Jackson Public Schools held a meeting to discuss its 5-year strategic plan. What happened

Jackson Public Schools are starting to gather information and data that will be used for their next strategic plan, which is designed to guide the districts decisions and action for the next five years.

Parents, teacher and other stakeholders were invited to discuss and give suggestions on the plan Thursday evening at Kirksey Middle School. It was the first of two planned meetings where folks can give feedback and other suggestions meant to improve the strategic plan. A second meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on April 11 at Cardozo Middle School.

Stakeholders can also submit feedback at the district's Comprehensive Needs Assessment survey.

"We use them (the strategic plan) to guide all of our work. We use them to guide our decision making around programs, to start, to maintain or discontinue decision making around funding and some of the various areas of our work whether it's staffing or after school programs or the arts or athletics," Greene said. "Those plans really do help you identify some priorities that matter most."

Next school year, 11 schools will be closing and two will be merged. When asked if the new strategic plan will include how the district should address moving forward after the closures, Greene was hesitant. Since this was the first meeting discussing the plan, he didn't want to get too far ahead.

"Tonight is the beginning of the conversation in earnest with community and stakeholders, so I can't tell you right now what will be in the plan," Greene said. "We certainly, for our part, are intending and hoping that there will be some addressing of what we'll say optimization for our district, even if it's not closing or consolidating a school. But thinking about the programs we run throughout the district. Is this program doing what we need it to do? If so great, let's continue, if not, does it need to be tweaked or abandoned for a different program. So, just thinking about optimization more broadly."

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After hearing from stakeholders, the strategic plan will be presented to JPS' Board of Trustees in May. If all goes well, the strategic plan will be approved in June and implemented in July 2024.

Thursday's meeting focused on discussion over JPS' Five Commitments, a key part of what the strategic plan is built around and how the district can refine it.

Those five commitments were outlined at the stakeholder's meetings:

Commitment 1: A strong start

"Scholars perform better in school and complete more years of education when they engage in high-quality learning. Providing comprehensive access to high-quality pre-kindergaten opportunities exposes young scholars to positive learning experiences that will prepare them to develop the skills needed for success in school and life," a board at the meeting read.

The key initiatives include:

• Developing a robust early literacy campaign.

• Expanding the number of available pre-kindergarten seats.

• Partnering with existing Head Start, daycare and early childhood centers in Jackson.

• Developing a parent academy.

• Implementing high quality, developmentally appropriate curriculum.

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Commitment 2: Innovative teaching and learning

"In order to graduate global citizens prepared to solve the problems of tomorrow, we must embrace schooling that is radically different from current and past practices. Innovation will be encouraged in classrooms, schools, out-of-school times, and across the district, as space is created for new ideas and ways of 'doing school,'" a board at the meeting read.

The key initiatives are:

• Implementing coherent and focused curricula.

• Robust elective offerings beginning in middle school.

• Clear school and course career-related pathways.

• Engaging out-of-school time experiences.

• Culturally and socially relevant approaches to instruction.

• Effective intervention models to support struggling scholars.

• Balanced assessment system.

• Certified teacher in every classroom.

Commitment 3: Talented and empowered teams

"Scholars' achievement is improved when they are taught by educators who know them as individual learners and who can differentiate instruction in ways that ensure all scholars have access to high-quality curriculum. We are committed to improving our candidate pools and developing the capacity of the most significant school-based influences on scholar achievement: the teacher and principal," a board at the meeting read.

The key initiatives are:

• Leadership and teacher academies.

• Teaching and learning professional development center.

• HS Teacher Preparatory Academy.

• "Grow Our Own" approach to all professional learning

• Teacher mentorship programs.

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Commitment 4: Joyful learning environments

"Scholars learn better when they are in environments they view as safe, supportive, and positive. This means our schools and classrooms must be designed and led in ways that encourage and nurture the joy of learning, foster a sense of belonging, build trusting relationships, and encourage risk-taking and questioning that are essential to lifelong learning," a board at the meeting read.

The key initiatives are:

• Engaging families to support scholars' well-being and development.

• District accountability model for school climate and wellness.

• Fostering relationships between scholars and caring adults.

• Researching and implementing a district-wide framework to address Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).

• Fostering learning experiences that are fun and deeply engaging.

Commitment 5: A Culture of Accountability and Excellence

"A culture of accountability and excellence must permeate the entire district in order for us to achieve the goals outlined in this strategic plan. Thoughtful planning, deliberate and consistent use of systems and data analysis, and a deep commitment to professional learning will enable us to build — and sustain — a districtwide culture of accountability and excellence," a board at the meeting read.

The key initiatives are:

• Performance-based management system for teachers, principals and central office leaders.

• Consistent celebration of high performing teachers, leaders and members of the operations team.

• High functioning leadership teams.

• Provide equitable access to resources.

• Improving operational responsiveness to students and their families.

• Invite and cultivate innovative practices.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson Public Schools starts to outline next 5-year strategic plan