"Flight Plan" Designed to Move CPS Into the Future!
Read the latest updates on the progress of our CPS Strategic Plan
As we soar through the 2024-2025 school year, we’re thrilled to share the latest updates on the progress of our CPS Strategic Plan, The Flight Plan—a bold, visionary roadmap designed to take our district to new heights! This plan represents the collective voice of our staff, families, and community members, and it’s fueled by a passion to create positive, lasting change in our schools.
Last fall, we launched an extensive listening campaign, gathering input through surveys, focus groups, and community meetings. This valuable feedback helped us identify the key priorities that matter most to you. From there, our Strategic Plan Committee—a dynamic group of stakeholders from all corners of our community—reviewed the data, refined our vision, and built The Flight Plan. With a clear mission, vision, and set of values, our three-year plan is designed to elevate Charlotte Public Schools and prepare us for the future.
Since then, we have subcommittees around our Phase One goal areas of Security/Safety, Staff Recruitment/Retention, District Procedures/policies, and Extra/Co-Curricular opportunities. These groups have met frequently to create action steps and measurement criteria, so that we can see progress moving forward to report to our community.
Security/Safety: Upgrades to cameras, doors, and keyless entry systems, increased window coverage, HALO vape detectors, Emergency maps, Critical incident mapping, Safes in each office for first responders (Maps, Keys, Nightlock removal tool), completed trainings: Full Range Active Shooter drill, ERT team mass shooting response, RAVE review, Mi-behavioral threat assessment and management, Emergency Operations Plan complete and approved, Developed threat assessment screener, and full assessment tool, Added Hall Monitor position and district safety security position. Future considerations: Added School Resource Officer, Closed HS campus, parking lot safety communication/instruction.
Staff Recruitment and Retention: Feedback data collections from staff, improved mentoring, increased staff recognition opportunities, outside staff interaction events (i.e. contests, cook-offs, social events, zap zone family nights, etc.), increased onboarding: Welcome Packets, New hire surveys, specialized professional development and boot camp, Weekly newsletters “Bird’s Eye View), numerous climate initiatives: dress down days, underground contests, scavenger hunt, kick ball game, Popcorn Friday’s, etc. Future plans: Welcome committees, wellness committee relaunch, staff recognition programs with WILX.
District Procedures/Policies: Identified 13 overarching areas that needed clarification/common practices across the district (behavior, attendance, collaborative leadership, MTSS, student supports, professional development, athletics/extracurriculars, health and wellness, safety and security, class placement and scheduling, and mentoring. Created an Implementation Plan to organize “indicators” and to measure progress. Formed sub committees in the areas of MTSS (attendance, academics, and behavior) and Athletics/Extracurriculars to begin creating goals and indicators to create common practices. Conferences returned to two days a week and we will be scheduling next year’s conferences in the near future. Attendance alignment has taken place across our buildings and we are seeing that attendance is improving. Greater social media presence from all of our district buildings
Extra Curricular/CoCurricular opportunities: Completed Action Steps: Document created that contains all of our current offerings
Future Action Steps: Share offering document with students, staff, families, and community members, Analyze our current offerings and look for gaps/opportunities, Encourage staff to create new opportunities based upon their interests, Track and increase overall participation
We recently shared our progress with the community at the CPS Board of Education meeting on December 9, 2024, at 6:00 p.m (Presentation Link). This meeting marked an important milestone in our journey, where we reported on the exciting steps we’ve already taken and outlined next steps for the rest of this school year. The Flight Plan is well underway, and we are filled with excitement for the future of Charlotte Public Schools. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey as we work together to create an inspiring, thriving environment for all of our students!
Go Orioles! Oriole Pride!
Dr. Stewart- CPS Superintendent
