Lakota Steering Committee Begins Work on New Strategic Plan

Lakota’s strategic plan steering team met this week to begin building the District’s new strategic plan. Once completed, the plan will serve as Lakota’s roadmap for the next three to five years, guiding the District’s direction to focus on what matters most for our students.

A steering team of about 50 people met on July 16 to review data collected over the past two years from all stakeholder groups, including:

• More than 100 superintendent listening sessions
• Over 20 stakeholder master facilities feedback sessions, which included discussions about growth and improvement opportunities beyond facilities
• The 2025 communications survey
• The 2025 statistically-relevant community survey
• The 2026 student course feedback survey
• The 2026 workplace culture survey
• The recent 2026 community survey.

While the data represents voices from all stakeholder groups, the steering team members are Lakota teachers, staff and administrators. They represent the District as a whole and provide multiple organizational lenses across departments. Many are also Lakota community members or parents. 

Because this plan will guide Lakota for the next three to five years, Lakota is taking time to get it right. Currently, the steering team is analyzing thousands of survey responses and listening session notes to ensure all voices are reflected before specific goals are drafted. Progress will continue to be shared with the community, with a sneak peek of the framework in August.

“Whatever document we walk out of this room with, I want to make sure it represents the entire District, including the community and our students,” Superintendent Ashley Whitely told the steering team. “The strategic plan must be what’s best for our students.”

The group worked in large and small groups throughout the day, reviewing the data and the District’s current strategies, processes and structure. Eventually, this work will lead to a new vision statement and priorities to align with Lakota’s mission statement: “Everything WE do is designed to provide a future-ready, student-centered learning experience for every single child.”

Next Steps:

Over the next few weeks, the steering team’s work will be refined and feedback gathered. Whitely will share a preview of the progress at the all-staff convocation on Aug. 10. The Lakota Board of Education is expected to review and approve the final plan this fall.