Schools
WCCUSD Wants Local Input on 5-Year Strategic Plan
The West Contra Costa Unified School District will hold a half dozen "town hall" meetings in local communities, including one in El Cerrito on April 27.
From a West Contra Costa Unified School District press release:
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RICHMOND, CA – The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) with support from Chevron, is engaging the community in an unparalleled way to develop its next five-year strategic plan. Throughout April and May, the district will host six public town hall meetings, one town hall with its teachers and one town hall with its classified employees. The town halls will provide participants the opportunity to shape the District’s strategic direction.
“Engagement with families, funders, businesses and the community organizations that support our schools and students is critical to crafting our strategic plan,” said WCCUSD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Harter. “It’s important that those who have a direct stake in the success of our schools have a direct say in how the plan is developed and implemented.”
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The strategic planning process will be led by a diverse 17-member steering committee comprised of leaders of local education, community, business, and social service organizations. The steering committee will help guide the discussions and craft the strategic plan that will ultimately be presented to the Board for approval at the end of the summer.
“The District is engaging the public in a way I have never witnessed before and I am confident that this emphasis on public input and discussion will lead to a bold and thoughtful five-year plan for the District,” said Todd Groves, WCCUSD School Board member and member of the steering committee.
The District has prepared a few, broad guiding principles to help direct the discussions at the town halls, including calls for openness and transparency. Number one on the list, however, is that the strategic plan has improving student achievement as its highest priority.
“We want the public to come armed with their best questions, comments and suggestions and as such, we are not putting many limits on the direction of the discussions,” said WCCUSD School Board President Madeline Kronenberg. “However, we would like participants to remember that this is a schools plan and our highest priority will always be the academic achievement of all of our students and how we prepare them for college, career and life after school.”
In addition to focusing on student achievement, the District would like to develop a plan that aligns important programs and efforts like science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Linked Learning and school-based health centers in one plan while also leveraging the assistance of philanthropic, social service and other community organizations.
“Chevron remains committed to supporting STEM programs in our local schools to help students get the skills they need to find well-paying career jobs,” said Andrea Bailey, Community Engagement Manager, Chevron Richmond. “This new strategic plan will help WCCUSD maximize the efficiencies of these programs and ensure access to quality education for all the district’s students.”
The following are the dates, times and locations for the WCCUSD town hall meetings:
Town Hall Schedule
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