© 2018 DISTRICT MANAGEMENT GROUP

S E AT T L E P U B L I C S C H O O L S
S T R AT E G I C P L A N
Board of Directors Work Session
OCTOBER 29, 2018
Our mission is to achieve systemic improvement in public education by
combining management techniques and education best practices.

DMGroup’s Mission

We believe that a district must focus on meeting all three of

these objectives to achieve lasting results for students.

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DMGroup has partnered with hundreds of school districts across the US,
helping them address their most pressing needs.

All Sizes
of Districts
1,700 students 5,000 10,600 55,000 100,000 650,000
Rural Suburban Gateway Urban Urban Urban

Nationwide
Experience

Arizona Minnesota Texas Louisiana Maryland Illinois

All Types
of Districts

DMGroup brings best practices from across the country

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DMGroup supports districts through our membership and learning
programs and by working directly with districts on specific challenges.

Three Key Ways DMGroup Supports School District Leaders

DMCouncil Professional Consulting

Membership Development Services

● Year-round learning for ● In-district programs to ● Deep expertise drawn from

school district leaders empower leaders to raise working with hundreds of
focused on results achievement with school districts
management capacity
● Superintendents’ Strategy ● Areas of expertise include:
Summit and Leadership ● One-day workshops, multi-
Development Meetings day programs, and Special Education
customized PD available
● Best practices resources Strategic Planning
● Key topics tied to systems-
● Expert advice Elementary Scheduling
level strategy that will drive
results Secondary Scheduling
● Nationwide network of
forward-thinking
Strategic Budgeting
educational leaders
Program Evaluation

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DMGroup has worked with several districts to shape their strategic
vision.
Sample Strategic Plan Engagements
Frederick County Public
Schools
• District strategic planning
Elgin Area School District
U46
• District strategic planning
• Special education review
• Academic Return on
Investment (A-ROI)
Boston Public Schools
• Strategic re-alignment
and re-organization
• Human capital strategy
Los Angeles Unified
School District
• District strategic planning
• Implementation support
Sioux Falls School
District
• District strategic planning
• Academic Return on
Investment (A-ROI)
Baltimore City Public
Schools
• District strategic planning
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A senior DMGroup team is partnering with Seattle Public Schools on this
work.

DMGroup Team

John J-H Kim, Hosanna Mahaley,

CEO Senior Advisor

Adam Anderson, David James,

COO and Managing Director Senior Associate

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 The design of the district strategic plan will be a 5-6 month long process
that will entail a needs assessment and then development of the plan.
Project Workplan
Phase I - Design
Codify Needs
Assessment Develop Strategic Plan
• Utilize information from • Refine long term
district’s stakeholder aspirational goals for SPS
engagement efforts to
identify issues to be • Draft a theory of action
addressed within the about what it takes to raise
strategic planning process achievement and make your
vision a reality
• Form steering committee
and organize project kick-
off • Develop district priorities in
line with the drafted theory of
action
• Finalize specific and
measurable targets related to
district priorities (measurable
goals)
• Incorporate community
feedback into the drafted plan
Phase II - Implementation
Provide Implementation
Support (TBD)
• Draft a detailed action plan for
implementation:
o Delineate roles and
responsibilities
o Establish implementation
timelines
o Determine plan to track and
monitor progress
• Create templates/framework for
schools to create school-level
improvement plans in accordance
with the overall strategic plan
• Develop management dashboard
to track and monitor progress on
each strategic goal/objective
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SPS Steering Committee

Steering Committee Membership DRAFT

Member
James Bush
Michelle Ota
Michael Tolley
Mike Starosky
Jessica Beaver
Clover Codd
Ashley Davies
Keisha Scarlett
Jill Geary
Phyllis Campano
David Dockendorf
Erin Okuno
Emijah Smith
Mehret Tekle
Chandra Hampson
Manuela Slye

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The design of the district strategic plan will be a 5-6 month long process
that will entail a needs assessment and then development of the plan.

Key Dates (2019 Steering Committee Cadence TBD)

• Oct. 15 /16: Kick off with SPS Leadership and Board of Directors
• Oct. 16: Steering Committee #1
• Oct. 24: Draft written report for Superintendent analyzing feedback from Listening and Learning Tour
• Oct. 25 / 26: Community meeting to review Draft Listening and Learning Tour Report with
stakeholders (eg, meeting hosts)
• Oct. 29: Steering Committee #2
• Oct. 29: Board of Directors work session
• Nov. 13: Steering Committee #3
• Nov. 20: Draft of new Strategic Plan provided to Superintendent (exact date being finalized)
• Dec. 1: Board Retreat to provide feedback on draft of new Strategic Plan
• Dec 11: Steering Committee #4
• Dec – Feb: Community Engagement Feedback Process
• Feb 1: Complete community engagement on draft of new Strategic Plan
• Feb 20: New Strategic Plan provided to Superintendent
• March: Draft Strategic Plan presented to Board of Directors for review and approval

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Our work with SPS will focus on developing a Theory of Action, Priorities,
and Measurable Goals.

CONFIDENTIAL – WORK IN PROCESS

Strategic Planning Framework FOR DISCUSSION ONLY

Framework Definitions

Theory of Action Theory of Action: Fundamental belief

District Leadership and

Steering Committee
around what will lead to long term
success in the district

Responsibility
DESIGN

Measurable Priorities: Broad areas of work that are

Priorities
Goals key levers for district success

Measurable goals: Specific and

measurable targets related to district
priorities

Initiatives: Specific projects related to

Initiatives
IMPLEMENTATION

priorities that help to achieve the

District & Schools

measurable goals

Responsibility
Action steps: An articulation of what
steps need to occur, by when and by
whom
Action Steps
(outlining responsibilities and timelines)

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A well crafted list of priorities provides specificity regarding the district’s
areas of focus for the next several years.

Characteristics of a Well Crafted Priority List

Quality Description

• Priorities should focus on a short list of high impact

Focused activities that are most likely to help the district meet its goals,
given the district’s specific context, challenges, and
opportunities

• Priorities should paint a clear picture to all stakeholders

Clear about the district’s focus

• Strong priorities promote cross-collaboration and

Aligned alignment between the work of various departments and
levels of the organization

• It should be possible to measure progress toward

Measurable achieving each priority

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DMGroup reviewed suggested priorities submitted by Steering committee
members and grouped priorities into thematic areas

Draft Steering Committee Thematic Areas

a) Community and Family Engagement

b) Equitable Access and Opportunity
c) High-Quality Instruction
d) Human Capital
e) Systems and Accountability

Please share the priorities you prepared in preparation for this meeting, why
you selected the priorities, and consider what thematic area each priority
should fall into, where appropriate.

The results of this conversation will be shared with the steering committee for
their consideration and potential incorporation into the Strategic Plan.

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Next Steps

Key Dates (2019 Steering Committee Cadence TBD)

• Oct. 15 /16: Kick off with SPS Leadership and Board of Directors
• Oct. 16: Steering Committee #1
• Oct. 24: Draft written report for Superintendent analyzing feedback from Listening and Learning Tour
• Oct. 25 / 26: Community meeting to review Draft Listening and Learning Tour Report with
stakeholders (eg, meeting hosts)
• Oct. 29: Steering Committee #2
• Oct. 29: Board of Directors work session
• Nov. 13: Steering Committee #3
• Nov. 20: Draft of new Strategic Plan provided to Superintendent (exact date being finalized)
• Dec. 1: Board Retreat to provide feedback on draft of new Strategic Plan
• Dec 11: Steering Committee #4
• Dec – Feb: Community Engagement Feedback Process
• Feb 1: Complete community engagement on draft of new Strategic Plan
• Feb 20: New Strategic Plan provided to Superintendent
• March: Draft Strategic Plan presented to Board of Directors for review and approval

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If you have any comments or questions
about the contents of this document, please
contact District Management Group:

Tel: (877) 362-3500

Email: info@dmgroupK12.com
Fax: (617) 491-5266
Web: www.dmgroupK12.com
Mail: 133 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110

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