Santee School Board to Develop 5-Year Plan for District

There will soon be a new five-year strategic plan for the .

At the Santee School Board meeting Tuesday night, they scheduled future meetings to begin developing this plan.

A Strategic Leadership Team made up of 30 to 40 people, including board members, administrators and other district personnel, will work with consultants from San Diego-based Haines Centre for Strategic Management to develop and implement a strategic plan for the district. 

“I can’t think of a more important or extraordinary purpose than to prepare children to be leaders of the future,” said Sheridan Barker, a strategic leadership consultant with Haines Centre for Strategic Management.

Barker, who gave a presentation to the board about the strategic planning process, said the Santee School District has become her “poster child” for how to create a plan, stick to it and see results. Barker worked with the district to develop a five-year plan in 2006.

“I’m excited to be back to help you with a renewal, to recharge it, get the new folks engaged in what we’re doing in Santee and figure out what happens next,” said Barker, who has worked with numerous other school districts, including Alpine Union School District, Cajon Valley School District, Jamul-Dulzura School District, National School District, Ramona Unified School District, San Diego Unified School District and Sweetwater Union High School District.

Barker praised Santee School District for its progress in the last five years, especially the . Still, she said it’s important for the district to have a new plan for the years to come. 

“You can see the difference between where you were before the last strategic planning,” she said. “You have great evidence of what you’ve accomplished in that period of time. What I have is some tools to help you get further on that.”

Board members will meet on Nov. 1 and 14 to begin work on the district’s new five-year plan. The leadership team will also gather for a three-day retreat Feb. 2-4.

During the planning process, Barker said the team will decide where the district should be in five years, as well as analyze the current environment and hear feedback to develop a new plan.

“The world, especially in the last five years, has changed dramatically,” she said. “We need to be continually thinking about where we have been and where do we want to be next in order to make sure that we get there.”

The team will also seek input from other stakeholders, including teachers, staff, parents, students and the community during the planning process, Barker said. In addition, the team will meet at least once a year to evaluate the district's progress, she said.

said he is excited to develop a new plan for the future of the school district.

“This is a very important process that really provides some key direction for where we’re going to go in the next five years,” Shaw said.