Page 2 - BPS Strategic Plan 2016

June 23, 2015 is a day I will not soon forget. It was the day when the Brevard Public School Board honored and entrusted me to serve as su- perintendent of their high performing district. As a result of the rigorous standards set forth by the district, student achievement results remain high for BPS. Students continue to outperform their peers both locally and nationally in advanced programming and graduation rate. High achievement, coupled with exceptional opportunities in science, the arts and extracurricular areas is something this community can be proud of.
Brevard Public Schools is rmly on course as a place where all children
learn at optimal levels while eliminating the socio-economic achievement gap. But we face some signi cant challenges as well. These include (1) scal constraints that make it dif cult to ade-
quately compensate employees or properly maintain facilities; (2) an assertive shift to new state academic standards; (3) a testing and accountability system that is awed; (4) an increase in cultural and economic diversity among its student population; (5) diminished employee morale; and (6) the need to regain the local community’s trust.
How we leverage our previous successes, while converting current challenges into opportunities was the momentum for the development of our new strategic plan. This began with extensive conversations throughout the community; engagement with every sector and stakeholder group, to determine what our highest priorities should be. Through this listening and learning tour, it became evident that we should implement clear strategies around six core themes: Leading & Learning, Employee Excellence, Facilities & Capital Allocations, Governance, Finance, and Community Relations.
This strategic plan, or roadmap to success, encompasses the values and collective voices from our internal and external communities. It re ects our highest priorities, including direct investments into opportunities necessary to achieve our goals. I am con dent that through this initiative we will ensure continuity of our rich heritage of high performance and decreased equity gaps that will ultimately create an atmosphere where students love to learn, staff are inspired to work, and the community has con dence in our leadership.
I want to thank each of you for partnering with us through this journey. Success is a collaborative effort between the district and its community. We cannot do this alone and look forward to our continued relationship with each of you as we implement this important work to bene t our students.
Desmond K. Blackburn, PhD. Superintendent
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