A Community-Led Approach to Strategic Planning

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Public input has always been an important component of the long-range strategic planning process for Henrico County Public Schools. Historically, community members participated in the planning process by providing input after a draft plan had been developed by school district leaders. However, this process did not fully recognize the perspectives and unique experiences of the broader school community. To increase community involvements in early stages of plan development, the school district utilized a community-led strategic planning process, based on the Cambridge Strategic Planning Model, to collaborate with community stakeholders in the creations of the school division’s strategic plan. Community members and other stakeholders were involved in three stages of the process. First a 30 member Planning Steering Committee, representing a cross-section of the school and community, was assembled to oversee the development of the plan. The Planning Steering Committee was tasked with defining the mission and beliefs of the school division and establishing goals and objectives to guide the organization’s growth. Next, Action Plan teams were created to develop operational plans to meet the established objectives. Action Plan teams consisted of school and community volunteers. Lastly, community members were able to participate in the process by providing input on the plan during public hearings and through an online website. By involving a variety of school stakeholders, a new and higher level of community engagement in the planning process of achieved and resulted in the development of a comprehensive, collaborative division-wide strategic plan based on the values and perspectives of the community.