School district moves forward with five-year strategic plan

Focusing on students, staff and community partnerships

By Kendra Walker

Earlier this year, the Gunnison Watershed School District board unanimously approved the district’s new five-year strategic plan. Over the past year, the board held several work sessions along with multiple steering committee meetings in developing the plan. The strategic plan takes into account community feedback from the steering committee meetings, identifying several challenges and opportunities for the district, including: balancing the needs of Gunnison and Crested Butte, meeting students’ needs, especially for multilingual learners and students with individualized education programs, cost of living and staff retention, and scheduling and calendar challenges.

Under the strategic plan, the district’s mission is to “Inspire Growth and Success for All Students.” According to the plan’s vision statement, “We create opportunities for students to excel and connect to something bigger than themselves. By fostering curiosity, inspiring growth, and preparing students with the tools to succeed, we ensure they are ready to make a lasting impact at home and around the world.”

The plan highlights three key focus areas, ​​including a holistic learner experience, caring and exceptional staff, and strong family and community partnerships. The plan outlines goals and a five-year timeline for establishing and implementing action for each focus area. “The district will prioritize achieving the goals outlined in the strategic plan by improving, revising, and expanding district structures, staff supports, and family and community partnerships,” reads the plan. 

The first key focus, a holistic learner experience, prioritizes exceptional academic growth, learning with purpose and relevance, and well-being. A goal within this focus includes by 2030 increasing the percentage of GWSD high school graduates participating in workforce and college readiness experiences. Another goal is that 80% or more of GWSD students will report they agree or strongly agree on the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey perception question, “I belong at school.” 

The next key focus on caring and exceptional staff prioritizes collaborative structures and instructional coaching. Goals within this focus include creating and implementing a professional development plan focused on purposeful planning, evidence-based instruction and assessment practices, along with strengthening instructional coaching support to enhance teaching practices and student outcomes. “By 2030, at least 75% of GWSD educators will respond favorably to the question, ‘Our school’s systems of support help me support my students’ needs’ on the Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado survey and an overall 90% favorable response rate for ‘instructional practices and support’,” reads the plan. 

The third key focus prioritizes strong family and community partnerships. This includes ensuring students learn in supportive and safe learning environments, and the district building a network of community partnerships that meet the needs of students, families and staff. The district plans to develop a family perception survey in English and Spanish to better understand community needs, form a family feedback committee and establish a communication plan that increases family engagement. 

With the strategic plan in place, district superintendent Dr. Leslie Nichols is working to outline an implementation calendar and model for reporting progress to the board. “It’s exciting to have a road map,” she said.

“There’s a lot of work ahead and we now have to help the district achieve these goals,” noted board member Mark Vanderveer. 

“It’s helpful for leaders to have a plan. This is our face to the public and to any other school district in the nation,” said board member Jody Coleman. “A lot of our leaders and teachers and staff are doing these things now. I love the teamwork and the love that goes into working in this district.”

View the full Gunnison Watershed School District strategic plan on the district’s website at www.gunnisonschools.net under “News & Events” on the homepage.