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Board tweaks school plan Document will get further review, could be adopted in early-2025
The first draft of a proposed strategic plan got strong reviews Monday from Ely School Board members.
Unveiled at the monthly board study session, the plan evolved from three two-hour sessions involving about 25 stakeholders, and was crafted with the aid of a consultant from the Minnesota School Board Association.
School board members were part of the larger group and they came together with Gail Gillman, who heads strategic planning for the Minnesota School Board Association, for a roughly twohour meeting on Monday.
The board offered a few editorial revisions, and agreed to review the document again at its Dec. 9 meeting and share the document with the stakeholder group for comment.
But if all goes as planned, the document could be approved as soon as Jan. 13, the first board meeting in 2025.
“I think you did a fantastic job,” Gillman told the board. “What you might want to do is have this group look at the document again, perhaps at a regular board meeting so the community has a chance to hear and after that it might be a good idea to put it out to your committee and ask if there’s anything glaring. If there are comments you can look at it again, and if not you are ready for adoption at another board meeting.”
Superintendent Anne Oelke endorsed the timeline and said the plan will be on the agenda at both the regular board meeting and study sessions in December, and board chairperson Rochelle Sjoberg indicated a vote could come the following month.
“I don’t think our January meeting is unreasonable,” said Sjoberg.
The plan is expected to serve as a road map as school board members make future decisions regarding the district, and discussion Monday included potential avenues to keep the plan on board meeting agendas and to refer back to the plan when taking action on some issues.
After first identifying strengths, challenges and future hopes, the stakeholder group honed in on mission and vision statements and core values for the district.
From that work came the identification of three core values in the current draft -safe and secure, academic excellence and fiscal responsibility.
A mission statement also was drafted and then further refined during board discussion Monday.
As currently proposed, the mission of the school district would be “Ely Public Schools foster academic excellence in a safe, positive environment, developing respectful, responsible learners.
The document also includes a proposed vision statement that Gillman compared to a statement that could appear on a billboard.
Barring further edits, the vision statement in the comprehensive plan will be “Preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities and challenges.”
The plan includes a series of belief statements that were further refined after discussion by the stakeholder group.
Those making the current draft are:
• We believe in providing a safe, inclusive environment where every student feels secure, supported and valued.
• We believe every student deserves access to a high-quality education that inspires curiosity, fosters critical thinking and prepares them for a successful future.
• We believe in empowering students to become active, engaged members of our community and to contribute positively to society.
• We believe in being good stewards of public financing and revenue sources.
The plan includes four focus areas, identified as:
• Student growth, achievement and support;
• Staff growth, achievement and support;
• Communication, outreach and marketing;
• Finance and facilities. In connection with those focus areas are 10 specific goals, along with objectives linked with each goal.
The goals range from specific student achievement milestones, to efforts to improve communication, enhance marketing, bring students and staff together, remain fiscally responsible and maintain safe and viable school facilities.
Objectives are more specific, some with timelines attached.
Overall, the plan is designed to guide the district from 2025-2030.
