Whenever a building is constructed, an architectural team draws a blueprint, and that blueprint serves as the guide. Without a solid blueprint you will not get a well-constructed building. The same applies for us in D60. Without a solid blueprint - a plan of action - we will not accomplish our mission and vision.

Fortunately we have a solid blueprint that focuses on the most essential, key initiatives while maintaining our long term goals of increasing growth and achievement for all students with a relentless focus on closing disparities in achievement based on student demographics, students acquiring English, or students receiving specialized services. Our 5-year strategic plan blueprint was formally approved by the Board of Education in May 2023, after an extensive community engagement and review process involving staff, students, recent graduates, parents and community members.

With a blueprint guiding our work, we are also engaging our staff members in continually building the structures and behaviors in ourselves - our own personal blueprints for elite performance. Every D60 staff member contributes to our shared culture and beliefs. This shared culture drives behaviors, and those behaviors ultimately produce the results we seek. A team will only execute as well as its culture allows, and a strong culture aligns people and processes, while a weak culture isolates and disconnects them. A strong culture maximizes each of our individual strengths, while a weak culture wastes those talents. Culture is vitally important to our mission as it affects everything in one way or another. Brick by brick, our D60 staff will get the important work done for our students and families.

The Board of Education officially approved the Strategic Plan for Maercker School District 60 at their May 16, 2023 meeting. In addition to refining the district's mission and core values, the process outlined the characteristics that define a graduate of our schools, staff, and the system as a whole.

The district will now work towards the goals of the strategic plan in five areas:

• Academic Success

• Learning Environment

• Empowered Staff and Teams

• Family Partnership

• Resource Stewardship

Action plans will now be developed to include short term, medium term, and long term steps.