Priority 2

Raise the bar in district-level support of Teaching & Learning, both curricular and extracurricular

2.1. Align curriculum, instruction, and assessment to ensure rigorous and relevant learning experiences for all students. 
2.2. Invest in technology and infrastructure to support innovative teaching methods and blended learning. 
2.3. Provide ongoing support and coaching for educators to improve instructional quality.
2.4.  Modernize the District Business Office in order to operate more efficiently and support teachers and students.
2.5. Establish clear and measurable performance benchmarks to track the progress of teaching and learning initiatives.
Strategic Priority Two
Why is this important?All district-level positions exist to ensure high levels of learning occur in every classroom and beyond (standards-based field trips, all extracurricular events).  Without the appropriate systems in place (Technological, Maintenance, Custodial, Financial, Transportation, Food Services, Administrative, Social-emotional) teachers and students will not thrive and reach their full potential of growth and achievement.
Action steps related to the prioritySuperintendent
1. Superintendent Cowan will:
a. Support district-level department with funding, professional development, and evaluative feedback to ensure expectations are met.
b. Provide a collaborative budgeting and planning process for the needs of each department.
c. Meet with each department head to establish professional growth and organizational Impact Statements (goals) and Action Steps.
d. Monitor impact of each director/manager’s plan for the district through an evaluate feedback cycle.
e. Meet bi-monthly in a Superintendent’s Advisory Council to listen to director’s needs and collaborate with each other (i.e. Finance hearing the needs of others; Superintendent approving needs/plans, etc.)
f. Ensure department concerns and celebrations are communicated to the ASD Board of Education
g. Ensure District Policy supports Teaching & Learning

Technology
1. The Technology Director will assist teachers and students through the lens of technology “accelerating the momentum of what we can do” (Good to Great , Jim Collins). 
2. The Technology Director will increase capacity for technological use by:
a. Applying for Category 1 and 2 e-rate funding
b. Completing a complete overhaul of the technological infrastructure (routers, switches, servers) during the 2023 school year
c. Completing an overhaul of the business office technology capacity (new computer, moving 20 years of files to the cloud, installing Virtual Meeting capabilities)
d. Completing a study of website services available to the District.
e. Managing the website ensuring policy, calendars, financial transparency, etc. are posted, updated, and maintained
f. Providing a survey (2023) for the Food Services department that will ascertain the food preferences of the first quarter meals (the Food Services Director will use this information to enhance the offerings for he students and remove meals kids do not eat)
g. Providing community, parent, student, teacher, and board surveys to determine what each stakeholder group desires for ASD graduates
h. Upgrading student and staff safety by researching and implementing a scancard system for entrances (entrances will be locked)
i. Upgrading student and staff safety by researching and implementing a camera surveillance system in both schools
j. Training office staff in the use of cameras and scannable entrances
k. Providing professional development in Google Suite (Docs, Calendars, Sheets, Forms) to all staff
l. Providing professional development to users of the new XELLO and EduClimber systems
m. Increasing the efficiency, prioritizing, and ability to respond to technological needs of staff and students by creating a Tech Ticket System
n. Inventorying and assessing technological needs of the district
o. Ordering classroom and district office technologies to support learning and district work (ClearTouch Panels, Laptops, Digital Cameras, 3D Printers, Software, Rocketbooks, etc.)
p. Managing the Rural Co-Action Grant to budget and provide for Student Pathways (Media, Education, Ranching/Ag, Industrial Arts)
q. Re-establishing library services in the District’s schools by:
i. Researching, identifying, purchasing, installing and training on library management software
ii. Supervising student summer workers inventorying and cataloging all library resources in both school libraries
r. Managing the CTE programs to ensure ASD students receive every CTE-based educational opportunity possible in ASD
i. Establish approved CTE Pathways
ii. Ensure CTE certified instructors receive appropriate training to certify students
s. Attending Technology Education conferences to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on educational media and technology offerings
t. Enhancing the use of the Commons by researching, purchasing and installing a sound system to be used for graduations, public meetings, talent shows, dramas, etc.

Finance
1. The Business Manager will increase capacity for Teaching & Learning by:
a. Attending financial conferences and training opportunities to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on educational media and technology offerings
b. Receiving an implementing training on the Google Suite of tools (Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides)
c. Attending and implementing training on the new insurance platform (EASE)
d. Modernizing business office practices:
i. Meal money checks
ii. Digitizing purchase orders
iii. Moving documents to Google Drive
iv. Using a shared drive for Finance and Human Resources
e. Providing training in business office practices to teaching staff to ensure high quality teaching & learning is not interrupted, slowed, or blocked
f. Establishing a Business Manager/Finance Director Professional Learning Cohort to network with other financial personnel and share ideas, resources, and knowledge that supports Teaching & Learning

Administrative
1. The District Office Manager will increase capacity for Teaching & Learning by:
a. Attending office administration training to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on procedures that enhance teaching & learning
b. Receiving an implementing training on the Google Suite of tools (Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides)
c. Moving all office forms and docs to a shared Google Drive
d. Keeping all stakeholders “in the know” with shared External and Internal calendar postings and management (field trips, Meetings: IEP, 504, MTSS, PLC, etc., Guest speakers, trainings and conferences, all travel)

Maintenance, Grounds and Custodial
1. The Maintenance, Grounds and Custodial staff  will increase capacity for Teaching & Learning by:
a. Attending maintenance training to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on maintenance and custodial best practices (chemical handling, cleaning products, HVAC systems, grounds care, etc.)
b. Receiving an implementing training on the Google Suite of tools (Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides)
c. Creating a 3 to 5 year District Maintenance Plan (2023)
d. Ensuring a clean and safe learning environment exists for students and staff

Food Services
1. The Food Services staff  will increase capacity for Teaching & Learning by:
a. Attending Food Services conferences & training to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on food service best practices
b. Collaborating with the IT Director to launch a Food Services Survey for student menu preferences (2023)
c. Analyzing the Food Services Survey to make data-driven decisions about food quality and student menu preferences
d. Cataloging menu preferences, place into a serving rotation
e. Supporting students and staff nutrition needs with fresher foods (i.e. Salad Bar)

Transportation
1. The Transportation Director  will increase capacity for Teaching & Learning by:
a. Attending Transportation conferences & training to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on Transportation best practices
b. Keeping a maintenance schedule for all vehicles
c. Ensuring all vehicles are maintained and inspected according to schedule
d. Ensuring all qualifying students receive bus services if desired
e. Schedule route drivers
f. Schedule trip drivers
g. Receiving an implementing training on the Google Suite of tools (Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides)
h. Creating a 3 to 5 year District Transportation Plan (2023)
i. Ensuring a clean and safe busing environment exists for students and staff

Athletics Director
1. The District Athletic Director will increase capacity for Teaching & Learning by:
a. Attend Athletics/CHSAA conferences and training to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on extra-curricular offerings
b. Developing and revising a Coaching Handbook focused on STUDENT-athletes
c. Developing and revising and Athletics Handbook focused on STUDENT-athletes
d. Developing and revising a Parent’s Pledge supporting student learning, grit and perseverance, responsibility, and cooperation
e. Collaborating with League Officials to ensure Aguilar athletes have a robust event schedule
f. Collaborating with the league and school principal to ensure an eligibility program exists and encourages athletes to maintain required grades for athletic participation

Social-emotional
1. The District Counselor will increase capacity for Teaching & Learning by:
a. Attend Counseling Education conferences and training to sharpen skills, network, and stay current on counseling offerings
b. Teaching elementary students in social-emotional skills with the Kelso’s Choice and Second Step Curricula
c. Teaching and offering guidance for secondary students in Senior Seminar and Career X classes
d. Exposing secondary students to potential careers through a series of guest teachers (San Isabel Electric, DOW, Chefs, etc.)
e. Taking students to colleges and trade schools for college and trades exploration
f. Serving on the Graduate Profile, Student Pathways and Instructional Leadership Teams to collaborate and share knowledge which enhances Teaching & Learning
g. Maintaining membership on the Periscope Project Team to enhance Teaching & Learning
h. Positively impacting and influencing our K-12 system by creating SEL lessons to be mobilized in Wildcat Time Advisory period
i. Offering individual and small group setting counseling
Evidence of ImplementationIn this goal, tracking is done when invoices are paid and systems are in place (software, maintenance, programming, curriculum, etc.).

Because this is a supporting goal, the evidence here is in the gains made in the goal above. Otherwise, hard evidence is difficult to gather. 

However, some things can be tracked (that are made possible through this supporting goal). 
1. For example, because the IT Director identified a need for inventorying/tracking/checkout software in the libraries, it was requested by the principal,  purchased by the business manager, then installed by the IT Director. The counselor, through the Wildcat Advisory Period, requires SSR once per week during individual mentoring. This is possible because we now can check out a book to every student (and, with Master Scheduling we’ve manned the library with both students in the Education Pathway and Parapros).
2. Because we now have an Athletic Handbook and Athletic Goals, we had a parent meeting that was well-attended. We have expectations that are clear and set high. 
3. Kids are being exposed to Pathways through geist teachers (San Isabel Electric, Veterans, Chefs…)
4. Students now have a XELLO Account to build their Leadership Portfolios (This made possible through collaboration with our partners (BOCES, CEI) and our Teams (ILT and Pathways). 
5. With the coming launch of Educlimber, other factors can be tracked (Disdipine, Attendance, etc.) in one platform.
6. A daily salad bar is now offered to our kids because of the goals of the District (Superintendent) and Food Services Director.
7. Our Business Manager is learning Google Suite and moving years of files to Google Drive for easier collaboration. 
8. For the first time, all stakeholders can know what is going on in the District through the use of Google Calendars. 
9. New teachers are being mentored for 25 hours.
10. Technology requests and solutions are being tracked through a tech ticket system.
11. The school is safer through the camera surveillance system, vape sensor and scan card entry.
12. Lesson plans are being posted via training in Google.

These are some of the examples of what a supportive goal can provide. It is infrastructure and systems
Evidence of ImpactIn only one year of this “Three-semester Plan”:

1. Increased enrollment from 104 to 119 (even with losses of families)
Increased attendance rate from 93.6% to 95.6% (in a month to month comparison of 22/23)
2. ASD NWEA scores increased
3. CMAS scores are the highest in ASD History
4. Aguilar’s DPF and Aguilar Junior/Senior’s SPFs as both OFF the CLOCK for the first time in our modern accountability era (quote from CDE)
a. Jr/Sr High moved from Priority Improvement Performance.
b. ASD High School accredited “with Distinction”
c. AS ES just shy of moving from Turnaround by 1.5 points. Moved form 10 points to 32.5 points in cutoffs.
5. ILT has made huge progress in creating a Strategic Framework, identifying ASD Values, and creating a positive culture through our professional norms.
6. Zero kids ineligible for first time in principal’s memory (4 weeks in a row)
7. Increased communications:
a. From 0 to 36 weeks of Friday Memos to the BoE and Staff
b. From social media posts announcing snow days or graduation ( few per year) to daily posts, increasing by 152%
c. Increased interactions with school media by 133%
e. Increased Facebook page visits by 100%
f. Increase Facebook reach by 133%
g. Now have a presence in the newspapers