Every five years in preparation for our re-accreditation by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Gaston Day School develops a new strategic plan to guide our next five years. The Board of Trustees oversees and directs the formulation of the strategic plan. In this case, they appointed an ad hoc committee to complete the new plan and present it to the Board for approval. From the Board, Alan Mark chaired the effort and Tom Grimm, Phil Dee, Nicole Esch, and Heather Wright were also committee members. From the administration, Davidson Hobson, Kim Perlman, Vann Noblett and I served. Andrea Stevenson with Stevenson Wallace Consultants acted as our facilitator.
After soliciting input from various constituents, the Strategic Planning Committee determined that there were four core principles that influenced student achievement and life so much and, therefore, should be guiding principles for the strategic plan. They were as follows: 1) Culture and Community; 2) Financial Strength and Stability; 3) Attracting and Retaining Talent; and 4) Academic Investments and Innovations.
Within each of these areas or goals, the Strategic Planning Committee identified the following strategies. Here they are.
Goal 1: Culture and Community
* Align the diversity of GDS students, faculty, staff and board with the broader community we serve
* Increase social engagement of middle school students
* Assess GDS traditions, rituals and ceremonies to determine which are essential to the GDS culture
* Design and launch technology usage education programs for students, parents and faculty
* Sharpen internal communications to focus on the "why" and explain how activities align with GDS vision and goals
* Clarify and market the GDS brand more widely
Goal 2: Financial Strength and Sustainability
* Expand and diversify Gaston Day School's donors.
* Create a culture that rewards operational efficiency and creative ideas for cost savings and revenue generation
* Research and recommend new methods of revenue generation from untapped audiences
* Develop and implement peer-focused retention strategies
* Conduct risk management scenario planning for financial, leadership and reputational risk
* Create five-year budget projections to enable long-term operational and capital planning
* Increase contributed revenue from diverse sources
Goal 3: Attracting and Retaining Talent
* Increase transparency and clarity of communications from administration to faculty/staff
* Expand benefits and perks for faculty and staff through creative partnerships
* Create clear faculty job descriptions to serve as foundations of performance reviews
* Ensure all faculty have individual growth profiles that include career management planning a skill-based training plans
Goal 4: Academic Investments and Innovation
* Develop a campus master plan to ensure state of the art learning environments
* Create and claim academic Centers of Excellence within GDS
* Strengthen and integrate STEM curriculum offerings
* Implement new 'soft skills' curriculum that nurtures collaborative community leadership skills
* Ensure a cutting-edge technology environment for students, faculty and staff
* Conduct ROI assessments and eliminate academic programs without sufficient student impact or strategic alignment
Over the next few months, the administration will be developing tactics and schedules for the completion of all our new strategies. These plans will guide much of our work at Gaston Day for the next five years. The GDS Administration is excited to have such a comprehensive strategic plan and looks forward to realizing this new vision for the future.
