Dear District 57 Families,
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I hope your child/ren had a wonderful first few days of school! Our talented teachers and staff have been beaming with joy since the school doors opened - the energy, curiosity, and genuineness of our students make working in education beyond rewarding for each and every one of us.
I am thrilled to share with you an exciting development that will shape the future of education in District 57: our newly-crafted Strategic Plan.
In District 57, we believe that education should not only inspire academic excellence but also cultivate character, creativity, and a lifelong love for learning in both students and staff. With this in mind, a dedicated group of D57 stakeholders, including parents, staff, administrators, alumni, and community members served on the D57 Strategic Planning Committee to create a comprehensive roadmap that will guide our district’s growth and development over the next five years.
Get to know this incredible new direction by watching this short video.
This Strategic Plan centers around a new district vision: “Inspiring every student, every day to reach their full potential.” With this vision in mind, our five-year goals focus on creating outstanding student experiences, investing in staff growth & support, strengthening family & community partnerships, and ensuring strong fiscal stewardship & facility planning. You can read more about the Strategic Plan in the attached document below.
What's Next?
Over the coming weeks, be on the lookout for some engagement events where we can connect and discuss the Strategic Plan more in-depth. The work of this Strategic Plan can only benefit from our continued partnership, so I hope you make it a priority to attend one of these events. Additionally, we are developing a Strategic Plan Dashboard to track progress and provide important updates from each goal area. This dashboard will be featured on the D57 Website soon.
In the meantime, YOU can help us on social media by tagging #D57EveryStudentEveryDay when your child/ren share incredible school experiences, especially examples that exemplify one of District 57’s five key student characteristics: Collaborative, Critical Thinker, Resilient, Empathetic, and Adaptable.
You can read more about this in the Portrait of a Graduate attachment below!
So be on the lookout for more information about our Strategic Plan excitement coming soon!
Last night the D57 Board of Education met to discuss topics affecting our 2023-2024 school year and beyond. You can access the full agenda here and a link to the recorded session here. Below are some highlights from last night’s meeting:
2023-2024 Tentative Budget: Jason Kaiz, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, presented the 2023-2024 Tentative Budget to the Board. The budget is in good standing with a healthy, necessary surplus. By Illinois School Code, we are required to adopt a budget by September 30, the end of the first quarter. Last night the Board approved the tentative budget so it is cleared to move to the next stage where it will be on public display at the District 57 Administration Building. Be on the lookout for the announcement regarding this soon.
Communications Plan & Calendar: In an effort to better connect with our community, we developed a Communications Plan & Calendar to guide our communications specialist, Heather Salerno. We are so excited to grow in this area, and consider this plan and calendar a living document that will shift and expand as the year(s) go on.
Thank you so much for reading this important information. I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the year ahead. Thank you for your continued support and partnership.
In the spirit of education,
Dr. Mary Gorr
Superintendent of Schools
