The Natalia ISD school board voted to approve five-year strategic plan Vision 2022 at the Regular meeting on Monday, April 10.
Over the course of two months, NISD teachers, students, and parents worked together to craft the plan to help guide the district into the future.
“The way I look at it, it’s about hope,” Superintendent Dr. Hensley Cone said. “When you can provide a plan, when you can provide a pathway for where you want to go, you provide people with hope. And if you don’t have that hope, you’re not going to get there.”
Throughout the process, five priorities were outlined: academic performance, courses and programs, organizational health, parent and community engagement, and facilities.
Academic performance
The stated goal is that, “Natalia ISD will guarantee Natalia students have the self-confidence, skills, and life-long knowledge to achieve their dreams.” Specifically, the plan seeks 100% mastery of state requirements and the development of a college- or career-readiness plan. Strategies include the development of a district-wide identification, monitoring, and enhancement system for all students, as well as a system of determining the needs and interests of all individual students.
Courses and programs
This goal states, “Natalia ISD will provide its students with a variety of opportunities to develop their unique abilities.” The objective is that 100% of students will be involved in a course or activity of their choice by 2022. Strategies for this include the creation of a broader variety of courses and a wide range of curricular and extracurricular activities.
Organizational health
This priority focused on employee morale and district culture, with a goal that “Natalia ISD will create an environment with high job satisfaction and morale that will ultimately promote student success.” Objectives to achieve this include ensuring that Natalia ISD’s Health Organizational Index is 25% higher than other districts by 2022, and to, “recruit, develop, and retain highly effective staff members.”
Parent and community engagement
The goal is for NISD to “establish a relationship among the stakeholders to promote life-long learners that contribute to their community.” That will be achieved thanks to meeting the objective of 100% engagement from stakeholders by 2022.
Facilities
This goal calls for NISD’s facilities to be, “safe, beautiful, and foster the 21st century learning (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and civility.)” The object is for 100% of NISD facilities to meet that goal by 2022.
The full presentation, which includes multiple specific strategies for each priority, is available online at www.nataliaisd.net.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer