strategic plan areas of focus at a glance · maintain learning environments and provide...

STRATEGIC PLAN AREAS OF FOCUS AT A GLANCE

Complete Strategic Plan: https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/strategic-plan/

TEACHER AND LEARNING DIVISION

HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION

OPERATIONS DIVISION

• Build staff capacity to meet a diverse population

• Increase access to reliable & effective technology infrastructure

• Review and deploy a competitive compensation structure for all employees

• Support & enhance teaching and learning through all areas of Operations

• Provide open and effective lines of communication with all operational matters

• Develop and manage a district budget that is equitable across all divisions and schools

•Provide research-based instruction

•Target Supports based on unique student needs

•Implement IB framework

•Increase technology use as a learning tool

•Cultivate university partnerships to focus on the hiring of a diverse and quality staff

•Develop and deploy a Master Facilities Plan for future needs of the district

•Collaborate in the development of a Master Facilities Plan that meets the needs of 21st Century learners

Business Services Division

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•Improve professional Development

•Apply IB Learner Profile Attributes in all school and classrooms

•Use technology to personalize student learning

•Utilize ongoing stakeholder feedback to influence district programs and processes

•Offer a proactive wellness focus for employees

•Continue collaboration with teachers to ensure student success

•Ensure safe, clean and environmentally conscious learning environments

•Communicate relevant financial information to various stakeholder groups

•Improve use of software applications across the district

•Enhance Transportation Department through increased efficiencies

https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/strategic-plan/

Division: Teaching & Learning Division

Equity & Access Focus

Build capacity of instructional staff to address the unique needs of students from various racial, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds as well as students with special needs, English as a New Language (ENL) students and students with high academic abilities

Professional development focused on cultural responsive practices and proactive discipline provided for teachers and administrators

Created a new Code of Conduct Developed RtII discipline framework Ongoing SIOP training Created High Ability Specialist position

Provide access to a reliable technology network infrastructure, appropriate resources, and support

Increased WiFi access by deploying over 700 additional units Increased Internet access from 500MB to 5GB Created Single Sign-on Portal for easy resource access

Learning Environment Focus

Work collaboratively with all district divisions to provide a learning environment that is supported by the latest research

Used Brain Spaces to develop educational specifications Researched and implemented flexible seating options Hired social emotional learning coaches Implemented Second Step SEL curriculum K-8

Provide appropriately targeted supports for students with special needs, English as a New Language (ENL) students, and students gifted with high academic abilities

Opened two new classrooms for students with emotional disabilities at the middle schools Opened a middle school diagnostic classroom Provided extensive professional development for special education teacher on specially

designed instruction Elementary high ability teachers met to vertically align the high ability curriculum Incorporated ENL coaches at the secondary level

Implement the International Baccalaureate program to the degree that its principles are apparent throughout instruction in every classroom

Professional development on inquiry delivered at each school Teachers revised units annually Incorporated criterion-based rubrics for all MYP units MYP and DP self-study and evaluation completed

2016-19 District Strategic Plan Final Report: January 2020

GREEN = Achieved YELLOW = Partially Achieved RED = Not Achieved

Goal Documentation, Data, Evidence

Increase access to both district owned and student provided technology devices for the purpose of increasing access and enriching learning

Created a part time assistive technology specialist Increased student devices from 4,500 to 10,000 devices

Culture & Climate Focus

Review professional activity time to provide professional development to instructional staff that is timely, meaningful, and actionable

Created delayed starts 6 months of the year for professional activity time Narrowed the scope of morning meetings from 3 to 1 for elementary Increased teacher flexibility during morning/afternoon meetings and student support Provided multiple opportunities for special education, ENL, and high ability staff to me

Leverage technology to prepare our students to be college and career ready

Provided assistive technology for students with IEPs to access the general education curriculum

Incorporated Project Lead the Way into middle school and high school Created technology special for elementary

Provide instructional staff with opportunities to shape district-wide teaching and learning processes, through ongoing, formal, and informal feedback

Collaborated with the WTEA through ongoing Central Discussion monthly meetings

Teacher input was solicited and gathered through district Program Evaluation and Text Book adoption process

District and building level instructional coaches collaborated with teachers on an ongoing basis to gather and incorporate feedback in the instructional setting

Monthly instructional coaches meetings were held in order to shape district-wide teacher and learning process based upon real time feedback

Division Executive Summary of 2016-19 Strategic Plan and Focus on the Future:

In the last three years, we have laid the groundwork for establishing a culture focused on equity and supports for all students.

When focusing on the future, our goal is to increase academic achievement by supporting behavior, social/emotional needs, special services, support programs, athletic programs, and co-curricular programs. We will continue our work with social emotional learning, educational neuroscience, and cultural responsivity.

In addition, we plan to expand STEM offerings across the district and continue to develop a variety of graduation pathways for high school students.

Division: Human Resources Division


Evaluate and implement an equitable and competitive compensation structure for all employees in the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township

In collaboration with the WTEA, we raised the starting salary of new teachers the 2016-2019 school years while also working to protect the salaries of our current, more experienced staff.

2016- $1025 base salary increase and $1000 stipend

2017- $1300 base salary increase and $250 stipend

2018- $1000 base salary increase and 2.5% of base salary stipend Classified pay increases including:

Increased Substitute Pay for the first time in 17 years

Increased overall hourly salaries of our Child Nutrition staff

Currently examining Bus Driver pay and benefits

Classified staff pay increases of: 2016- 1.75% ongoing increase and $1000 stipend 2017- 2% ongoing increase and $350 stipend 2018- 2% ongoing increase and $500 stipend

Zero insurance premium increase over the last 2 years for employees Multiple Salary and Benefit Reviews were conducted and presented to the board with recommendations. Including the August 2019 staff compensation review conducted by an outside Human Resources consultant. Compensation adjustment recommendations delivered to the board and Superintendent’s Cabinet based on data from 14 surrounding districts. Recommending an operating referendum that maintains our staff and compensation, increases teacher and classified staff pay and would add new staff to support students and programs.





Continue to develop a pool of quality applicants to facilitate the hiring of a diverse faculty and staff that reflects our student population through positive university partnerships and recruitment efforts

MSDWT Teacher Recruitment Fair Steadily Increased Registrations (2017: 161, 2018: 173, 2019: 194) + additional “walk-ins”

Hosted Diversity Recruitment Fair in 2016 & 2019 (rotates with Wayne and Lawrence)

HR Director is a member of the Advisory Boards at Marian, Butler, Indiana Universities

Attendance at IU student teaching recruitment event to reach beyond senior students

Additional Recruitment at HBCU’s in 2020 (Center State University) Grant Application with the New Schools Venture fund to conduct an analysis of implicit

bias in hiring practices and development of a “grow your own” teacher program

HR Twitter Page Approaching 2,000 followers

Teacher Recruitment Fairs Butler University MSDWT Fair IUPUI EPIC Ed Hendricks County Indianapolis Diversity Recruitment Fair Ball State University Purdue University Indiana University


Offer a relevant and proactive wellness focus for employees that centers on personal and group wellness initiatives in the district for staff

Supported the continuing work of the MSDWT Wellness Committee (with representatives from each school)

Annual Biometric Screenings conducted for all employees on MSDWT Health Plan

Monthly wellness newsletter to staff and “Fast Fit Five”

Monthly Benefits News to increase awareness of benefits opportunities

Expansion of the employee clinic to 40 hours a week

Maintenance medications provided through the employee clinic at no cost to employees

District Health Coach provides health and wellness opportunities monthly at school sites

Continue to collaborate with teachers on providing a climate that is conducive to improving student learning and retaining our high quality teaching staff

Collaborated with the WTEA through ongoing Central Discussion monthly meetings

Routine informal collaboration meetings between HR Director and WTEA President

Teacher input was solicited and gathered through planning for the future efforts

District and building level instructional coaches collaborated with teachers on an ongoing basis to gather and incorporate feedback in the instructional setting

Monthly instructional coaches meetings were held in order to shape district-wide teacher and learning process based upon real time feedback

Successful staffing of our 8th Elementary School through a collaborative teacher transfer process (Willow Lake Elementary)

HR Director visits to each school every year to gather feedback and serve staff


The Washington Township Human Resource Departments has made extensive gains over the course of the last three years in regards to our division goals. There is certainly much work that lies ahead in order to remain competitive and analyze a comprehensive salary and benefits structure for all Washington Township employees. We are extremely pleased with the positive relationship that continues to develop with the WTEA and continue to collaborate on a high level. Human Resources will continue to focus on the hiring of a diverse and high quality staff and we are proud of the outstanding reputation that Washington Township has across the state. Our proactive wellness focus has continued to grow in offering numerous benefits to employees in order to focus on their overall health and understanding of the opportunities afforded by MSDWT. We will continue to focus on these goals in the future as we strive to improve each and every day.

Division: Operations Division


Maintain learning environments and provide enhancements to support optimal teaching and learning as well as meeting the needs of the community

In order to better support staff, students and the community, the Operations Division implemented a transition plan that improved efficiency, embraced technology, and allowed for transparency. This transition included the adoption of cloud-based software systems, as well as increased efforts to provide access to meals for students during the summer. Two cloud-based software systems were implemented to improve/increase efficiency and accountability for the Operations Division.

ML Schedules (Facility Rental Software) – Updated fee structure and class organization for all facility rentals.

ML Work Orders (Work Order Software) – Improved maintenance productivity and data tracking.

Both systems can be accessed by the community and staff at: https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/operations/

The Child Nutrition department serves more than 6,000 meals a day during the school year, and continues to explore new program options in order to meet the needs of the community.

The Summer Servings Program provides meals for children under the age of 18 (at no cost), available at community parks, churches, apartment complexes and several district schools.

Continued efforts are being made to explore a mobile bus for meal distribution in the district. The Operations Division will continue to evaluating the effectiveness of a program like this, as well as the financial impact this would have on the district.




https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/operations/

Provide access to operational matters to all stakeholders through effective lines of communication in the areas of: • Staff and Committee Meetings • Newsletters • Social Media • Board Meetings • Community Council Meetings

The Operations Division values the importance of sharing information with staff and the community so that they stay informed of operational matters. In order to maintain effective communication with stakeholders the division carried out the following:

Scheduled quarterly Operations Division meetings and published District and Division newsletters.

Implemented hand-held devices to Maintenance staff and Building Foreman to process work orders, complete building inspections and submit/create digital communications, such as: email and cloud-based documents.

Presented District and Division updates (celebrations and/or developments) at monthly community council meetings.

Shared Operations Division news and progress including capital projects information at Division, Principal, Cabinet, and Board meetings.


Develop and deploy a Master Facilities Plan for long-range planning that addresses anticipated future facility needs of the district, with the advisement of the Master Facilities Committee in the areas of:

Capacity/Educational Effectiveness: classrooms, support spaces, extra/co-curricular spaces, art/music/physical education spaces, collaboration spaces, technology and flexible furniture

Safety/Security and Code Compliance: secured entrances/perimeters, cameras, communication systems, sprinkler/fire alarm systems, handicapped accessibility, site safety and playground/athletic fields, surfaces and equipment

Healthy Learning Environment: building systems (HVAC, roofs, electrical, lighting, plumbing), interior finishes, doors/windows/masonry, site and technology infrastructures

The development of the Master Facilities Plan provided direction for the 2016 construction referendum projects, and continues to be a reference for all current and future projects. In addition, the following standards and specifications were developed and implemented:

District Educational Specifications – Focused on providing an environment for effective teaching and learning.

District Design Standards – Focused on the construction process (floors, walls, structure, security, heating/air conditioning, lighting and hardware).

District Wayfinding Standards – Interior/Exterior directional signage (specifications for size, color, material and content).

Project Management Software (ProCore Construction Management Software) – Cloud-based project management and document management software, used for all current and future construction and renovation projects.


Operate and provide district facilities to ensure spaces are aesthetically appealing and conducive to teaching, learning and working environments, in the areas of: • Efficiency in Resource Management • Safety and Security Enhancements for Emergency Preparedness

The Operations Division collaborated with district administration, district security, local safety & law enforcement agencies, and professional partners in order to improve safety and security and enhance learning and working environments. Some of our key areas of focus included: Developed and employed a standard building template for school Emergency Preparedness Plans that aligns with the district Emergency Preparedness Plan.

All building administrators are utilizing the template through a cloud-based system which allows for uniform and timely updates to the plans.

Created an extra-curricular/after-school emergency preparedness template for athletic events and activities taking place outside of school hours.

Established preventative maintenance pest control procedures for all buildings.

Utilizing the new cloud-based work order system (ML Work Orders), new procedures for reporting and requesting pest control services have been created.

Launched district-wide food rescue and food waste programs in schools.

Food rescue and food waste programs currently exist and are fully supported in all of our schools.

The food rescue program is focused on reducing the amount of food wasted in our schools. Efforts have been made to adjust menu items in order to offer items that students prefer, provide fresh cut fruit rather than whole fruit, create sharing tables, and implement an “offer vs serve” practice so that students do not take items that they do not want.

Food rescue programs are supported by caring agencies in the community such as Second Helpings.

Implemented a recycling program in schools.

Operations staff collaborated with our project design partners on current projects to

determine location and function of recycle containers.

Recycling efforts are anticipated to expand upon completion of the construction/renovation

projects. As we add a co-mingle option, students, staff and community members will have

the option to recycle not only paper and cardboard, but aluminum and glass as well.

Increased custodial safety awareness and provided essential tools in order to efficiently maintain

facilities.

Operations staff engaged in employee safety training to improve workplace safety through additional required SafeSchools training.

Evaluated district custodial equipment to identify needs and created a replacement schedule. Updated equipment allows for increased productivity and improved occupational safety.

Developed and distributed a custodial handbook that contains important safety and training

information.


The goals listed above will continue to be a priority for the Operations Division. The division will continuously strive to improve health and safety standards for facilities, increase efficiency and accountability and provide effective communication for all operational matters. By utilizing current technologies, the division was able to move away from past practices that involved paper filing systems, and embraced cloud-based software platforms for communications, facility inspections, and document storage. The Operations Division implemented district-wide standards and procedures for all schools which improved alignment and consistency for students, staff and the community. The facility plan along with the design standards and educational specifications, was developed to ensure that all future construction and renovation projects would be consistent, and would provide optimal teaching and learning environments throughout the district.

Future Areas of Focus Below are the future areas of focus that are important to the Operations Division in order to continue to serve students, staff and the community:

Master Facility Planning

o Current and Future Capital Projects Oversight

o Refine and Update Ed Specifications and Design Standards

o Capital Replacement Planning

Operations Management

o Preventative Maintenance Schedule Implementation

o Digital Document Storage

o Warehouse Operations

Human Resources

o Employee Retention

o Employee Recruitment

Division: Business Services Division


Develop and manage a district budget that provides adequate resources across all divisions and schools within Washington Township • Staff Allocation • Funding – Instructional Support • Maintain competitive compensation models for certified staff • Property review

Received 1782 Notice from the Department of Local Government Finance with the approved 2019 budget. We should receive the 2020 budget before the end of 2019. This is significant since 2019 is the first year under HEA 1009. This legislation changed the way MSDWT structures its funds and accounts for education and operational expenses. While we are all still getting used to this new system, the transition was seamless and caused no disruptions throughout the district. A comprehensive review of compensation was performed in 2019 and as a result there are positions in the May 2020 operating referendum that will help address our competitiveness. Property was reviewed and we are in the process of negotiating with another entity for the possible sale of a parcel of land owned by MSDWT.


Collaborate in the development of a Master Facilities Plan that meets the needs of 21st century learners that is affordable for MSD Washington Township and all community stakeholders. • Explore all avenues of financing capital improvements • Referendums • General Obligation Bonds • Capital Projects Fund • Other available resources

This goal has been achieved as evidenced by the ongoing construction projects that have begun around the district and will continue over the next 3-5 years. MSDWT continues to issue bonds as a part of the 2016 referendum and the final bond sale should take place in late 2020 or 2021. Total financing of these projects will be a combination of bonds issued through the Building Corporation, G.O. Bonds, and other resources available over the next 2-4 years.

While the goal has been achieved, the district is considering additional projects that will address other needs. The planning process is now ramping up for a second round of projects that will likely result in referenda in May 2020.





Enhance Business Services by communicating relevant financial information to stakeholder groups throughout Washington Township • Financial efficiencies • Budget effectiveness

The interested stakeholder group will grow moving forward to include all parties that will have an interest in the next referendum. Between now and May 2020, there will be a variety of stakeholder groups that will receive relevant financial information regarding the taxpayer impact of the referendum.

Improve use of division software applications across the district • Professional development to increase understanding and consistent use of applications • The Financial Management System – budgeting, purchasing, extracurricular accounting • Electronic timekeeping system – including final deployment

There have been many enhancements to our Financial Management Software program in preparation for the implementation of HEA 1009. That went live in January and has been successful to date. There will be more coming over the coming months and years. All schools in MSDWT have now been converted to the new Extracurricular Accounting software program. North Central was the last and that was complete prior to the end of 2018. The district has also moved to the latest version of TimeClock software.

Enhance Transportation Department through increased efficiencies • Routing – enhance software utilization with additional training • Technology – final deployment of vehicle GPS/Tablet system • Personnel recruitment and retention

A major redistricting that impacted student populations at each elementary school, middle school and bus routes is now complete but continues to be refined as necessary. There are still struggles with retention and the hiring of new drivers. This has been an ongoing issue and we are continuing to look for ways to improve that situation. There has been a change in leadership in the Transportation Department which will have a positive impact on the department.


As the Board considers waiting until summer 2020 for the launch of the next strategic plan until we know results of the May 2020 referenda, the Business Services Division will continue to focus on overall financial operations of the district. We continue to issue bonds as a result of the 2016 referendum and our bond rating from S & P Global has recently been reaffirmed. We had a very good bond sale on October 23, 2019, and have one issue remaining to complete the issuance of all $185 million from the 2016 referendum. With the upcoming referenda in May 2020, we are working closely with Bond Counsel and Financial Advisors. Financial data has been and continues to be prepared for the various stakeholders throughout Washington Township. Tax-payer impact will of course be a significant issue. Possible borrowing scenarios and project cash flow estimates are also being considered. A robust referenda campaign will be underway in the spring of 2020 in anticipation of a May 5, 2020 election. The outcome of that election will have a major impact on the structuring of the next strategic plan.

strategic plan areas of focus at a glance · maintain learning environments and provide...

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