S T. J O H N C AT H O L I C S C H O O L S T R AT E G I C P L A N S U M M A RY

Transcription

1 S T. J O H N C AT H O L I C S C H O O L S T R AT E G I C P L A N S U M M A RY 4 5 M O N R O E S T R E E T W E S T M I N S T E R, M D

2 S T. J O H N C AT H O L I C S C H O O L S T R AT E G I C P L A N S U M M A RY TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction 2 II. The Planning Process 3 III. Goals 5 IV. Contact Information 7 MISSION STATEMENT St. John School provides an education rooted in the Roman Catholic faith. This education is grounded in proven academic methodologies and balances personal development with responsibility towards others. The Gospel calls us to enkindle our students spiritual, intellectual, and physical capabilities for the greater honor and glory of God. We believe our students are the future of the Church; therefore, we commit to this purpose. INTRODUCTION The School Board and Administration of St. John Catholic School present the following Strategic Plan as adopted by the School Board on February 21, The inception of the Strategic Plan coincided with the change of governance of St. John Catholic School from an advisory school board to a collaborative school board. This new configuration as a collaborative school board mandated a review of the strengths and weaknesses of St. John Catholic School along with its operations. To assess these strengths and weaknesses and to evaluate the operations of the school, a comprehensive online survey was ordered by the School Board. The survey was publicized in the St. John 2

3 Parish Bulletin and via the St. John School Chalkboard. Responses and comments were gathered for the period of a month. The survey was completed by over 300 members of the Parish and School communities with identified respondents including students, parents, teachers, staff, grandparents, and interested members of the Parish. These respondents provided over 1,000 comments concerning strengths and weaknesses of the School and other areas of concern. Based on the results of the online survey, the School Board and Administration convened a Working Group comprised of all stakeholders in St. John Catholic School; the Working Group included members of the School Board, parents, teachers, the Principal, the Pastor, the Director of Religious Education, members of the Parish council and the Parent & Teacher Organization (PTO). The Working Group was guided by an outside facilitator, Jonathan D. Smith, Esquire, a partner with the law firm of DLA Piper in Baltimore, and a parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City, who graciously volunteered his time. The Working Group met three times to review the responses to the online survey and to formulate goals to address the areas of concern to the operation of the School. Subgroups of the Working Group formulated goals in the following areas: Spiritual, Governance, Instructional & Academic, Finance, Development, Enrollment, Communication, Facilities, and Marketing. Based on these goals, the Subgroups generated Action Plan Items (APIs) to state concrete steps to achieve each goal; each API includes a clearly-defined timeline for completion and identifies the parties responsible for completing and monitoring each API, along with designating the resources needed to accomplish the API. The resulting Strategic Plan was reviewed and approved by the Strategic Planning Committee of the School Board and adopted by the full Board on February 21, This Strategic Plan is a living document, and is intended to be reviewed and amended over the next five years as the School Board and Administration use it as a guide to direct implementation of efforts to strengthen and improve our school while also providing a means of measuring and evaluating our performance. It is anticipated that the strategic planning process will start anew five years after the adoption of the present Strategic Plan. Meeting Summaries: May 12, 2012 THE PLANNING PROCESS On May 12, 2012, the Strategic Planning Working Group of St. John Catholic School met. The meeting began with a prayer led by Msgr. James Farmer. Following that, there were introductions of those attending the meeting and opening remarks by Carmel Kelly, the School Board Chair and Mike Stewart, the Strategic Planning Committee Chair. Next, the 3

4 facilitator for the planning process, Jonathan Smith, was introduced and he led a discussion of that process. This was followed by questions and the development of a consensus that this session would focus upon determining goals for the next five years in each of several categories, as discussed below. The Working Group then reviewed the School's Mission Statement. The consensus was that it accurately defines that mission and still meets the School's needs, even as a collaborative school under the new administrative and governance structure. Next, there was a discussion of the results of the Strategic Planning Survey, and how those results should be used as part of the planning process. There also was a general discussion of the strengths of the School, areas where improvement is needed, and the challenges facing the School in the short and long term. After a break, the Working Group divided into subgroups to discuss what the goals of the School should be over the next five years in each of the following categories: Spiritual Governance Instructional & Academic Finance Development Enrollment Communication Facilities Marketing After those subgroup discussions, the entire Working Group reconvened and each subgroup reported its recommendations for the goals in each of the categories. Following discussion of those recommendations, it was decided that the Working Group's next session should begin with review and agreement on those goals, followed by decisions on action steps needed to achieve them. In that next or a following meeting, there would be assignments of responsibilities for performance and monitoring of those steps. The meeting closed with a prayer. August 8, 2012 On August 8, 2012, the Committee met as a whole for the second time. The meeting began with a prayer, followed by a discussion of the previous meeting, and review of the work done by members of the Committee individually since then. The Committee then further discussed the goals to be included in the Strategic Plan, and finalized them. Next, there was a discussion of the process to develop action steps to implement those goals. Members of the Committee were assigned to specific categories of goals. They were requested to make their own arrangements for small-group discussions following this meeting, to develop proposed action steps for each goal, and to propose 4

5 assignments of responsibility for implementation and monitoring of each step. The meeting closed with a prayer. August 9, 2012 January 9, 2013 The subgroups assigned to action step development worked on their tasks and communicated with the Strategic Planning Committee Chair as needed. January 10, 2013 The Working Group met as a whole again, and began with a prayer. The purpose of the meeting was to review and finalize the proposed action steps for each goal. After this was accomplished, it was decided that the Committee Chair would organize and collate the proposed goals and action steps into a format suitable for presentation to the School Board for its review and comment, and adoption after any revisions as it saw fit. The meeting closed with thanks to all for their contributions and diligent efforts, and with a prayer. STATEMENT OF GOALS: SPIRITUAL THE GOALS Maintain and strengthen the close connection between the School and St. John Westminster Parish Develop close connections between the School and other parishes in Carroll County Develop ways to better address a universal call to holiness and a personal relationship with Christ Develop a spiritual theme each year and share it with the Parish's Religious Education Program Develop and implement prayer life and service opportunities for each student GOVERNANCE Continue to build a relationship with the Archdiocese as a collaborative school Maximize and leverage resources provided by the Archdiocese to achieve overall School goals INSTRUCTIONAL & ACADEMIC Continue to maintain gains in standardized testing scores and develop strategies to use testing results to effectively strengthen academic growth Increase use of technology via integration into classroom through introduction of instructional tools and individual student devices Develop and implement programs to conserve academic gains through summer enrichment programs 5

6 Continue to update curriculum areas according to the Archdiocese of Baltimore's guidelines Increase professional development opportunities for teachers and staff FINANCE Develop and meet an annual break-even operational budget, exclusive of fundraising Establish and maintain an emergency reserve fund of three months of operating expenses Continue using best-practices accounting methods in conjunction with technology to enable School Administration, the School Board and the Archdiocese to share current financial data DEVELOPMENT Create an Annual Fund that includes and generates funds from Alumni Define a purpose for and brand the existing endowment fund and set target funding goals Increase overall donations from all sources by 25% annually over 5 years Coordinate fundraising to achieve a 3-5% annual increase Develop corporate sponsorship opportunities & identify and solicit foundation and other major donor opportunities ENROLLMENT Increase enrollment from Parish families from 25% to 30% within 5 years Address transportation needs and issues to provide transportation services from surrounding areas in Carroll County to the School, and from the School to Catholic High Schools in the Baltimore Metro area that are heavily-attended by students graduating from the School Strengthen ways for Catholic families with financial need to afford Catholic school Reach out to neighboring parishes to increase enrollment Reach out to families of newly baptized children via implementation of system that allows the School to track those children whose parents opt in as they reach school age COMMUNICATION Develop appropriate use of social media to communicate information about the School Develop and maintain open lines of communication between Parish and School Develop outreach to Alumni, including recent Alumni Develop process to ensure responses to enrollments inquiries within 48 hours Develop a strategic process to share the good news about the value of Catholic education 6

7 Publicize what it means for St. John to be a collaborative school Seek parental input to design and implement communication systems using all technologies to answer routine and frequently asked questions regarding school operations Strengthen communication from the School to the Community through the Bulletin, Website, Chalkboard, and available resources within the Archdiocese. FACILITIES Conduct a comprehensive baseline facilities audit with the Parish Use the results of the facilities audit along with Administration, School Board, and parent input to prioritize needs for improvements of the School s physical space, and develop schedule of planned improvements and budget and fundraise accordingly Improve use of technology to enhance educational opportunities and integrate it into classrooms MARKETING Share the good news about the School with other parishes and the surrounding community Highlight and publicize the accomplishments and distinguishing characteristics of St. John School. Solicit talents of parents and use them better Develop programs to welcome and mentor newcomers Develop procedures for school tours and follow up Publicize academic programs, expectations, and accomplishments Publicize ongoing educational opportunities for all students Explain accommodations and opportunities offered to students at all ability levels CONTACT INFORMATION If you have questions or concerns regarding the Strategic Plan or any of its elements, then please contact: Strategicplanning@SJWESTschool.org 7