President's Perspective

Planning, Planning, and More Planning

Dr. Stephanie Nehus, AAEA Board President

Planning, planning, and more planning. I wake in the morning thinking about what needs to be planned for the day, the week, the month, the nine weeks, the semester, next year, etc., and I go to bed dreaming of planning for all of the above. It is time for our district to update our 5 Year Strategic Plan. As I begin to schedule listening sessions with staff, parents, and our community, I reflect on our current areas of focus: Curriculum, Technology, Facilities, Finance, Communications, and Safety. I, also, reviewed the ADE Standards for Accreditation focus areas: Academics, Student Support, District Operations and Fiscal Governance, Human Capital, Stakeholder Communication/Family and Community Engagement, and Facilities and Transportation. Now, let’s add in the 5 focus areas for ESSER: Food Security, District Student Support/Continuous Learning Opportunities, Technology, Systemic Procedures, and Facilities. I am wondering (aloud or here in this article) if these areas should be the same as there are many overlaps, are there areas I am missing, and ultimately what will have the greatest impact on student achievement and success in life?

I thoroughly enjoy planning for a new school year and sitting in on conversations around master schedules. This is a critical component of planning and one I feel all administrators at the building and district level should be involved in. Are we building schedules to provide students with opportunities and experiences that will set them up for their future? Are we utilizing our staff efficiently? Are we being innovative?

Finally, I hope each of you are planning for some time off this summer. Self-care is crucial to our continued success in this most precious profession - education. While our summers get filled with professional development, don’t forget to schedule at least a few days away to clear your head and refresh your soul!

On a different note: the AAEA Board recently conducted our annual evaluation of our Executive Director, Dr. Mike Hernandez. I want to publicly thank him for the job he has done and will continue to do leading this organization. He does an exceptional job and was praised for being a great leader, being organized, being transparent with the finances/budget, being an excellent communicator, and advocating with passion!