MISD initiates process for long-range strategic plan

By Phil Major
publisher@wood.cm
Posted 9/16/21

The Mineola school district kicked off a strategic planning process last week, some of which also doubles as the state-mandated training for the school board.

Lloyd Graham, a retired school superintendent, moderated the session with the board on Tuesday, Sept. 7 and also with community members the following night.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

MISD initiates process for long-range strategic plan

Posted

The Mineola school district kicked off a strategic planning process last week, some of which also doubles as the state-mandated training for the school board.

Lloyd Graham, a retired school superintendent, moderated the session with the board on Tuesday, Sept. 7 and also with community members the following night.

Graham’s final posting was in LaPorte, east of Houston, where he retired after 13 years at the helm last summer.

“I’m not here to tell you what I think,” he told the board. “I’m here to suggest what you might think about.”

The focus is on steps to take to guide a good school district to be a great one. Getting from mediocre to good is easy, he said. Getting from good to great is much harder.

He quizzed each board member on why they are serving on the board. He advised, “Unspoken expectations cannot be met,” adding that they should not assume everybody has the same expectations.

Graham also conducted a SWOT analysis with the board, examining the district’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Addressing the state accountability system, Graham explained that the statisticians look at the numbers and try to guess what the questions are. He described it as the confluence of art and science.

What it needs to include, he said, is what is valuable to the community, and it is an incomplete picture without that.

Graham addressed trust.

“Progress moves at the speed of trust,” he said.

Trust is not static; it is either increasing or decreasing. It can be destroyed and can be rebuilt.

Addressing facilities, Graham noted there is a direct correlation between student performance and good facilities, because they affect attitudes.

Graham spent some time talking about systems and said, “The system is holding you back,” but 80 to 90% of the problems get blamed on the people rather than the system.

He defined the roles of three key groups. The school board determines where the district is going, the leadership team determines how to get there and the staff accomplishes the operational mission.

Graham conducted a similar session with community members the next night.

“We had the opportunity to hear from parents, teachers, and students in a small group setting about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that presented themselves in Mineola ISD,” Superintendent Cody Mize said.

“We are looking forward to hearing from more individuals in our community concerning each of those areas as well. Our goal from these initial meetings is to begin the framework for a long-range strategic plan in the district that focuses on those identified areas we can improve as we continue to make Mineola ISD one of the top choices for families in East Texas.” 

Graham will continue working with the board next month. He is a consultant with Moak Casey and Associates of Austin.