Loudoun County, Virginia, is still on track to revealing a five-year strategic plan for the school system sometime in June.
More than 13,000 people in the community responded to a questionnaire to help shape the school system’s future. This week, the public is getting a glimpse of a draft plan that’s coming together.
School board Chairman Jeff Morse said priorities are emerging.
“Academic excellence, equity across all the students, professional development, professional educators, and an environment that’s inclusive of the community,” Morse said.
At a workshop published meeting on the plan Monday night at Briar Woods High school in Ashburn, people were invited to write down things that they would like to see the school system, stop doing, start doing and continue doing.
Ideas in the “Stop” category included pushing politics in school and teaching critical race theory. In the “Start” category, ideas included more mental health services for students and transparency in the schools. In the “Continue” category, ideas included equitable access to special schools, such as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and academic programs, such as the one at the Academies of Loudoun.
Morse said that what’s also clear is people want to see Loudoun County schools expand their offerings to include international baccalaureate bilingual literacy programs. However, he said finding money for those ideas may be difficult.
A draft mission statement for the plan reads, “Empowering all students to achieve their dreams.”
There are public sessions on the plan Tuesday night at Dominion High School and at Stone Bridge High School from 7 to 9 p.m., and again Thursday at the Loudoun County Schools administrative building from 1 to 3 p.m.