Strategic Planning

The Ames Community School District is engaging in a strategic planning process. We have engaged Cambridge Strategic Services as our partner for these efforts. A strategic plan allows us to improve our focus, cohesion, alignment, and to ensure:

Our ability to guide meaningful and effective work at all levels.
Our stakeholder groups gain clarification on how their work contributes to realizing the district vision.
The organizational structure promotes a coherent, convergent approach to continuous school improvement.
Provide more innovative planning and problem solving structures that will lead us to the high levels of student performance we desire.

Why Strategic Planning?

Over the next several months, we will develop a strategic plan to guide the work of the District. Strategic planning allows us to:

Engage our community in meaningful ways.
Build partnerships and public confidence.
Create and communicate a shared vision internally and externally.
Demonstrate the courage to abandon status quo thinking.
Decide how to spend new money and/or how to make cuts without sacrificing quality.
Determine which programs/initiatives are right for your students and/or which ones to abandon.

Our challenge is rethinking how we do things and identifying the systems that need to be put into place in order for us to move our system forward. A completed strategic plan makes our priorities clear, ensures full transparency, and uses measurable outcomes to hold us accountable for maintaining focus on what will benefit our students.

Timeline/Sequence of Planning

Presentation to the Board

Cambridge Strategic Services presented to the Board regarding the strategic planning process on December 12, 2022.

View Strategic Planning Process Presentation (PDF)

Pre-Planning Phase 1 – Readiness: January 2023

Staff awareness/selection of Strategic Planning Team
Community Summit – January 10, 2023

A Community summit was held to discuss the Strategic Planning process, gather input, and detail next steps. If you were unable to attend, a recording is available. We encourage you to fill out the strategic planning feedback form as well.

Ames CSD Strategic Planning Community Summit Recording