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The Westwood Community School District (WCSD) Board of Education approved a new Strategic Plan intended to guide the work of the district for the next three years. Stakeholder feedback was important to the board and superintendent in this process and included the voices of more than 140 students, staff, alumni, and community members. Community input along with analysis of district data allowed the district to identify six priority goals to focus on over the next three years. They are academics/programs, culture/learning environment, communication and community engagement, personnel, operations, and finance. "Here at Westwood Community School District, we see tremendous value in developing goals to intentionally guide our work. We collaborated with the community to ensure our vision for the next three years aligns closely with the best interests of our students and the community," said WCSD Superintendent Dr. Stiles Simmons.

Simmons says the district's immediate focus is student achievement and performance. "Academics and programs are our number one priority right now but you can't do that without improving the culture, improving communication and community engagement, improving your operations, and making sure that you have the financial resources to pull it all together," he says, adding that the pandemic caused the district to direct its focus on staff and student health and wellness in order to support performance. "We knew that a lot of our students were facing tremendous challenges, especially about mental health and social-emotional learning needs. Now that we have those processes and people in place to help our students in those areas, we now can pivot and get back to the number one priority of schools to improve student performance." Currently every school building in WCSD accommodates a specialty staff which includes student advocates, counselors, social workers, and therapists.

As part of WCSD's communication and community engagement goal, Simmons says increased communication announcements will be sent out to families in the district and a new quarterly district e-newsletter will make its debut shortly.

Another priority goal area Simmons is pleased with is the district's finances. WCSD has a history of financial difficulty and the superintendent says things are finally turning around for the better. "In 2018, we began to slowly climb out of that deficit and now we're in a place where we have a very strong and healthy balance sheet so we're able to do much more for our students and we're able to offer competitive wages for our staff, which helps to maintain continuity," he says. In addition to attracting and retaining staff, a school district that is well-functioning financially offers students more as well. Upgraded athletic facilities and continued renovations to district buildings are ongoing and the ability to replace worn uniforms on a more frequent basis help to enhance students' experiences.

In all, Simmons says both stability and improvements in the district and how it operates make WCSD an attractive place for families and for those seeking employment. "There are a lot of benefits to families when they send their children to a smaller school district. We're much more intimate, we can build closer relationships with the students and parents, and there are more opportunities for them to provide feedback, we can develop programs around the special needs of some of our students. It just facilitates a closer relationship so we can better meet the needs of our students and families," he says. "We are an ascending school district. When families are looking for a school district to educate their children they should certainly consider Westwood."