Advancing Our Strategic Priorities

The start of a new calendar year is a time of reflection and renewal. For Cambridge-Isanti School leaders, it is time to reflect on our District’s Strategic Plan. 

This month, our Community Task Force for Strategic Planning will come together for our Annual Update. The team—comprised of students, parents, staff, and community members—last met in December 2022 when they presented our Board with new strategic priorities. The Annual Update provides an accountability check-in to ensure actions follow the words in our plan. 

This year, we are pleased to report that our Strategic Plan is being implemented with excellent progress. Across the four strategic priorities, we work in partnership with families and our community, and we are proud to share the following highlights of our progress: 

Strategy 1: Ensure Student Academic Growth and Success

Strengthening literacy instruction, we have new curriculum materials, structured literacy and research-aligned reading instruction, including structured literacy curriculum in grades K-3. We have adopted new assessment and data tools (FastBridge) to personalize instruction and better support student learning. The district received state funding specifically targeted for reading instruction.

Students in K-8 are excited about our new science lessons, which include hands-on learning. From water studies to space, and animals to air, students learn to wonder, observe, collect data, form hypotheses and analyze results. Combining curiosity with creative and critical thinking, students discover patterns and probabilities at a young age.

With community support for our 2021 referendum, we have dedicated funding for career-technical education and have aligned high school course registration options with future career pathways. Our students continue to impress us. They excel when passionate about a field, and their interests drive them. We are grateful we have many community partners helping us expand opportunities as we prepare students for jobs that are yet to be created in various fields.

We have expanded early childhood learning opportunities for our youngest learners and their families, including more preschool sections, monthly open gym, and weekly Homeschool drop-in and play. Our teachers and staff have been out in the community, connecting with families at the Cambridge Farmers Market, Infant Storytime at East Central Regional Library, and the Adult Enrichment Center. 

Of course, all of this work is done in partnership with families and the community because schools can’t do this important work alone.

Strategy 2: Fostering Positive Relationships

We have formed new community partnerships, started youth enrichment sponsorships, and C-I Schools “Here to Help” with the leadership of our Community Education Team. We have been overwhelmed by the support and engagement of our business community, which I have written about before. From our Back to School backpack drive to food and clothing drives, we are working to ensure that all students have the basics they need. 

Our volunteer coordinators provide a link to our community and parent volunteers. From grandparents volunteering in early childhood and primary schools to business volunteers who participated in Career Day at CIHS, we appreciate all those who support children and learning. After all, our children are our future.

We are fortunate to have many community partners supporting our strategic priority for student and staff mental health and well-being. Our longtime partners at Lighthouse, Isanti County and Cambridge Medical Center (to name a few) have committed to ongoing support of our Mental Health Team. They are involved in additional family education as well.

Strategy 3: Improving Student and Employee Mental Health and Well-Being

In addition to establishing our District Mental Health Team, we are updating risk assessments and intervention protocols and training more staff. Our District Mental Health Team is co-led by an elementary and secondary school counselor, so we can be sure we are taking a K-12 approach. We have also promoted the national suicide prevention lifeline (Call or text 988) as required by law. 

Our focus on ensuring a positive school culture and climate for every student, every day inspires students and staff to live The Bluejacket Way — with honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion and self-discipline. This year, Cambridge-Isanti School District was one of only two Minnesota districts the Commissioner of Education recognized during a state-wide conference focused on positive behavior.

Of course, we know that in schools, our culture is embodied in our people. The staff who work tirelessly to connect with and inspire students can only do so if we also attend to workplace well-being for all staff. We want our staff to know they are engaged in meaningful work, making a difference in children’s lives, and being appreciated for their work. We are working to ensure they have the resources, time and support to be successful. That includes paying competitive wages and employee benefits to attract and retain high-quality employees.

Strategy 4: Partnering to Support the Growth of the District

We are fortunate to be working in partnership with our cities and county, the Chamber, and Anoka-Ramsey Community College as we plan to ensure our schools appropriately serve future generations. We are currently collecting data that may forecast future enrollment, facility needs, and cost-effective options for planning for the future. People interested in these areas can contact me if you’d like to be involved. We will also survey stakeholders regarding this long-term planning in the coming months.

Our District Strategic Plan has provided focus and helped us align finite resources with our community's most important priorities. To the dozens of task force members and action planning teams who drafted these plans, thank you! We will continue to honor your work and follow-through on our commitments to be fiscally responsible and transparent, update our plan annually, responsibly plan for the future, and continually work to earn and maintain broad-based community support. It will take a partnership to fulfill our mission to educate, empower and inspire every student every day. 

Thank you for your continued support.