HAMPSTEAD SCHOOL DISTRICT FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN Approved by the Hampstead School Board on May 26, 2015

2015-2020

Table of Contents I.

Executive Summary……………………….

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III.

Five-Year Priorities………………………..

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II.

IV.

Core Values, Mission and Vision……..

Next Steps……………………………………..

ADDENDUM – Long Term Goals…………….

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The Hampstead School Board would like to sincerely thank the following individuals, who donated their time, energy and intellect to this process by serving as members of the Hampstead School District Strategic Planning Steering Committee:

Doris Buco Jason Cipriano Dillard Collins Jennifer D’Amico Jaye Dimando Mackenzie Finocchiaro Franceen Flynn

Barbara Gallant Joanne Mahoney Jorge Mesa-Tejada Jeffrey McMahon Sean Murphy Sandra Senno Paul Wheeler Dr. Roxanne Wilson

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I.

Executive Summary a. Purpose The purpose of Strategic Planning is to move the Hampstead School District intentionally forward in relation to stakeholder values, identified needs, and the unique context of the organization.

Strategic Planning is a structured process by which our District identifies and commits to priorities that are essential to the continued success of our schools. By engaging in this process, the Hampstead School District has committed to sustaining focus on identified priorities and goals that are most essential to purposeful progress in the next five years.

b. Process

The Hampstead School Board agreed to sponsor a formal but condensed Strategic Planning Process in order to build on the previous (2008) Strategic Plan and determine where adjustments or new efforts were most needed. McCoy Educational Consulting, LLC was contracted to facilitate the abbreviated Strategic Planning Process for the District. A Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which consisted of 15 members, engaged in a range of activities designed to move the process forward. About half of the members of the committee were from within the school system (employees or board members) and the other members were more loosely associated with the Hampstead School District (students, parents, community members, etc.). Members represented a wide range of stakeholders in our greater educational community.

The committee met four times during the 2014-2015 school year. The basic steps in the Strategic Planning Process, and tasks presented to the committee, were as follows:

i. Review 2008 Strategic Plan; formulate a collaborative plan for stakeholder outreach; devise and disseminate a stakeholder survey. 2

ii. Examine survey results along with data collected from the schools; generate guiding questions for employee focus groups and a community forum. iii. Review content and wording of 2008 Strategic Plan in light of current school and stakeholder data; recommend adjustments to core values and mission and vision as needed; begin close analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). iv. Based on SWOT analysis, and alignment with the core values and mission of the District, collaboratively recommend the five-year priorities of the Hampstead School District; align the wording of the vision with newly recommended priorities.

c. Milestones

Student Data Review: The steering committee collaboratively examined student achievement data in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics and science. Scores from the past three years were reviewed and compared to statewide results. Student enrollment trends in the Hampstead School District were also reviewed and discussed in light of other demographic data. Survey: The steering committee constructed and administered a community survey, in which 330 stakeholders participated. The purpose of the survey was to: •

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Gather information that would help the committee determine if the values, mission and vision in the 2008 plan were still in accord with the opinions of Hampstead School District stakeholders. Allow survey participants to provide essential feedback regarding the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the Hampstead schools. Provide an opportunity for stakeholders to ‘weigh in’ regarding potential five-year priorities.

Employee Focus Groups: Two sessions, one at each school, were held after school hours. All employees were invited to participate. 3

Using a structured but flexible format, stakeholder opinions were solicited and recorded. Open-ended questions focused on core values, students’ skills, school programs, the allocation of resources, and factors that could threaten the quality of education provided to students in the next five years.

Community Forum: An open community forum was held to help the committee gain insight into stakeholder views as related to five essential themes. Semi-structured questions centered on school programs, resources, student preparation, communication and changes. The discussions related to these issues were noted and categorized. In the context of all available information, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee collaboratively accomplished the following: i. Affirmed that the Core Values articulated in the 2008 Strategic Plan are in accord with stakeholder values, and added one additional Core Value related to student responsibility.

ii. Reviewed the Mission statement for the Hampstead School District in light of all of the data gathered, and made recommendations for minor adjustments to the wording of the Mission.

iii. Reviewed and discussed the 2008 Vision statement in relation to currently available data in order to consider and recommend potential updates.

iv. Conducted a structured analysis of the relationships between the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are relevant to the current and future success of the District.

v. Based on group deliberation and the careful examination of data, gained consensus on the top four recommended priorities for the Hampstead School District in the next five years.

d. Summary of Findings

i. Data gathered supported the notion that the Hampstead schools are performing well and have a very good academic 4

reputation. Many stakeholders expressed the opinion that academics should remain a priority in the next five years.

ii. Hampstead School District enrollment for 2014-15 is 1,333 students, preschool through grade twelve. There are 467 students at HCS, 454 at HMS, and 412 at Pinkerton Academy. Enrollment projections through 2020 show that the District will increase by 6 students to 1,339. HCS will increase by 11 students, HMS will decrease by 49 students, and High School will increase by 44 students. This shows that District enrollment is estimated to remain somewhat stable in the next five years.

iii. Overwhelmingly, stakeholders viewed the teachers and staff in the Hampstead School District as a significant strength for the organization. Another notable strength centered on caring homes and community members in the District. iv. Survey data indicated that there are high levels of agreement between the Core Values articulated in the 2008 Strategic Plan and current stakeholder perceptions. The lowest level of agreement centered on the notion that education is the responsibility of the entire community (60% of survey respondents categorized this as Very Important).

v. The need to further emphasize student responsibility and independence emerged as a new theme in stakeholder data.

vi. Concerns about the effectiveness of communication within the District, and between the District and community stakeholders, surfaced in stakeholder data.

II.

Core Values, Mission, and Vision a. Hampstead School District Core Values Core Values are the concepts, beliefs or principles that underlie and guide the work of our school system. The five Core Values of the Hampstead School District are: 5

i. We believe that teachers, parents and students are accountable for a child’s education, and must work together to promote the responsibility and independence crucial to each student’s success.

ii. We believe all members of the school community are entitled to a safe, nurturing, respectful and responsive learning environment.

iii. We believe all students must be offered an education that enables them to grow personally, socially, creatively, physically, and academically.

iv. We believe knowledge, critical and creative thinking, and technological skills are necessities in preparing students for all levels of education.

v. We believe education is the responsibility of the entire community.

b. Hampstead School District Mission Statement The Mission states the primary purpose of our school system.

We provide challenging educational experiences that prepare all students to succeed to their individual potential in a changing world.

c. Hampstead School District Five-Year Vision Statement

The Vision is an articulated image of the future that the Hampstead School District seeks to create. By the year 2020: Hampstead students transition smoothly and successfully between grades and schools by applying the skills needed for them to take initiative for their own learning and school success.

Hampstead educators are active contributors in an enthusiastic school culture defined by high standards, accountability, innovation, and responsiveness to student needs. 6

The Hampstead School District implements programs and procedures that assertively address and monitor the academic, physical and emotional well-being of all students.

Hampstead community stakeholders benefit from and engage in effective and various communication methods with the District so that they may participate in decisions and contribute to the success of the schools.

III.

Five-Year Priorities A priority is a broad direction that guides the allocation of resources over time. Priorities do not address everything the District will work on in the next five years, but articulate essential areas of focus above and beyond the routine business of the schools. The priorities of the Hampstead School District in the next five years are:

a. Strengthen our commitment to prepare students for transitions across grade levels by promoting skills that will allow them to assume responsibility for their own learning and personal growth.

b. Refine programs, update facilities, and create strategies that proactively address the educational risk-taking, emotional well-being and physical safety of all our students.

c. Promote a positive school culture utilizing innovative changes that respond to our students’ and staffs’ immediate and future needs.

d. Enhance public and internal communication to ensure all stakeholders are informed of school issues relative to the budget, curriculum, events and procedures.

IV.

Next Steps Pending approval of the updates outlines in this Preliminary Report, including the recommended priorities, measureable long-term goals will be developed to support the priorities. School administrators will collaborate to 7

devise three to five long-term goals for each priority area. When the longterm goals are determined, the Strategic Plan will be completed and presented to the School Board for final approval. On an annual basis, school administrators will develop plans that outline how the goals will be addressed during the upcoming school year. The annual plans will include objectives that describe precise, measurable, and timephased results. Progress toward the objectives in the annual plans will be monitored and formally reported on quarterly.

Strategic Planning is a dynamic process that is must remain responsive to the changing context and needs of our school system. On an annual basis, the Strategic Plan will be evaluated, and potentially adjusted, by the Hampstead School Board.

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ADDENDUM STRATEGIC PLAN LONG-TERM GOALS Adopted by the Hampstead School Board on June 23, 2015

A priority is a broad direction that guides the allocation of resources over time. Priorities do not address everything the District will work on in the next five years, but articulate essential areas of focus above and beyond the routine business of the schools. The priorities of the Hampstead School District in the next five years are: a. Strengthen our commitment to prepare students for transitions across grade levels by promoting skills that will allow them to assume responsibility for their own learning and personal growth. Long Term Goals: end date May 2020 Focusing on the research of student responsibility, the HSD administrators and staff will 1) create a continuum of expectations from grades K-8 that gradually builds skills and knowledge of taking responsibility of learning and behavior, and 2) implement corresponding strategies that result in improved perceptions of student responsibility. Teachers will provide more opportunities for students to develop and track personalized learning goals for classroom work.

HSD staff will collect and analyze feedback from students and parents about the transitions that students encounter from grade to grade and school to school, in order to improve the process.

b. Refine programs, update facilities, and create strategies that proactively address the educational risk-taking, emotional well-being and physical safety of all our students. Long Term Goals: end date May 2020

Focusing on the research of emotional well-being, educational risk taking, and safety of students, the HSD administrators and staff will 1) identify strategies and interventions from grades K-8 that gradually builds positive supports for children in these areas, and 2) implement corresponding strategies that result in improved perceptions of student emotional well-being, educational risk taking, and safety. 9

HSD administrators and staff will identify and define school-based programs and publicize written descriptions that explain the purpose, criteria, and outcomes of each program.

HSD School Board and Administrators will collaborate on plans to eliminate the portable classrooms, update the school facilities repair and maintenance schedule, and present solutions to garner the support of the Hampstead community.

c. Promote a positive school culture utilizing innovative changes that respond to our students’ and staffs’ immediate and future needs. Long Term Goals: end date May 2020

Using the research in the subject of preparing students for the future, HSD administrators and staff will identify 3-5 critical skills, create ways to address these skills in the curriculum, and train staff on these corresponding changes. Hampstead schools will research and select a way to measure the schools’ positive culture and climate, and use the information to also address perceptions of educational risk- taking, emotional well-being, and physical safety.

d. Enhance public and internal communication to ensure all stakeholders are informed of school issues relative to the budget, curriculum, events and procedures. Long Term Goals: end date May 2020 Hampstead School Board and Administrators will improve external communication by 1) researching and creating a comprehensive communications plan which outlines the audiences, purpose, strategies and flow of communication, 2) identifying resources needed to accomplish the plan, and 3) evaluating the communication plan.

Hampstead Administrators will improve internal communication by 1) researching the current needs and creating a communications plan which outlines the audiences, purpose, strategies and flow of communication, and 2) identifying resources needed to accomplish the plan, and 3) evaluating the communication plan.

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