The SJM 2020 Strategic Planning process begins this week on January 8 with members of a newly formed Planning Committee which includes board members, parents, alumni, priests, faculty, and staff. The goal of the Planning Committee is to incorporate as many different stakeholders as practical to ensure broad representation and input, according to SJM Board Chair Susan Byers.
“Under the direction of Catholic School Management (CSM) consultants, this committee will oversee the strategic planning process and take responsibility for drafting the plan itself, in conjunction with Catholic School Management,” Byers explained. “It is a pivotal time in SJM’s evolution and we are excited to be undertaking this effort now and in this manner.”
Members of the 2020 SJM Strategic Planning Committee include: Tony Azevedo, parent; Neil Angelillo, alumni, parent, current board member; Julie Beecher, parent; Mike Burke, Head of School; Susie Byers, alumni, current board member; Eddie Fanucchi, alumni, parent, current board member; Bruce Garabedian, former SJM faculty member; Father Paul Keller, priest, St. Paul Newman Center; Kathryn McDougal, parent, current board member; Joe Olivares, SJM faculty member; Patti Peterson, principal, St. Helen’s School; Amanda Wilson, SJM faculty member; and Sissy Wood, alumni, parent.
“The goal of this pre-planning meeting is to review the strategic planning process, examine important SJM specific data, and to create our planning assumptions,” Byers explained “Our goal is to complete a five-year plan, with year one being implemented at the start of the 2020/21 school year.”
What is a Strategic Plan you may ask? The strategic plan serves as a roadmap for how an organization will carry out its mission and reach its vision, according to Maria Ribera, Senior Executive Consultant with CSM. “Strategic planning goals are a bridge between an organization’s mission and its vision.”
The main objectives of the Strategic Planning process is to establish goals (within a three to five-year time frame) and preliminary objectives needed for attainment of goals. These goals will be guided by the National Standards & Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Strategic Planning involves a participative process of gathering input through online surveys and focus group interviews. The focus group interviews are a two-day process with individual interviews followed by focus groups with internal constituents: Board members, Faculty/Staff, Parents and Students; Alumni, Donors/Benefactors; Diocesan and Partner School Leaders; Partner Catholic community parishioners/Prospective Parents/Students; and others.
The Timeline of Events for the Strategic Planning process at SJM is shared below:
January 8, 2020 Pre-Planning Meeting
January 9-February 7, 2020 On-Site Interviews
- Planning Committee meets on Feb. 19, 12:00 - 2:00 pm
February 20- March 20, 2020 Report Preparation
End of March 2020 Preliminary Review of Report
April 2020 Finalization, Community Consultation,
Publication, Celebration
Summer 2020 Action Plan Development