STRATEGIC PLAN ASSUMPTIONS

After vigorous discussion, the SPC agreed in principle to the following plan assumptions, which were largely unchanged from the assumptions underpinning the 2014-2020 Strategic Plan.

• St. Agnes Academy will continue to be a

Catholic college preparatory school for young women, grades 9—12. • St. Agnes Academy will remain at its current location of 9000 Bellaire Boulevard and the

East Campus Athletics Complex located at 7611 Bellaire Boulevard. • St. Agnes Academy will continue to be a

Dominican-sponsored school. • St. Agnes Academy will continue to be governed by a policy-making Board of

Directors. • St. Agnes Academy will manage the external operations of the school by the

Head of School’s executive team and the day-to-day operations of the school by the

Principal’s team. • St. Agnes Academy will continue to offer a liberal arts college preparatory curriculum, including four years of Catholic theology, and maintain an academic services center that provides support for students with academic needs. • St. Agnes Academy will continue to collaborate with Strake Jesuit College

Preparatory in sharing programs. • St. Agnes Academy will also partner with others to enhance school programs and community involvement. • St. Agnes Academy will have an enrollment not to exceed 930 students. Enrollment will include a population that is diverse in ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, and academic ability.

The challenge of a strategic planning exercise is to have the courage to ask tough questions, challenge assumptions, solicit feedback, but then build a sustainable and coherent plan. Too many voices can stall a process; not enough voices result in tunnel vision and a mediocre plan. I was struck by how open, and willing every member of the St. Agnes community was to both giving and getting feedback.

– Kathy Hanson Senior Consultant and Principal; Marts & Lundy

In addition to discussing the plan’s scope and assumptions, the initial SPC meeting conducted two other pieces of business. The first was to brainstorm an initial list of strategic goal areas for consideration in the plan’s design. The final order of business for the initial meeting was to discuss and recommend a community survey process to gather input and feedback for the plan. The SPC agreed that a broad-based survey to several community constituent groups was appropriate and authorized the SPSC to design and issue a survey in the 4th quarter of 2019. Online surveys were issued to current parents, current students, alumnae parents, alumnae, faculty, staff, and the Emeritus Advisory Council. Inperson meetings and focus groups were also held with several of these constituents. Overall, the SPSC and the SPC believed the survey and in-person meeting process was appropriately comprehensive and provided valuable insights to be considered in the plan’s design and development. A summary of the survey and in-person meeting feedback is shown on page 11. Coincidentally, St. Agnes was undergoing its periodic Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department (“TCCB ED”) accreditation process during this initial phase of Plan work. The accreditation process involved an extensive self-assessment and site visit, culminating in a written report from TCCB ED. The report summarized, and largely validated, the strengths and opportunities identified by the strategic plan community surveys and group meetings. The accreditation process findings were shared with the SPC as part of preparing to begin plan design in early 2020.