One year into its Strategic Plan 2023-2028: Thrive! Ready for the Future, the Kyrene School District has made strides towards its four key goals, announced Superintendent Laura Toenjes, who has led the K-8 Arizona district since 2021.
The strategic plan is organized around four specific, measurable goals the district hopes to achieve by 2028:
- Early Literacy: 85% of students in grades K-3 will meet end-of-year reading benchmarks by 2028.
- Academic Progress: 70% of students passing, growing, and on-track in state assessments.
- Sense of Belonging: 10% increase in students reporting sense of belonging on the annual Panorama survey.
- Equity: Proportionate student representation in advanced coursework, gifted identification, and discipline.
To achieve these goals, Kyrene has identified three strategic imperatives: Future Ready Schools, Highly Engaged People & Culture, and Optimal Operations & Resources. Within each of these areas are initiatives that will be implemented throughout the five-year plan. Toenjes reported progress is being made in each strategic imperative in her announcement.
Future Ready Schools
With an 85% early literacy target for K-3 students, the district has already seen a 2-4% increase in reading benchmarks. Efforts include funding teacher literacy endorsements and reducing class sizes. Under the umbrella Future Ready Schools, the focus for the upcoming year will be on expanding social-emotional learning, particularly through the new Character Strong curriculum for middle school students.
In year one, Kyrene committed to covering the cost for teachers to earn their Literacy Endorsement by 2028. They earn the endorsement by completing Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS), which provides a deep understanding of the processes and research behind learning to read. The district also made an investment in staffing to reduce class sizes in early grade levels. This ensures that any classes above the target range receive additional support, such as instructional assistants.
Highly Engaged People & Culture
In fostering a Highly Engaged People & Culture, Kyrene has reimagined the traditional classroom model, expanding innovative staffing models to more campuses. The Kyrene de las Manitas Innovation Academy and Kyrene Aprende have shown promising results, with students reporting a greater sense of belonging and improved discipline management. This year, the district will continue to implement these team-teaching models and finalize the Portrait of a Teacher, defining the competencies needed for high-quality education.
Optimal Operations & Resources
To ensure Optimal Operations & Resources, Kyrene has begun evaluating programs using Academic Return on Investment (AROI) to measure their effectiveness and cost-efficiency. The district’s focus on financial responsibility has been recognized with awards for fiscal accountability. Year two will continue to leverage these evaluations to enhance program outcomes, reinforcing Kyrene’s commitment to transparency and strategic resource allocation.
Read more about the strategic plan at: www.kyrene.org/strategicplan.
