CUSD quietly begins a year of strategic planning

On Monday morning, 25 employees of the Cabrillo Unified School District, parents, students, and community representatives will assemble for a marathon strategic planning process.

I’ve got a call in to Superintendent John Bayless, but since I didn’t find out about the meeting until the Friday before Monday’s meeting, I may not be able to talk to him before the meeting.

CUSD board member Dwight Wilson says the goal is to lay out the "educational strategic planning issues for the next five years." It’s not a facilities planning meeting.

Since the CUSD Board approved the process last spring, it has been out of the public eye. The District has been working on this without publicity or calls for volunteers. It’s unclear how Superintendent Bayless chose the members of the group (click on the "Read more for a complete list of members) or when they were chosen. Although they have already held one orientation meeting, no one seems to have heard about this process.

Armed with a binder of statistics about the community and the school system, the group will meet at Elkus Ranch from 8:30am to 8:00pm on Monday and Tuesday and until midafternoon on Wednesday—and that’s just the beginning. Committee meetings will follow for months until the final document is presented to the district in the spring.

The agenda for the first three days is ultra-generic planning stuff. The group will come to a consensus on a statement of beliefs, mission statement, strategic parameters, objectives, and strategies.  The team will also list internal and external factors, competition, and critical issues affecting the strategy. The process should generate enough material for a year’s worth of Dilbert strips.

Over the next three to four months, the group will break down into teams that will flesh out the strategies with tasks, timelines, responsibilities, and cost/benefit analyses.

In the spring, the group will reassemble and prepare the final strategic plan for the Board.

Board/administration

• Jolanda Schreurs, CUSD Board
• Mike Bachicha, Principal, Farallone View
• Susan Million, Principal, HMBHS
• Mike Andrews, Principal, Cunha
• Madaline Shearer, Assistant Superintendent
• John Bayless, Superintendent

Teachers

• Cathie Treulich, Cunha
• Jill Ballard, HMBHS
• Katie Werdel, Cunha
• Cyrus Limon, Hatch
• Martha Ladd, El Granada
• Frank Daniello, Farallone View

Classified Employees

• Lizet Cortes
• Jose Acosta-Mata
• Penny Offholter
• Jeff Crofton

Parents

• Kim Gainza
• Jose Padilla
• Allen Brown
• Lisa Parral
• Zoe Kersteen-Tucker

Community Members/Business or Education Partners

• Susan Sanchez
• Millie Golder
• Manuel Santamaria
• Mike Montoya
• Charise McHugh
• Naomi Patridge
• Judith Greig

Students

• Jonathan Urena
• Jackie Brown