Strategic Planning
Fulfilling Our Promise to Learners: 2024 Strategic Plan
South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) has a new strategic plan."Over the last 18 months, we engaged our community, asked bold questions about the future, and shared our dreams for our children," said SSFUSD Superintendent Dr. Shawnterra Moore. "This strategic plan is our road map for navigating toward those dreams."
The district's new, five-year plan is meant to help SSFUSD deliver on the outcomes outlined in its portrait of a graduate, which lists the knowledge and skills students need to be successful after graduating from high school.
"We had 3,700 people respond to a survey in which they shared what they see as the district’s strengths and growth areas," said Dr. Moore. "We also talked with more than 400 people at PTA meetings, school site council meetings, and focus groups comprised of students, staff, and families."
SSFUSD's strategic plan revolves around five priorities:1. Providing Exceptional Instruction
2. Engaging Students
3. Establishing Purposeful Partnerships
4. Empowering Educators
5. Creating Equity-Centered Systems
"Our plan honors the strengths of our community, while prioritizing the concrete actions we will take to bring it to life over the next five years," said Dr. Moore.
Learn more about SSFUSD's new strategic plan:
Portrait of a Graduate
After receiving feedback from the community on the first draft of the district's new portrait of a graduate, SSFUSD's visioning working group updated the description of the knowledge and skills students need to be successful after graduating from high school and produced a new mission statement to align with the community's vision for students.
The school board unanimously approved this new language at its May 11 meeting, and the district is now ready to finalize a strategic plan to map out what we need to prioritize and do over the next 3-5 years to prepare our students for success after high school graduation.
Mission
| In partnership with our community, South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) will provide exceptional instruction, engaging experiences, and equitable and accessible opportunities and resources to further support our diverse student body, so that students are equipped to learn, thrive, and navigate their future with purpose and impact their community. | En colaboración con nuestra comunidad, el Distrito Escolar Unificado del South San Francisco (SSFUSD) proveerá instrucción excepcional, experiencias interesantes y recursos y oportunidades equitativos y accesibles a nuestra diversa población estudiantil, para que los alumnos estén preparados para aprender, prosperar y, navegar su futuro con determinación, e impactar a su comunidad. |
Core Values
| C |
Community is our strength. We recognize that our success relies on collective agency. Thus, we empower students and staff to set growth goals and actively involve families in the educational journey. We value everyone’s voice, and we ensure that perspectives are heard and respected in decision-making processes. By fostering a sense of purpose and engagement, we enable all members of our community to feel empowered and inspired.
|
| A |
Authentic relationships matter. We value authenticity and provide an environment where people can be their true selves. We acknowledge and respect different cultures and identities, and also strive to build cultural competence within our community. We recognize that relationships are crucial for growth and belonging. We foster empathy, mentorship, connection, a sense of belonging, love, and care within our community.
|
| R |
Resilience propels us forward. We believe that students, staff, and families must cultivate resilience and perseverance. Holding ourselves accountable, we practice continuous improvement, maintain positive attitudes, and nurture a growth mindset. We understand the significance of experiencing both comfort and
productive struggle as we navigate change in the face of adversity. We learn from mistakes and embrace imperfection. |
| E |
Equity is our north star. We have an unwavering belief in our students’ potential to learn and excel, and we hold all students to high expectations. We recognize the importance of adapting to their individual needs, acknowledging that a one-size-fits-all approach falls short. We continually analyze and reflect on our systems to identify and break down barriers that hinder our ability to support all students. We remain flexible and take calculated risks in pursuit of excellence, particularly in addressing the needs of our most marginalized students.
|
The Planning Process
To ensure that all our students receive an exceptional, inclusive, and equitable education, South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) engaged with students, alumni, staff, families, and community members throughout the 2022-23 school year to find out what SSFUSD students need to know to be successful after high school.
This process of long-term planning happens every five to seven years and requires the support and engagement of the SSFUSD community, so that we can create a strategic plan that determines what resources are needed to help our students thrive.
As of June 2023, SSFUSD:
- Created a new “Portrait of a Graduate";
- Refreshed our mission statement; and
- Started a new strategic planning process to match that vision.
Get involved and stay involved, so you can help shape a new vision for SSFUSD!
Engaging the Community
Initial Survey. From November 1 through December 11, 2022, SSFUSD distributed a bilingual survey to allow community members to share their thoughts and ideas. More than 3,700 responses from families, employees, community members, and alums (including 1,400 from current students) were received.
Outreach. To boost survey participation, SSFUSD sent paper fliers home with students, posted reminders on district social media, sent e-mails to families and employees, texted multiple reminders to families, made targeted phone calls, and talked to families at drop-off and pick-up locations. The leaflets, materials, and phone calls were in English and Spanish, and we targeted additional outreach to our Title I schools to ensure that the most marginalized school communities were engaged in the process.
Meetings and interviews. We also wanted to talk directly with students, families, employees, and community members. As of December 5, 2022, SSFUSD had discussed strategic planning in more than 26 meetings or focus groups and conducted 12 one-on-one interviews. These included school-level meetings (e.g., PTA, school site council, ELAC, students) as well as district-level meetings.
Visioning Working Group. SSFUSD invited community members to nominate themselves or someone else to join a visioning working group. More than 60 individuals were nominated, and a diverse and representative group of 21 community members was created. The group represents every school in the district and includes parents, employees (certificated, classified, and admin), alumni, community members, and partners. Sixteen identify as people of color, 16 are currently parents, 11 are SSFUSD alumni. The visioning working group will guide our efforts to listen and engage with our community, reflect on the community’s ideas and feedback, and develop the Portrait of a Graduate and a refreshed mission statement based on the guidance of our community.
Working with the right partners. SSFUSD engaged Attuned Partners to help facilitate the visioning and strategic planning process. They have worked with many other school systems on similar processes. SSFUSD also partnered with the Bay Ed Fund, which plans to invest in SSFUSD over the next 10 years.
 |
 |
Goals
New vision, mission & plan. Create a vision and strategic plan that reflect our school community’s values and beliefs, and that provide clarity and focus for our work together for the next five years.Inclusive, equity-centered process. Design a process that represents a deep commitment to engaging all members of our SSFUSD community, especially those who have historically been underrepresented.
Shared ownership. If our new vision and plan are developed by and with our diverse community members, we will all feel responsible and committed to making it come to life.