Superior School District preps for the future with new strategic plan

SUPERIOR, Wis. (Northern News Now) - The Superior School District is getting ready for the fall semester and the future.

The District is preparing to roll out its 2025-2030 strategic plan, allowing teachers and principals to apply it to their curriculum upon their return to the district this month.

The district collaborated with its teachers, parents, and the rest of the community to help create the plan, starting last summer when they sent out a community-wide survey.

Then, the board created a strategic plan committee of nearly 30 parents, teachers, and other staff.

The survey, along with data collected on each of the six schools, was used to create the strategic plan, which focuses on four new pillars for the district.

Those pillars and how they plan to focus on them are listed below:

• Student engagement, growth, and achievement
  • Utilize research-based instructional strategies to ensure growth and improve academic achievement.
• Family and community partnerships
  • Foster meaningful relationships through transparent communication, creating a sense of pride and trust.
• Exceptional staff
  • Attract and retain exceptional staff through collaboration, supportive mentoring, and intentional professional development so that staff feel valued.
• Financial responsibility
  • Ensure our long-term financial plan maximizes resources while supporting our district’s mission and vision.

After seeing the school’s graduation rate had a jump of nearly 10% since 2021, they’re focusing on two subjects where improvement is needed.

“We worked really hard to increase our graduation rates,” said Starzecki. “We’re really going to shift some of our school improvement efforts to, ‘how do we increase the number of students who are proficient in reading and math, and what are some strategies we have to utilize in our classrooms, our schools to make that happen?’”

Starzecki also talked about how the closure of Lake Superior Elementary had a major impact on the district, but it has allowed them to use their staff more efficiently.

The final pillar of financial responsibility coincides with the board’s approval of updates to the long-range facility plan.

The plan is broken down into projects that will be prioritized over the next five years.

According to Starzecki, the five-year strategic plan will be shown to teacher leaders this week, ahead of the start of the 2025 school year.

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