AMessagefromthe Superintendent

The resulting document is a dynamic strategic plan that will shift annually to reflect the progress of the organization as well as address unexpected challenges that may arise It will be a five year journey that will shape our organization to become what we envision it to be As the ancient Chinese proverb goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ” Let this be our first step in realizing a new vision for our school system

The towns of Lancaster, Bolton and Stow are connected by Route 117, a road known as,”The Great Road ” It is along that road that all six of our schools are connected. It is my hope that we galvanize as one collective community around this plan to ensure our students have the skills, knowledge and confidence to make their dreams become a reality. After all, schools are learning; Learning Along the Great Road.

At the end of the day, school systems are measured by how well we prepare our students for life after graduation. Whether our students choose college, career, or service after high school, we want our graduates to become lifelong learners who develop a personal voice, grow to understand how choices have an impact beyond intention and develop a strong sense of agency and responsibility. Those competencies thrive fully in safe, caring, and collaborative environments where a sense of belonging is felt by all. We strive to be an organization that fulfills our vision, “Be your best self. Pave your path. Impact the world.”

Sincerely,

Kirk Downing Superintendent, Nashoba Regional School District

Connections and Communications

The first objective in our strategic plan outlines the priority initiatives identified as priorities relative to Connections and Communications. It is our goal to improve our communications methodologies and further strengthen our partnerships with the community through civic engagement and collaboration.

#2

Learning, Teaching, and Leading

At the core of our mission as an educational institution is learning and this is the driver for the second objective, Learning, Teaching, and Leading This year we have stepped into the work of our plan by focusing on horizontal curriculum alignment across grade levels as well as vertical alignment in curriculum content areas We have also instituted a K-9 assessment system, Renaissance Learning’s Star 360 Math and Reading, which will be the backbone of student assessment portfolios that encompass a body of evidence relative to support learning and growth. Other initiatives will focus on professional development, professional collaboration structures, and civic engagement.

Culture and Belonging #3

The third objective identifies the efforts we will make relative to Culture and Belonging. It is our goal to ensure all students in Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow have a strong sense of belonging in the school system. We will do the necessary work to remove barriers and provide students a fair opportunity to succeed by focusing on equity and the social/emotional development of our students. Our goal is to create a PreK-12 Nashoba identity that we can all be proud of.

Human Resources, Finance, and Facilities #4

The last objective in the plan addresses the Human Resources, Finance, and Facilities sectors of the organization. We know the citizens of our community expect a high-quality education system and they expect us to develop budgets that show fiscal responsibility. The proposed FY24 budget was constructed by applying consistent standards for class size, administration, and support staff to ensure responsible staffing equity across all buildings. The result of our collective efforts is a reduction in 7.5 positions in the district while maintaining the full educational program for our students. We will be able to do this without laying off employees as expected retirements and natural annual attrition will outnumber the reduction in positions. This has helped us mitigate the challenges of increasing costs in energy and out-of-district special education services. If approved by our towns, we will be able to overcome these rising costs and keep high-quality education standards in place.