Upper Arlington Schools Notes: Strategic plan continues to guide district's path

Paul Imhoff
·3 min read

As 2021 comes to a close, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the Upper Arlington Schools Strategic Plan, which guides everything we do in our schools.

Approved by the board of education in August 2019, the strategic plan identifies a focused set of recommendations that support the district’s mission to challenge and support every student, every step of the way.

Paul Imhoff is superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools.
Paul Imhoff is superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools.

The 2019-2024 strategic plan has two priorities – whole learning and student and staff well-being – with continuous improvement serving as the foundational element of the plan. Here’s a brief look at our progress on each priority area of the strategic plan. You’ll be able to read more in our Quality Profile, the district’s annual accountability report, when it comes out early next year.

Whole learning

This area focuses on academics – the heart of everything we do in our schools. It builds on our district’s long-running philosophy of educating the whole child to set up our students for success here and in their next step in life.

Upper Arlington Schools Notes: Service learning continues to be important part of students’ growth

Upper Arlington Schools Notes: New program, all-day kindergarten emphasize focus on students

With this in mind, Upper Arlington Schools launched a new all-day kindergarten program in the fall to better meet the needs of our developing learners so that they are able to grow academically, socially and emotionally.

The board of education had been planning for this for the past few years – preparing to launch the program as soon as there was space available thanks to the completion of all our new and renovated elementary schools in August. By transitioning from to a full-day program, we now have double the time in the classroom each day with our youngest learners to develop their skills in the core academic areas such as literacy and math.

Another major stride in our focus on whole learning is the implementation of the new multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework. Upper Arlington Schools is taking the lead in education nationwide by implementing MTSS so that all students can maximize their growth through differentiated and individualized instruction with a focus on the whole child. MTSS truly brings to life our mission to challenge and support every student, every step of the way.

Student and staff well-being

Upper Arlington Schools believes well-being is critical to fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment where students and staff can thrive.

One way we’re working on well-being is to receive feedback directly from students, so that we understand the bigger picture of where they are as individuals. Academics are our main business, but we also know that students who aren’t well can’t learn.

Over the past year, Upper Arlington Schools has engaged students in two surveys focused on well-being – one for students in grades 3-12 and another for students in grades 7-12. These surveys will provide us with valuable feedback to inform our work to support students, which is critically important to academic achievement.

Continuous improvement

The foundational element of the strategic plan is continuous improvement – and this applies to every facet of the district, from academics to finances. Over the past year and a half, we have creatively stretched our financial resources by reducing our budget reserve; seeking out approximately $4.6 million in cost reductions, primarily through a three-year hiring freeze on new positions; and utilizing additional COVID-related funding made available to school districts.

As we look to the future and continue to build on the tradition of excellence in our schools, our five-year financial forecast will be an important guide for us. Last month, Andrew Geistfeld, our treasurer and chief financial officer, shared the new five-year forecast for the district. This is an important check-in point for us as a district and help us keep a clear view on what our future impacts and needs are.

You can find the new five-year forecast at uaschools.org/treasurer.aspx.

Paul Imhoff is superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools. Follow him on Twitter @imhoffpual. His office provides this column to ThisWeek Upper Arlington News.

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Upper Arlington Schools Notes: Strategic plan continues to guide district's path