Russell County School District Strategic Plan Review 2018-2022

1. Russell County School DistrictStrategic Plan Review2018-2022

2. What is the Purpose, Methodology, and Implementation of the Russell County School District’s Strategic Plan? • Framework for the direction and activities of the School District for the next five years. • A committee comprised of representatives from each school, central office administrators, parents, community members, and students. • The Strategic Plan will be reviewed a minimum of twice per year by the Superintendent and stakeholders of the RCSD. • Each school principal is responsible for including applicable objectives of the Strategic Plan in his/her school’s CIP. • Monitoring of the Strategic Plan will be the responsibility of the Superintendent through school management observations, assessment data (local and state), employee evaluation, monitoring documents, etc. • Superintendent will provide a written report to the Board of Education mid-year as to the progress and implementation of the Strategic Plan.

3. What are some factors that affect change to a Strategic Plan? • Student Growth • New Initiatives and Instructional Programs • Data such as Formative and Summative Assessment • School Continuous Improvement Plan • Recommendations by AdvancEd • State Monitoring Recommendations • New State Accountability • New Leadership • Stakeholders’ Input • Maintenance of Facilities • Research Studies and Best Practices • Funding • SIRS Report • State Report Card • Graduation Rate

4. What is the Vision and Mission of the Russell County School District? • Vision Inspire, Empower, and Educate with Excellence • Mission Our mission is to engage students in quality learning experiences that will prepare them for success in college, career, and life.

5. Russell County School District Goals for 2016-2021 Goal #1 Provide A Safe and Secure Environment Goal #2 Build A Professional Workforce Through Enhanced Staff Development Goal#3 Improve Students’ Social and Emotional Development Goal#4 Increase Student Achievement

6. Data Collection and Analysis • Stakeholders’ Feedback • Student Attendance • Employee Attendance • GlobalScholar, AAA, ACCESS, ACT, Work Keys • STI Formative Assessment (Power Schools SY 18) • Classroom Observations • Laying the Foundation • AP scores • SIR report • Learning Support • Comprehensive Monitoring • Teacher Evaluations • Student Grades • AdvancED Recommendations • State Accountability • Budget and Funding • School Walkthroughs • DIBELS Next • ARI Support • Career Tech Credentials • Evaluation of the mentor plan • Edmentum • Scholar Centric

7. Personnel Objectives-Every student should be afforded access to competent, caring and qualified administrators, teachers, and support staff. Recruiting, preparing, and retaining quality individuals is our central strategy for improving our schools. • Hire Highly Qualified Faculty and Staff by participating in Education Job Fairs in the surrounding area. • Provide a quality New Teacher/Employee Orientation to clearly communicate vision, mission, goals and expectations.(Twice per year) • Coordinate Professional Development Plans based on student data and needs of the faculty and staff. • Expand Pre-K Programs at all Elementary school sites. • Employ elementary principals as 12 month employees. • Employ full-time Assistant Elementary Principals to support leadership for larger elementary schools. • Employ additional Director of Instruction to provide extra instructional support to K-12 schools. • Maintain a full-time Career Tech Director position in order to strengthen and expand program offerings. • Employ a Prevention Specialist at RCHS to help increase student achievement and the high school graduation rate. • Assign an Instructional Coach to schools based on the needs of each school. Maintain two district level Math Instructional Coaches positions. • Increase technology personnel to include a Technology Director, three Technicians,Technology /Social Media Instructor, Inventory Technology Technician, and STI Manager. • Expand counseling services by employing full-time counselors at all elementary schools. • Expand Gifted Services by employing an additional teacher. • Provide a quality Mentoring Program for new teachers and administrators in order to improve employee performance and increase retention rate. • Provide recruiting incentives such as higher pay, scholarships, and certification grants for hard to fill job vacancies such as Math, Science, and Special Education. • Develop Aspiring Administrators Program in order to build leadership capacity and promote hiring within the district. • Provide an annual Leadership & Development Training Program for all central office administrators and principals as a means to improve leadership skills. • Increase elective course offerings and Fine Arts positions such as Music, Art, Theatre, Foreign Languages, etc. • Employ Russell County School District Safety Director • Fine Arts Program (Elementary Level) • Employee bookkeepers and secretaries as 12 months employees

8. Curriculum and Instruction Objectives-The instructional program exists to provide learning experiences that are challenging and rigorous, through a student-centered curriculum that focuses on creativity, communication, and lifelong learning. The curriculum will be presented by active engagement in the learning process through a variety of teaching techniques that accommodate diverse learning styles. • Quarterly review of student progress • Align K-12 curriculum to decrease the achievement gap between subgroups while improving student achievement on state assessments (DIBELS Next, ACT Aspire, and ACT). • Expand Master Classroom Training and identified “best practices ” to all sites and other teachers. • Formalize dialogue between administrators and staff of the transitional grades (6-7, 8-9). Add all grade levels • Conduct a Needs Assessment based on Business/Industry and Parent/Student surveys to determine the need for additional elective courses. Emphasis in elective courses will be on advancing the communication, mathematics, and science competencies. • Rename and expand ALP into a full-time Alternative Learning Center – no resources • Expand curriculum to include Fine Arts at all school sites to include Music, Art, and Theatre. • Implement Learning Support Strategies in all Russell County Schools (Supported by a partnership with Scholastic and ALSDE). • Maintain partnership with GEAR UP to help prepare students academically for college. • Adopt a new reading program. • Creating pacing guides for science and social studies • Create a model classroom at every school • Adopt a Tier III program • Use PowerSchools assessments to align standards, skills, assessments, and DOK levels • Use instructional coaches to provide job embedded professional development

9. Curriculum and Instruction Objectives (Cont’d) • Expand Dual Enrollment to include one course in each core area. • Offer a system-wide Summer Tutorial Program for K-8 students. • Offer a System-Wide Kick-Start Program to prepare students for kindergarten. • Establish requirement at each grade level for promotion of students to the next grade level (Promotion/Retention Policy). • Implement a system-wide Character Education and Anti-bullying Program specific to issues pertaining to each grade-band of students (k-2)(3-5) (6-8) (9-12). • Implement benchmark (Pre/Post and Mid-Year) Formative Assessments in Reading and Math for students in grades K-12. • Implement data meetings after each test administration to determine student needs and make instructional decisions. • Provide Credit Recovery throughout the school year (Minimum of 4 times per year). • Provide Credit Recovery Education to failing students and their parents. • Provide a Virtual School Option for students in grades (9-12). • Purchase Edmentum Program to provide various digital learning opportunities for students (Remediation, Intervention, Acceleration, Courseware, General Electives, CTE, Test Prep for Workkeys, ASVAB, Compass, ACT, SAT, and Parent or Overaged Students GED Program).

10. Safe Environment Objective-School Safety is a critical issue in the lives of students, educators, parents, families, and community members. A safe and caring environment allows students to learn and provides educators a means to deliver effective instruction. • Provide a sufficient surveillance system for each school/location. • Install fencing and lighting at each school/location as determined by need. • Purchase and install metal detectors at each secondary school site. • Continue to refine and implement School Safety Plans to ensure compliance with Safe Schools Act. • Obtain Emergency Communication System. (Panic buttons) • Provide continuing Professional Development for staff in the area of school safety. • Employ a full-time Russell County Schools Safety Director. • Upgrade all school sites Intercom System. • Employ additional School Resource Officers. • Maintain, repair, or replace outdated exterior doors that do not automatically close and lock to increase safety of schools or limit access of unwanted intruders. (should become #1 priority) • Construct safe entrance for high school. • Participation in school drills by district wide safety team • Provide bus drills for non bus riders

11. Facilities Objective-Appropriate facilities are vital to the implementation and support of our instructional program. • Establish a rotation schedule to conduct preventive maintenance at all schools and facilities on a quarterly basis. • Revisit plans to address entrance to Russell County High School. • Address needs identified in the Capital Plan as funds become available. • Develop efficiency and productive initiatives to better utilize building resources. • Develop a Facility Plan to address all upgrades and remodeling. • Build a new Magnet elementary school to include the Fine Arts to provide an option for advanced students. • Expand/build /renovate new gymnasium to accommodate all students at MOPS/MOI • Upgrade all restrooms at Dixie, Ladonia, and Oliver. • Renovate Old Central Kitchen to a Russell County School District Warrior Training Center. • Upgrade all Athletic Facilities to include New Football Scoreboard and Weight Room for RCMS. • Renovate home/guest Locker Rooms on the football field. • Repair/replace roofing at Oliver, MOI, and Ladonia Elementary. • Build a new Softball and Baseball Complex • Seale Campus Annex exterior renovations ( Match bricks & roofing of Warrior Room). • Build a quality Alternative Learning Center to adequately address the needs of At-Risk students.

12. Transportation Objectives-A safe and efficient transportation service is vital to the educational operation of our school system which includes safety, efficiency and economy with safety being the most important. • Ensure 100 percent compliance in the state fleet renewal program. • Continually evaluate bus routes to minimize student travel time within budgetary constraints. • Equip all buses with video-cameras to establish a monitoring system for safety and discipline purposes. • Recruit, train, and evaluate drivers to ensure that transportation procedures are carried out properly. • Employ additional Bus Mechanics. • Purchase new/used county vehicles for administrators and travel. • Use Transfinder as the routing and management and safety program for school buses.

13. Family Involvement Objective-Family involvement is critical in building a supportive, nurturing environment to enhance the achievement of all children . Open communication and frequent participation of family members build collective responsibility between home and school. • Develop Family Programs such as Career Day, Parent Workshops, Grandparents Day, etc. • Use the School Cast and social media for contacting parents on a regular basis. • Ensure that all schools provide an environment where parents and community feel welcome. • Develop stakeholders’ survey to be distributed a minimum of one time per year. • Hold community meetings at each school on a yearly basis. • Utilize partnership with GEAR UP to increase parental involvement. • Develop a district-wide Newsletter to be disseminated quarterly to faculty, staff, and parents. • Develop a program to address students at-risk of school failure and anti social behavioral. • Provide and host district-wide/regional programs such as a Music Concert, Art Gallery, Social Studies/Science Fair, Math Competitions, Spelling Bee, Parenting Day, Farm City competition and collaboration. • Develop parent training programs. • Provide accessibility to continual education programs through CVCC. • Involve parents on district level committees. • Provide GED classes for adults

14. Technology Objectives-Technology has become the catalyst of change and the sustainer of societies, not only in global communications, economics, the world of the arts, and interactive politics, but in education as well. • Increase the computer to student ratio to equal 1:3. • Add two technology course electives at Russell County High School to include Computer Repair and Basic Computer Programming. SY 18 • Increase technology Personnel to hire two ( one SY 17) additional Technology Technicians. • Upgrade existing District/School Website. • Employ an Inventory Technology Technician who will be responsible for the accurate accounting of inventory including receiving, processing equipment, recording, and distributing technology equipment and materials. • Increase proficiency of using technology by providing a menu of staff development offerings per year to all employees in the area of technology. • Establish a partnership with CVCC to place technology interns in Russell County Schools. • Prepare all schools for technology-based assessments. • BYOB policy • Create a “how to” video series • Upgrade the audio visual system in the high school auditorium • Upgrade technology in the professional development room.

15. Community Education and Involvement-Administrators, teachers, parents, and the community, including businesses, industries, and government, share in the responsibility for the support of the schools within district. • Provide parent workshops based on surveys and CIP goals. • Develop educational partnerships with a minimum of two businesses for each school within the district and five businesses at the district level. • Designate one instructional day per semester to implement parental involvement activities to immerse parents in their child’s school day/education. • Coordinate additional counseling services with community agencies to involve a minimum of five area agencies. • Provide community based Tutoring Programs for all grade levels in math & reading. • Continue partnership with WRBL Spot Light of RCSD Destined for Excellence. • Partner with local community organizations and businesses such as the Phenix City-Russell County Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, United Way, West Rock, Extension Office, Ledger Enquirer, and Phenix Citizen. • Increase communications through social media such as facebook ,Instagram, and twitter. • Build stronger partnerships with secondary learning institutions such as Troy State University, Auburn University, CVCC, Alabama State University and Columbus State University. • Distribute yearly stakeholders surveys in order to obtain feedback. • Organize a Superintendent’s Advisory Committee to increase employee, students, parents, and community input and involvement. • Collaborate with CVCC to expand site locations for the GED program to each community within the RCSD. Build partnerships with additional agencies such as East AL Mental Health, GEAR UP, KUDER Career Planning , CVCC/Dual Enrollment, Fort Benning Military, and Career Technical Advisory Members. • Collaborate with Multi-need disciplinary team ( EAMH, DHR, JPO,and RCS)

16. Capital Plan /Projects • Purchase New Buses • Warrior Training Center • Entrance of RCHS • Renovate Softball/Baseball Concession • Replace Exterior Doors at Oliver, RCHS, Ladonia, and MOI. • Repair/Replace Roofing at Oliver, MOIS, Ladonia, and RCMS • Bathroom renovations at Dixie & Oliver • Replace windows at Ladonia and Mt. Olive Intermediate • Upgrade Athletic Facilities • New Softball and Baseball Complex Facility • Perimeter Fencing around schools • New/Renovated gymnasium at MOPS, MOI, and Oliver • Build New Magnet Elementary School • Upgrade the awning at DES • Upgrade gynamsium floor at RCMS * Green- Accomplished, Yellow- In Progress, Red- Future Goals