Tupelo Public School District Strategic Plan

During the spring semester of the 2004-2005 school year, the Board of Trustees of the Tupelo Public School District adopted a strategic plan, and this plan is already having a positive impact on our school district.  As a result of the plan, for example, three new guidance counselors have been added to our staff to meet the needs of our students, and approximately 1,200 teacher professional development days were devoted last summer to curriculum alignment, development of teaching strategies, and review of state and national learning standards.  In addition, we are presently in the initial stages of implementing a plan to equalize technology across the district; Pre-AP courses have been added to strengthen the middle school curriculum and completion of the Tupelo Middle School renovation project by the start of the 2006-2007 school year will allow us to fully implement the "school within a school" concept on that campus.  These are only a few of the things that are ongoing and/or have been accomplished since the adoption of the strategic plan.

The Board of Trustees also recognizes that strong leadership is essential to the successful implementation of this plan.  Therefore, additional leadership training has been included in the professional development of the district's administrative team.  Principals, Board Members, as well as other district administrators attended a two-day workshop last July that concentrated on leadership traits and practices necessary for the effective implementation of the strategic plan.  Upon completing the workshop, these district leaders were charged with the responsibility of sharing the beliefs and operating principles of the strategic plan with their staffs.  Perhaps in part as a result of this planning and training, the district got off to one of its best starts in years.  Also, it should be noted that this leadership training is being done in conjunction with the implementation of the overall goals and objectives of the school district.  Our initial concentration thus far has been on goal number one of the strategic plan: promote learning to the highest level for all of our students.

The Tupelo Public School District now has a written strategic plan complete with goals and objectives.  However, as with any successful plan, this plan is subject to evaluation, assessment, and even revision or modification.  We are now "walking that fine line" of working the plan as opposed to having the plan work us.  There are many things that we, as a district, want to accomplish, and we must remain diligent in implementing the plan while not letting the complexity of the plan overwhelm us.

Make no mistake about it, this strategic plan is but another way of emphasizing what we have long practiced in the Tupelo Public Schools, and that is that the needs and interests of our students are of utmost importance to us.  Rest assured that this principle will always guide or dictate any actions that we take or any decisions that we make.  Simply stated, we know that the future or our community depends on having a successful, quality public school system that is supported by the community.

Email us your questions or comments about the Strategic Plan.
strategicplan@tupeloschools.com