STRATEGIC PLAN. Adopted April, Preparing Capable and Confident Life-long Learners. The view from Los Alamos High School, Pajarito Mountain

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1 Strategic Plan STRATEGIC PLAN Adopted April, 2016 The view from Los Alamos High School, Pajarito Mountain Preparing Capable and Confident Life-long Learners

2 Strategic Plan Adopted April, Trinity Dr. Los Alamos, NM Preparing Capable and Confident Life-long Learners 2

3 VISION We prepare capable and confident life-long learners. MISSION We enable our students to become resilient and resourceful adults who are able to achieve their personal goals in an ever-changing world. WE VALUE Student Well-Being Individual Growth Integrity Respect Empathy Leadership Teamwork Innovation Transparency Diversity COMMITMENTS Students will achieve at least expected academic growth each year. All students will attain skills, knowledge and abilities to succeed in 21 st century society. All schools and workplaces will be safe and civil. LAPS will effectively communicate with parents, students, employees and the Los Alamos community. FOCUS AREAS Student Well-Being Student Learning Teacher and Staff Well-Being and Excellence Fiscal Responsibility Quality Facilities Innovative Leadership Communications and Collaboration Integrated Technology 3

4 Los Alamos Public Schools STUDENT WELL-BEING All students deserve our care and concern. Physical and emotional wellness is important to a student s ability to focus on learning. LAPS values and encourages a nurturing and respectful school culture. In our high achieving community, we need to make sure a quality education includes a variety of opportunities for demonstrating accomplishment. Our goal is for our students to be educated, well-rounded, healthy, and emotionally stable. We honor the value and dignity of each individual, while educating the whole child through developmentally appropriate practices. Identify students at risk, and, to the extent possible in the school setting, address the issues that limit their ability to develop and succeed. Make mental health in our schools and community a priority. Prior to adoption, identify potential mental health impacts of policy and programmatic changes. Prioritize solutions that work toward systematic change related to mental health and which inspire a collaborative, positive workforce and an emotionally healthy student body. Ensure that our schools are safe and that everyone is treated with respect. Promote an atmosphere where diversity is celebrated and accepted. Keep music and the arts in our schools. 4 Offer many opportunities for students to engage in activities that promote physical and mental health.

5 Strategic Plan We help all students grow in skills and knowledge. STUDENT LEARNING Our school district is the best in New Mexico. Excellent schools attract people to Los Alamos and benefit the entire community. LAPS is focused on student success. Make sure each student meets expected measurable academic growth each year and intervene where this goal is not being met. Review and evaluate the effectiveness of student interventions on an annual basis. Raise our graduation rate every year with the goal that all students earn their high school diploma. Prepare students to be college or career ready by the time they graduate. Provide elementary students with a variety of activities and experiences. Offer a variety of courses and programming that maximize opportunities for students to be challenged and to achieve, including career technical classes and industry certificate programs. Recognize day-to-day assessment of students by excellent teachers is the best way to measure academic achievement and reduce the dependence on standardized tests as the only measure of student success. Ensure alignment of curriculum in elementary, middle, and high school to be developmentally appropriate. 5

6 Los Alamos Public Schools TEACHER AND STAFF WELL-BEING AND EXCELLENCE Students benefit from high quality teaching and staff excellence. We value our incredible LAPS team of employees. Every staff member is appreciated. Hiring and retaining quality teachers, leaders, and staff is the foundation of an excellent education for all students. LAPS values contributions from all staff that have a positive impact on learning, student wellbeing, and emotional health. Attracting and keeping excellent employees requires LAPS to pay them well, assist them in growing their skills and knowledge, and support their contributions to LAPS effectiveness. Pay competitive salaries and benefits. Establish evaluation processes that are both effective and fair. Provide on-going professional development opportunities. Offer mentoring and support programs for new and developing teachers and other staff. Support the master s degree program, Level 3 licensure and National Board Certification for teachers. Support career advancement for employees. Celebrate and support LAPS volunteers. Identify successful, innovative methods and programs. Replicate these methods and programs at other school sites. 6 Review the Employee Assistance Program and policy for effectiveness and revise, as needed.

7 Strategic Plan We use our resources wisely. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY In New Mexico, education budgets, especially operational budgets, are limited by state law. LAPS must use these limited financial resources to the maximum advantage of our students. LAPS makes prudent, responsible, and informed decisions about allocating resources. We gather information, analyze and prioritize to meet long-term fiscal goals. Partner with other community organizations and recognize the resources they commit to improving the environment for our youth. Engage a broad set of community members and employees in planning the yearly budget. Seek every opportunity to maximize resources for our schools. Partner with our community and employees to seek creative avenues for funding. Use funds strategically (e.g., LAPS Leased Facilities, Department of Energy, School Bond, Public Schools Facilities Authority, and Referendum). Understand how changes to the state funding formula, state laws, and New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) regulations affect our operational funding and communicate with the legislature and PED concerning our legislative and policy priorities. Recognize the importance of long-range fiscal management. 7

8 Los Alamos Public Schools QUALITY FACILITIES LAPS maintains clean and safe facilities that meet our educational needs. Students and staff need safe, comfortable facilities in order to learn and teach well. Our facilities are an integral part of our community. LAPS maintains our buildings despite aging infrastructure and limited funds. Have detailed plans to appropriately maintain our facilities over the short and long term. Prioritize maintenance needs and allocate sufficient funds for major and minor maintenance. Seek and consider public input concerning school construction. Pursue every opportunity to maximize funding for major maintenance and construction of our facilities, including GO Bonds, HB 33 Referendums, and PSFA funding. Maintain a positive relationship with the Public School Capital Outlay Council, Public Schools Facilities Authority and other state leaders. Continue to upgrade our facilities wherever possible. Minimize the use of portables. 8

9 Strategic Plan The School Board provides effective leadership. INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP Excellent leadership sets the tone for the whole school district. The Board recognizes that selecting, employing and managing the LAPS Superintendent is a primary responsibility of the Board. The Board makes delivery of an excellent education to students its highest priority. Board members act, to the best of their ability, in the best interest of the entire district, all students, and in the long term interest of LAPS. Board members may have personal priorities and state those, but make it clear they do not speak for the Board. They support Board action once formally approved. Board members will respect and support LAPS managers and staff. They will alert the Superintendent to any management issues as soon as possible. They will not give any direction to staff except through the Superintendent. Recruit, retain, support and develop the Superintendent. Effectively supervise and evaluate the Superintendent. Establish policies and budgets that support innovative leadership and effective and efficient operations in the district. Recognize district leaders and their accomplishments. Maintain an honest and open relationship among Board members, staff, and the Superintendent. The Board will foster educational programs and learning methods which lay a foundation for all students to be successful in a dynamic 21 st century world. Social, emotional, and academic characteristics of success will be incorporated. 9

10 Los Alamos Public Schools COMMUNICATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS LAPS communicates promptly and partners with stakeholders. Everyone is invested in our schools. They need to have a voice, be heard and receive effective communication. People need to know about LAPS and how they can support and assist LAPS, its students, and staff. This includes current school events, support opportunities, parent and student priorities, whom to contact and how to locate information. LAPS welcomes and values community input. Listen. Create regular communications that inform the different school interest groups (parents, students, staff, and community members) about school operations, issues, and successes. Foster parent and volunteer involvement in schools. Seek ongoing feedback on important issues through outreach to the community. Keep all school media user friendly with current and relevant information. Build a collaborative relationship with Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory, LAPS Foundation, PED, UNM-LA and all other partners. The School Board will establish open and effective communication among Board members, Superintendent and staff. 10

11 Strategic Plan LAPS makes use of educational technology to improve learning opportunities for students and staff. Digital technology has become essential for successful teaching, learning, and management. The effective integration and use of technology in our schools will further enable and accelerate student learning. Equitable and ubiquitous access to technology is important for our students. Meeting student goals in today s classroom requires the use of technology for personalized, responsive, and forward-looking teaching and learning that will foster the development of 21 st century skills. Technology enables innovation in our classrooms, which results in greater efficiencies and productivity. INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY Keep technology focused on student individuation and learning. Make sure internet use in our schools is safe. Develop sound policies and procedures for optimal and responsible use of technology. Keep the district and school websites up-to-date and make sure they are easy to navigate. Offer professional development in technology so teachers and staff stay current. Design and sustain reliable and coherent infrastructure that accommodates a wide array of digital content and tools increasingly selected by teachers and students themselves and that anticipates next-generation technologies. Build the essential technology skills that all education leaders and staff need in order to be successful. Identify and promote the equitable and effective use of technology at all levels of our school system. 11

12 Preparing Capable and Confident Life-long Learners