Strategic Planning Process Updates

Guest Column from Quality Profile Work Team Chairperson, William J. Shkurti

With the successful passage of the UA Schools operating levy in 2013, the school district leadership promised to do three things levy supporters requested: find ways to save money by operating more efficiently, make sure what goes on in the classroom prepares our students to be successful when they graduate and identify ways to help the taxpaying public better measure and understand how well the school district is doing in meeting these goals.

In order to keep these promises, the district developed a new hybrid approach to strategic planning that focuses on using community input to create a results-oriented plan that draws from the best practices of both the public and private sectors. The first phase of this planning process includes three work teams addressing essential questions … More +

Guest Column from Learning Experience Work Team Chairperson, Lori Trent

The world seems to be changing faster than ever before, and the field of education is no different. The Upper Arlington community has always placed an extremely high value on education, and so it is no surprise that so many educators and residents, like me, are excited to take part in our school district’s new strategic planning process to ensure our students are receiving the education and emotional support they need to succeed in the 21st century.

Our schools recognize that successful practices from the past are not always the right fit for tomorrow. That’s why the district is using a brand-new hybrid approach to strategic planning that combines the best from both public-sector and private-sector models. The process is extremely focused and results-oriented as in the private… More +

Community Update from Chairperson Wade Steen

During the past four and a half months, I have had the pleasure of leading a group of Upper Arlington residents tasked with taking an in-depth and discerning look at the financial status of our school district. The primary goal of this work team is to develop recommendations to assist the district in meeting its promise to the community of reducing expenditures over the next four years resulting in a cumulative impact of $4.5 million in cost savings by 2017.

Our group, the Productivity and Efficiency Work Team, began as part of the district’s Efficiency Project, which launched in August of 2013. Our role within that project is to review non-personnel related operational expenses which make up 14 percent of the district’s operating budget. We have focused on three primary … More +

Leaner Costs and Greater Results by Treasurer Andrew Geistfeld

When we launched the Efficiency Project in August, I knew our commitment to improve the district’s bottom line by $4.5 million by the summer of 2017 would take a lot of work. Our goal is to explore ways in which our school district can operate more cost-effectively, while the same time, continue to offer high quality education and opportunities for our students.

For the past several months, I have had the pleasure of working with a group of dedicated residents who are also experts in various fields of business. The Efficiency Task Force has spent many weekend and evening hours together poring over financial data and touring district facilities. Chris Potts, the district’s executive director of business services, has been with us every step of the way, and both of us have been … More +

Upper Arlington Schools: Writing a New Book on Strategic Planning

BY SUPERINTENDENT PAUL IMHOFF
APRIL 15, 2014
Of all the firsts I have experienced in my ten months in Upper Arlington, I am most excited about the opportunity that stands before our school district now. We are about to journey down a path paved by the expectations and desires of our community. Most importantly this journey will enable us to focus on making positive, measurable changes and helping us ensure we are meeting the individual needs of each of our students.

To really explain this journey toward our future, I must start by looking back. Last fall, dozens and dozens of community members opened up their homes to friends, neighbors and and invited Treasurer Andrew Geistfeld and I to join them in a conversation about our school district. So we went from home… More +