Garland ISD is known for being a tradition-rich district. But staff, students, parents and community members are looking ahead to the future.
GISD launched a strategic planning process this month to outline long-term goals and the means of achieving them. The first step involves community input from three Education Summits and an online survey. Superintendent Bob Morrison hopes to hear from every district and community family.
“The more feedback we receive, the better educational experience we can provide,” he said. “Our goal is for GISD to reflect the needs, wants and interest of its tri-cities.”
Available through Dec. 4, the eight-question survey asks what skills students need to thrive and how learning may need to be transformed to prepare students for the future. Visit www.garlandisd.net/futureready to share your opinions.
GISD’s Education Summits kicked off Nov. 14 at the Curtis Culwell Center with more than 125 attendees. District stakeholders were asked to discuss what GISD is doing well, what could be improved and what should be implemented in the future. Their answers were recorded and will be used to create the district’s Strategic Plan. The second Education Summit was held Nov. 18 at Lakeview Centennial High School with more than 125 attendees as well.
GISD’s third and final Education Summit will be held Dec. 3 at Rowlett High School. The public is invited to attend this open forum, beginning at 6 p.m.
Additional steps in the strategic planning process include focus groups, a design team and an action team. The focus groups will enlist students, teachers, administrators, parents and the business community to provide more targeted feedback. Representatives from all of those groups will then collaborate as a team to design a framework for decision-making. A second team will create an action plan aligned to state and district objectives that can lead GISD through a manageable and sustainable transformation process. The result will be a cohesive vision between the district and its stakeholders, as well as clear goals and objectives for the future, a profile of the learner and accountability measures.
