FY23-27 Strategic Plan Overview

What we want to be

Together, we inspire all students and staff to explore paths leading to personal and collective success.

A vision statement depicts the future state an organization aspires to achieve. Our vision is intended to create a mental image of a school system that values individuality in how we approach and define achievement to ensure our students, staff and the division thrive in an ever-changing world.

What we do

Ensure every student is valued, supported, and challenged through learning experiences, which prepare them for a successful future.

A mission statement defines an organization's fundamental purpose and scope of work. Our mission communicates whom, how and why we serve to guide the decisions and actions of our staff and School Board.

What we believe

Core values are the essential and enduring tenets of an organization. These tenets guide behavior, help shape culture, and support the planning, decision-making, and work responsibilities of an organization. Our core values - engagement, safety, growth, integrity, and innovation - reflect the division's fundamental commitment, to serve our community with excellence. The division's values are further reflected in our logo, the YCSD star. For centuries, travelers have used stars to guide their path just as our core values help us navigate our path forward. Stars are also widely recognized as symbols of inspiration and excellence.

Engagement: Cultivate meaningful, collaborative relationships with students, families, staff, and community members.

Growth: Invest in supports and resources so students and staff can realize their individual potential.

Innovation: Foster creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving to support new ideas and solutions that advance progress.

Integrity: Demonstrate mutual trust and respect by acting honestly and ethically.

Safety: Provide safe, secure, and caring environments that support the whole child.

Our plan is shaped around four strategic priorities. To meet these priorities, our Instruction, Finance, Operations, Human Resources and school-based team members must work cohesively and hold each other accountable for achieving what we have set out to do.

	Collective Commitment: Students, staff, families and community members are invested in student outcomes and actively engaged in meaningful, collaborative relationships to support student success.
	Supportive Culture: Provide safe, welcoming and caring environments in which all students and staff have a sense of belonging and purpose.
	Highly Effective Talent: Attract and retain highly skilled, compassionate, diverse, and committed team members by providing personalized and differentiated pathways for professional growth, improvement, and advancement.
	Future Ready Graduates: Students will acquire knowledge, skills, habits, and traits necessary for success in future educational experiences, the workforce, and life.

Strategies and Evaluation

Strategic plans are meant to be adaptive and responsive to meet evolving needs of our students, families and community. While this plan will not reflect every task the division undertakes over the next five years, it will focus on the specific strategies identified as most impactful to support each priority area. These strategies are the components we intend to develop and review annually to ensure an intentional approach to our core business of teaching and learning. Key Performance Indicators will be used to evaluate our progress and success in achieving our priorities.

Our theory of action expresses how YCSD will use identified values, priorities and strategies as levers to achieve our mission and vision.

The York County School Division believes:

If we focus on

• establishing a shared sense of responsibility for student and division outcomes
• creating working and learning environments shaped by compassion, respect and connectedness
• supporting and building the capacity of a diverse, dedicated team of leaders, teachers and staff
• and providing a range of educational opportunities to prepare students for their future

Then all students and staff will have the confidence to shape their personal course of success.