Spring ISD : Spring ISD To Share District's Strategic Direction As 2021-22 School Year Begins This Week

Press release from Spring Independent School District:

August 10, 2021

Superintendent Dr. Rodney E. Watson and the Spring ISD Board of Trustees are set Tuesday night to unveil the district’s new strategic direction, called Every Student—Every Teacher—Every Day, just a day before the district welcomes back all of its 33,000 students to campus for the 2021-22 school year.

The new plan is designed to build upon the work already accomplished and underway as part of the district’s EveryChild 2020 strategic plan, released in 2015, less than a year after Watson became the district’s superintendent.  

“We’ve accomplished so much since then, but we have a lot more work to do to ensure excellent, equitable outcomes for all students,” Watson said. “This new strategic direction is the first step to ensuring we have the right programs, staff and resources to help all of our students. Together, we will reap a harvest.”

He said the decision to release the plan on the eve of the start of the 2021-22 school year was intentional, considering the district’s goal of focusing on student outcomes in spite of the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“There’s really no time to waste, because we know our students have already lost ground on account of COVID,” he said. “We need to leverage all of our collective resources this year to accelerate learning and to make sure we’re moving forward and in the right direction.”

To help guide the way, Every Student—Every Teacher—Every Day, details six key priorities: Student Outcomes, Equity, Opportunities, Leadership, Well-Being and Engagement. Within each priority, there are key imperatives and commitments that establish the district’s focus.

The goal, Watson said, is to ensure every Spring ISD student graduates as someone with a strong capacity for lifelong learning, critical thinking and responsible citizenship, prepared for both college and career.

“We want our graduates to be ready to contribute, compete and lead in today’s global society,” he said. “Staying focused on that mission has already helped guide us through numerous challenges, and it will continue to inform what we do in Spring ISD in the years ahead.”

Tuesday’s launch of the new strategic direction will take place during the board’s regular monthly meeting, which is also scheduled to include the swearing-in of two new board members to fill the positions left vacant by the retirements in July of Donald Davis and Jana Gonzales.

As trustees prepare to welcome two new board members, they also are embracing the new strategic priorities, which were developed collaboratively among the trustees and district leadership.

“With the new school year, this is the perfect time to embark on this important work,” Board President Rhonda Newhouse said. “We’re calling Every Student—Every Teacher—Every Day our blueprint for excellent, equitable outcomes, and that’s because we’re setting forth our vision and commitment to building an inclusive and respectful community for everyone to learn and work together.”

The August board meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the Randall Reed Center at the district’s Planet Ford Stadium facility.

This press release was produced by Spring Independent School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.