Lewistown Public Schools, as entrusted by the Lewistown Community, provides children with an accountable, high quality, rigorous education in a safe, nurturing environment; developing the full potential of each child and preparing them for lifelong success in their personal lives and careers, wherever they may be in the world.
Goal Area 1: Measurable Student Achievement
Statement of Intended Outcome, 2015-2020: Lewistown Public Schools has developed an outstanding educational program that ensures that every student achieves the highest academic performance possible and has multiple opportunities to actively participate in both co-curricular and extra-curricular activities offered by our District. We use a multitude of measures to gauge student performance based on district-created progress goals. We adequately prepare students for their career/job choices and life choices. Our staff is highly supporting and enthusiastic about our differentiated approach to instruction.
Strategic Objectives:
- Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is embraced and consistently implemented by staff in every building in the district and is used to monitor and improve student achievement.
- The District is consistent in each building in developing and implementing both curricula as well as intervention programs to insure student achievement and success.
- The District has evaluated the high school graduation requirements and its processes for allowing deviation from the requirements for both college bound and vocation bound students.
- The District is consistent at all levels in developing and implementing differentiated instruction techniques.
Goal Area 2: Facilities
Statement of Intended Outcome, 2015-2020: Lewistown Public Schools continues to strive for a state-of-the-art facilities program that meets the needs of our students and staff on a long-term basis. We have prioritized our facility needs and have a plan in place for resources necessary to achieve our facilities program. Our facilities program is fully supported by our community. In planning for our facilities, we have adequately addressed the issue of technology and incorporated that in to our facilities plan.
Strategic Objectives:
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Develop a comprehensive plan to address the District’s building and facilities needs to insure our physical plant can effectively and efficiently address the needs of our students, staff and community for the next 20 years.
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Secure community support and funding necessary to implement the comprehensive facilities plan.
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Use gifting and fund-raising via the Central Montana Foundation to assure long-term funding for critical needs in our buildings and grounds
Goal Area 3: Community / Parental Engagement
Statement of Intended Outcome, 2015-2020: Lewistown Public Schools has created an environment of collaboration and transparency with families of students and with our community as a whole. Families of students are actively involved in their children’s education. The community is highly engaged in helping provide the best education possible for our children. As a result of our community’s and family’s commitment to public education, we have established a collaborative approach to solving public education issues that includes our local legislators.
Strategic Objectives:
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Develop, implement and maintain a consistent, district-wide effort to involve parents and interested community members in our schools.
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Implement an accepted and used communication system so that information can be shared quickly and effectively with parents and interested community members and to allow easy and effective communication from parents and interested community members with the Board, administration and district staff.
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Implement a program whereby those parents and community members interested and willing to advocate for public schools with the legislature and state agencies are empowered to do so.
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Utilize social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to promote school activities and events to keep parents and interested community members informed.
Goal Area 4: Technology
Statement of Intended Outcome, 2015-2020: Lewistown Public Schools has developed a technology plan that incorporates regular upgrades of both hardware and software and training of staff on existing and new programs. We have successfully incorporated technology into our facilities and all aspects of our educational program in a methodical and effective manner that prepares our students for the real world. We have systems in place to ensure the safety of our students and compliance with District standards.
Strategic Objectives:
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Keep technology infrastructure current and sound (routers, switchers, servers, internet service and work stations). Continue to prevent problems and keep technology accessible (security, filtering, preventative updates).
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Have implemented steps to leverage social networking and other technology to support better teaching and learning by expanding student-to-student and student-to-faculty connections for collaborating beyond the classroom.
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Provide staff development to ensure that technology standards are implemented in classrooms district wide.
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Develop and implement efforts to develop a consistent approach/philosophy by our staff to the use of technology in the classroom as an effective and proven learning tool.
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Determine how the district should help educate parents about the ways their children use technology (in and out of school, for good and bad reasons).
Goal Area 5: Highly Qualified Staff
Statement of Intended Outcome, 2015-2020: Lewistown Public Schools has developed a recruitment and retention program to ensure that the District hires and retains high quality, effective personnel. Our teachers and other staff have been provided professional development opportunities that directly correlate to the high academic standards set by the District. Our teachers and other staff have embraced the use of technology into all aspects of our educational programs. The staff shares the vision of the Board in providing differentiated educational programs in order to meet the needs of our students and in achieving the District’s high academic standards.
Strategic Objectives:
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Implement a consistent, rigorous and fair assessment and evaluation process for staff that is understood and supported by administrators and staff.
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Professional development is tailored to meet the needs of teachers, administrators, and staff. They are part of the planning and assessment of these opportunities.
Goal Area 6: Fiscal Management/Responsibility
Statement of Intended Outcome, 2015-2020: Lewistown Public Schools has secured adequate, sustainable funding from the State and has developed a process to prioritize the financial resources that we have according to the educational goals set by the District. We have secured funding sources that are not earmarked for specific causes and have the discretion to determine where funds are needed in order to achieve our high standards and our goals. Through our community engagement initiative, our community understands our budgeting process, they support our schools and they understand our needs and the strategic direction of our District.
Strategic Objectives:
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Review all financial processes; streamline and consolidate these processes where possible; find ways to improve efficiencies and accountability in our financial processes while reducing, if possible, staff frustration with them.
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Seek ways to better involve staff in budget development.
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Carefully assess specific ways in which we can involve community, staff and the Board in better maintaining a strong and influential presence in the next Montana Legislature (2017).
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The Lewistown Schools leadership team works with outlying communities to determine what cooperative efforts can be made to make the best use of limited resources.
Conclusion:
Prior to June 30 of each fiscal year, the Board of Trustees will review these Goals and Strategic Objectives and ensure they still represent appropriate and realistic milestones on our way to our 20-year vision.
