1, 2022 01:32 pm