Hendry County School District leaders presented a draft strategic plan and are asking residents for feedback before finalizing the document.

The plan, introduced by Dr. Angela Staley, frames six priority areas the district plans to pursue over the next three years, including safety and security, academic achievement, school culture and climate, teacher recruitment and retention, family and community engagement, and fiscal stewardship. District staff described the draft as a “living, breathing” document that will be revised after community forums and school- and board-level feedback.

Officials said safety and security is newly explicit in the draft. The plan lists two early safety goals: (1) raise comprehensive qualitative measures so students and staff report feeling safe; (2) reduce the number of serious incidents reported to the district incident reporting system (referred to in the forum as CISOR) by 10. The district said it has already reduced referrals for serious incidents such as weapons and drugs and wants to continue that trend.

On academics the draft sets multi-year targets: districtwide FAST ELA proficiency recorded at 44% in 2023-24 with a target of 54% by 2027-28; math proficiency recorded at 47% with a target of 57% by 2027-28. The plan also highlights growth measures, including third-grade ELA proficiency (reported at about 53% in the most recent year) and learning gains for students in the lowest quartile.

The district described the planning process: directors reworked last year’s plan, principals reviewed it and solicited faculty feedback, then staff and the board reviewed the draft. The district will collect input from these community forums, analyze the comments, revise the draft and return it for adoption. Dr. Staley said the draft remains marked “DRAFT” while the district gathers public comments.

District officials urged residents to use QR-code surveys and an online form to submit feedback. The district also plans to form a single district advisory council by folding several department-level committees into one body and asked residents to sign up if they want to serve.

Ending: Staff said the draft will be revised after the public feedback period and that the district intends to keep the plan under regular review so targets can be adjusted as progress is made.