HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 Report 07-154 Implementation of the 2007-2011 OCDSB Strategic Plan•
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OTTAWA - CARLETON
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
26 September 2007
Report No. 07 -154 to Chairs' Committee
Re: Implementation of the 2007 -2011 OCDSB Strategic Plan
ORIGINATOR: Dr. Lorne M. Rachlis, Director of Education/Secretary of the Board
Michele Giroux, Executive Officer
PURPOSE:
To report on the implementation strategies for the 2007 -2011 OCDSB strategic plan.
BACKGROUND:
2. On 4 July, 2007, the Ottawa - Carleton District School Board passed a new strategic plan. The plan
is built around three primary objectives, learning, leadership and community. In addition to a
vision statement and belief statements, the plan includes a new mission statement for the OCDSB,
"Educating for Success — Inspiring learning and building citizenship ".
The three primary objectives of the strategic plan are:
The Learning Objective
To recognize our focus on student learning through program quality, effective instructional
practice and valid and sustainable learning supports through the development of:
a) A community school framework and implementation strategy,
b) A program renewal process which facilitates an ongoing cycle of program reviews to ensure
program quality, accessibility, sustainability and innovation,
c) A focus on literacy and numeracy in support of the full curriculum,
d) Comprehensive differentiated instructional practices supported by early and tiered
intervention strategies,
e) Improved assessment and evaluation practices through enhanced training, assessment tools,
and strategies,
f) Supports for vulnerable or potentially vulnerable learners through access to internal or
external resources and alternative learning strategies,
g) A capital plan and an accommodation review process which facilitates the natural cycle of
accommodation studies.
The Leadership Obiective
To model responsible leadership to our students, ourselves and our community through our
commitment to personal growth, organizational effectiveness and good governance by:
a) Recognizing, encouraging and celebrating leadership through the development of a
comprehensive leadership strategy,
b) Emphasizing the importance of personal growth and leadership through sustainable
character development initiatives,
c) Establishing an organizational planning and decision making framework that supports the
key values, priorities and directions of the strategic plan and provides an ongoing link to the
Board Improvement Plan,
d) Undertaking a comprehensive governance review to ensure an effective governance
framework to support the board and its committees in achieving its vision and mission,
e) Improving internal communications strategies and processes,
f) Creating an accountability framework linked to the strategic plan and based on measurable
outcomes.
The Community Obiective
To celebrate our commitment to community through responsible citizenship, collaborative
partnership and the stewardship of resources by:
a) Recognizing the diversity of our community through the development and implementation of
a diversity strategy,
b) Creating a healthy OCDSB /workplace community with a focus on wellness, trust and
respect for all staff,
c) Maximizing opportunities for responsible citizenship, collaborative partnership and
innovation which contributes to community development,
d) Reviewing external communication strategies, techniques and messaging processes with a
view to creating more effective community dialogue and engagement,
e) Using technology effectively to improve both student learning opportunities and the
coordination of information resources,
f) Improving human, administrative and financial management practices and systems that
ensure responsible and sustainable resource management.
4. The plan was brought forward to the Board with the understanding that additional work on the
implementation strategy for the strategic plan would be done in the fall of 2007
STATUS:
On 6 September 2007, the Board and Senior Staff of the OCDSB met to begin discussing
implementation strategies for the plan and more specifically work plan initiatives for the 2007-
2008 school year. That meeting provided an excellent forum to share information and ideas and to
develop our understanding of the future directions of our school district.
6. Following the meeting, staff began work on a more fulsome implementation strategy which
incorporates the information discussed at the September meeting. That work includes the
following:
• Developing a communications plan for the roll out of the strategic plan, including a variety
of communications tools which will be used to communicate and promote the top priorities
of the plan, themes and next steps,
• Developing goal setting tools which facilitate the development of corporate goals and
departmental work plans that support the implementation/application of the strategic plan
on a system wide basis,
• Developing specific goals for the 2007 -2008 school year linked to the strategic plan
including establishing project deliverables and performance measures, assigning leadership
and identifying time - lines,
• Developing frameworks and timelines and for reporting on successes, accomplishments
and challenges of the plan and the establishment of performance measures.
7. Work has begun in all of these areas and rather than simply create a whole new system of reporting
structures and mechanisms, every effort is being made to integrate the work, templates, processes
and reporting mechanisms of many different divisions /initiatives from across the district. For
example, the staff in Curriculum Services and Quality Assurance are in the process of developing
the Board Improvement Plan. That plan includes a template for reporting on improvement
strategies which includes data about resources, indicators of success, responsibility, and timelines.
Rather than create a separate template to report on the strategic plan, we are working with
Curriculum Services to design a template that could be used in both the Board Improvement Plan
and the strategic plan.
A comprehensive strategic plan implementation strategy will be presented to Chairs' Committee in
October 2007.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
9. The 2007 -2008 budget included $150,000 for the implementation of the strategic plan. It is
expected that some of these funds will be used to promote awareness about the strategic plan and
the future directions of the school district, as well as to support some specific initiatives which are
directly linked to the objectives of the plan.
CONSULTATION:
10. Extensive consultation on the strategic plan was undertaken as part of the plan development
process. At this point in the process, we move from consultation to communication in order to
build awareness of the plan with both internal and external audiences. Work is underway, in
consultation with our marketing /design consultants to develop an effective communications
strategy.
SUBMITTED FOR INFORMATION:
Dr. Lorne M. Rachlis Michele Giroux
Director of Education/Secretary of the Board Executive Officer, Corporate Services