NORTH READING — Members of the public who wish to weigh in on the final draft of “NRPS 2025,” which is the strategic plan for district improvement of the North Reading Public Schools, have until Thursday, June 30 to submit their comments online.

This is the culmination of a 2 1/2-year process by the district administration involving the gathering of information from community stakeholders, which includes students, educators, administrators, staff, families, parents, caregivers, and community members “about what we value in North Reading and what we believe should be a part of our plan,” according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick C. Daly.

“Last spring we held forums and collected information as a part of the ‘Back to the Future’ visioning protocol and stakeholders shared where we are now and where we hope to be by the spring of 2025. From there our leadership team developed objectives for each school year and identified the ‘big rocks’ that encompassed the work that we will be undertaking as a district,” stated Daly.
Through this process, three areas were identified: Student Support Services; Teaching & Learning; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

“Under these larger umbrellas come the strategic objectives, focus areas, and the strategic initiatives for each school year,” explained Daly. The comments and feedback sought by June 30 are intended to help the administration make adjustments to the strategic plan as they look ahead to the 2022-23 school year. The feedback will be used to “inform our work this summer at our leadership retreat,” he stated.

By visiting the following page on the school district’s website: [https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/district/pages/nrps-2025] respondents will first view a brief video that describes the process as well as the tool that the administrators will be using to provide feedback to the leadership team.

“We have created a one-page interactive graphic that will allow those looking to review the plan the ability to view it in its entirety or to also see some quick snapshots of each element for the upcoming 2022-23 school year or for seeing the strategic initiatives under each focus area for each year of the plan through the spring of 2025,” according to Daly.

Comments are also being gathered on the “Student Experience Vision Statement” and the revised “Mission Statement” of the North Reading Public Schools. Both were developed based on feedback received last summer from all stakeholders on “what words and phrases they wanted to see” included in both statements, he said.

These statements are as follows:

Student Experience Vision Statement

“All students in North Reading will feel welcome, safe, and valued for who they are and supported to reach their potential as global citizens. Students will feel personally connected to their learning experiences and will feel represented inside and outside of the classroom ensuring a sense of belonging.”

Mission Statement

“The North Reading Public Schools provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment where students develop both their social-emotional and academic skills and abilities through an exploration of a wide range of content areas, the arts, athletics, and extra-curricular opportunities. With a dedication to excellence, service, and life-long learning our students will engage collaboratively, think critically, embrace diversity, and value equity in order to become productive global citizens.”