What is a Strategic Plan?

A tool to define where our organization wants to go and the actions we will take to achieve those goals

Mission

Mission

A formal summary of the aims and values of our organization.

Foundational Strategies

Foundation Strategies 

A framework of choices that determine the nature and direction of our organization.

Strategic Boundries

Strategic Boundaries

Guidelines that delineate what we will NOT DO to achieve our strategic goals.

Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal 

The bridge from where we are now to where we want to be.

Action Plans

Action Plans 

How we will achieve our goals and mobilize the resources needed to take those actions.

Message from the Superintendent and Board President

How does a school district move from excellent to world class? When you’ve been ranked among the best school districts in the state, received countless honors in the areas of academics, extracurricular activities, and athletics, and have been named twice to Chicago’s Top Workplaces list, how do you move to the next level?

Those were some of the questions that Community High School District 128 asked when a core team of staff members met to begin charting the course for a new district strategic plan in the fall of 2021. Building upon the compelling mission statement that was authored in 2018, the next phase was to create a strategic plan that would guide us in attaining our mission of developing graduates who are DARING.

We asked ourselves two key questions: where are we now and where do we want to be? Staff, parents, students, and community members identified areas of improvement to determine how we can better serve students by gathering and analyzing multiple forms of data from the perspective of an academic community, which included demographics; student learning; student staff, and parent perception data; and an audit of programs and processes. The next step was prioritizing areas of need and identifying short- and long-term goals, which would give clear direction to the board of education, community, and staff as to where and how resources should be allocated. This fall, action plan teams created a roadmap for each goal area to guide decisions, set growth targets, and select strategies for improvement, to ensure all of our students have the opportunity to become DARING graduates. 

There are countless individuals to thank for their participation in the work done over the past 18 months. Know that regardless of how many meetings you attended, surveys you completed, or how much feedback you voiced, your participation and input were valued. As a result, we are pleased to share the Strategic Plan that you will find outlined in this document. In conjunction with our unwavering commitment to teaching and learning, the five-year action plan will add focus in the following goal areas:

Goal 1:
Health and Wellbeing

D128 will increase access to social and emotional learning (SEL) support and services to improve mental health and wellbeing for all students.

Goal 2:
Equity and Inclusion

D128 will ensure equitable opportunities and outcomes for all student populations.

Goal 3:
Explore Multiple Paths

All D128 students will explore various career, college, military and trade pathways and graduate informed, prepared, and empowered to pursue the future career of their choosing.

There is much work to be done, and as we advance on this journey we will review our work and make adjustments as necessary to meet our goal of full implementation of the plan by 2028. We will keep you updated on our progress, and encourage you to share your thoughts along the way.

Denise Herrmann, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Lisa Hessel
Board of Education President 

About District 128

District 128 students and staff are consistently recognized on the local, state and national levels for their outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements. District 128 was named the number one school district in Illinois in the 2019 Best Schools ranking by Niche.com. U.S. News and World Report ranks LHS 12th and VHHS 15th among Illinois high schools, and in the top 3% of all public high schools nationally. Both high schools are recipients of the U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon of Excellence Award, with LHS receiving the honor in 2018 and 1990 and VHHS receiving the honor in 2010.

D128 Board Members

Lisa Hessel - President
Jim Batson - Vice President
Don Carmichael - Secretary

Sonal Kulkarni
Casey Rooney
Kara Drumke
Cara Benjamin

Student Representatives

The District 128 Board of Education has included student board representatives in its meetings since the 2001-2002 school year. Student representatives, selected through an application and interview process, participate in regular board meetings and share monthly reports from their schools. The 2021-2022 student board representatives actively participated in developing the D128 Strategic Plan.

2021-2022

Faith Davidson
Sofia Gonzalez Bernier
John Graham
Tiffany Kang
Ryan McGrory
Kevin Schumacher 

2022-2023

Fatima Elmenshawy
Jasmine Lafita
Sarah Wuh
Hary Jun
Sofia Marin
Ariel Shifrin

This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.