"Lovely" Strategic Planning

Have you seen what's been developed by the Strategic Plan Committee thus far?

Here's the proposed Mission Statement for MNPS:

The mission of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the heart and soul of the creative spirit of Music City, is to ensure each student realizes his/her ability to excel at levels not previously imagined, through a system distinguished by: safe environments characterized by love, value and acceptance; inclusive communities of learners; engaged students eager to share their thoughts; multiple paths to success; and active support among home, school, and community

I was never really fond of "Whatever it takes" and regularly mocked it, but this is just too warm and fuzzy to be taken seriously. This is the sort of education system that the Chamber wants to sell to businesses looking at Nashville? This is a post-modern world.

Further the proposed Beliefs are as follows.

• All people deserve love
• Each person has unquestionable value
• Each person's unique potential has no boundaries
• Every person can learn no matter where he/she is in life
• Our lives are enriched by relationships with all people
• Trust results from investing in each other
• Greater understanding increases compassion
• Respect comes from treating others the way we want to be treated
• Discipline in one's life builds character
• People are responsible for their own actions
• All people want to learn and grow
• Many important things cannot be measured
• There is a purpose in every life
• Every person has a need to laugh and celebrate life
• Only when people are united in their beliefs are they unbreakable

The proposed Parameters:

• We will make all decisions based strictly on the best interest of the student
• We will not engage in anything that does not directly support our primary-secondary education program
• We will not accept failure
• We will make optimal use of technology throughout the system
• We will always expect the best of everyone and ourselves

And finally the proposed Objectives:

• 100% of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools student will graduate
• 100% of students exceed established academic standards
• All students are responsible participating citizens of the global community
• Each student excels in the life path of his/her choice.

I kid you not. This is all from the volunteer form I received at the last PAC meeting. I was asked to participate by a couple of people, and I appreciate that, but the commitment of one evening a week for 10 weeks was more than my schedule can accommodate.

Here's a chart of the 9 committees, their assigned 'strategy' and their current leadership.

	Action Team Leader	Co-Chair	Facilitator	Board Member/District	Meeting Location
I. We will support each student as the operative agent in the successful discovery and pursuit of his/her personal goals.
	Susan Whitworth Risé Pope	Manuel Fonseca	Elois Freeman	David Fox/ 8	J. T. Moore Middle 5:30-8:00
II. We will ensure all students achieve academic excellence.
	Cherish Piché Michael Ross	Elizabeth Knox	Sam Braden	Ed Kindall/ 7	Croft Middle 6:30-8:00
III. We will provide all students with safe and nurturing learning environments.
	Renita Perkins Pam Stockett	Lt. David Jones	Henry Flenory	George Thompson/ 1	Taylor Stratton Elementary 6:00-8:00
IV. We will ensure that we have exemplary staff throughout the system.
	Janette Carter Margie Johnson	Kathy Nevill	Debby Gould	Jo Ann Brannon/ 2	Gra-Mar Middle 4:00-6:00
V. We will ensure an array of educational options for each student to pursue his/her personal goals.
	Greg Patterson Kay Rackard	Lynn Stuart	Deirdre Reed	Gracie Porter/ 5	Lockeland Elementary 5:30-7:30
VI. We will ensure a network of personal support for each student.
	Jim Overstreet Rob Sasser	Avi Poster	Brenda King	Karen Johnson/ 6	Una Elementary 5:00-7:00
VII. We will immerse all families in their children’s education.
	Alvin Jones Brenda Steele	Kathy Buggs	Enoch Fuzz	Marsha Warden/ 9	Eakin Elementary 5:00-7:00
VIII. We will ensure the convergence of schools and communities to achieve student success.
	Jim Briggs Sheila Woodruff	Marc Hill	Harold Finch	Pam Garrett/ 3	Hull-Jackson Elementary 5:30-7:30
IX. We will establish MNPS as the premier educational system for ensuring every student excels at levels not previously imagined.
	Wayne Parker Ervin Tinnon	Dan Surface	Rodger Dinwiddie	Steve Glover/ 4	Stanford Elementary 4:30-6:30

I believe you're going to want to make your opinions known to the BOE.
Email all the BOE members with this link.