South Umpqua School District 2025-2030 Strategic Plan 

Our Strategic Plan: We have developed a five-year strategic plan that aligns our goals and strategies while ensuring clarity of focus for the future.

Why This Matters: Our plan reflects the needs and aspirations of our educators, students, and the community, supporting our mission to unlock the potential in every student. Through valuable, input and collaboration, we have established clear goals, effective strategies, and measurable outcomes to guide our path forward.

The Process: We began the planning process at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

Feb. 21, 2025

Dear South Umpqua Community,

I am so thrilled to share the strategic plan that was developed by you for our students and community. First, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to each of you who participated in our strategic planning process. Your time, insights, and commitment have been invaluable in shaping the future of our schools and community.

This process began with focus group interviews that gathered perspectives from a broad and diverse group of constituents, including community members, parents and family members, teachers, administrators, staff, and students. With over 200 individuals participating, your voices helped ensure that our strategic plan reflects the values, needs, and aspirations of our entire community.

A special thank you to the members of the steering committee who diligently reviewed interview transcriptions and developed thoughtful recommendations. Your dedication has led to the establishment of key pillars and goals that will guide our district over the next five years. This strategic plan serves as a roadmap for our priorities and decision-making, ensuring that we remain focused on what is best for our students.

As we move forward, we recognize that this plan is not just a document—it is a shared commitment. We are all invested in the success of our students, engaged in the work ahead, and accountable for creating an educational environment that fosters growth, learning, and opportunity. Together, we will make a lasting impact on the future of South Umpqua School District.

Thank you again for your dedication, collaboration, and passion for our schools and students. Your efforts have laid the foundation for a brighter future, and we look forward to working together to bring this vision to life.

2025-2030 Strategic Plan for South Umpqua School District

This plan identified four pillars, or large themes, that emerged from the feedback from our community. Within each pillar are a list of action steps, or goals, that we will be working to achieve over the next five years. This plan will be the filter through which we consider our decisions moving forward and will allow us to focus our efforts on what really matters.

Pillar 1: Supported and Successful Students

1. Improve academic achievement by implementing high-leverage instructional practices across content areas and individualized support for all students.
2. Enhance social emotional learning (SEL) programs to support student well-being, belongingness, and school spirit.
3. Expand extracurricular opportunities, including arts, technical education, and clubs, to engage all students.
4. Hold all students to high behavioral expectations across the district.
5. Increase opportunities for experiential learning in elementary grades.
6. Create consistency in curriculum, policies, and practices across all schools.
7. Use data-driven approaches in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and align vertical and horizontal academic standards.

Pillar 2: Empowered and Valued Staff

1. Enhance recruitment and retention efforts to ensure high-quality staff in all positions by implementing high-leverage retention strategies and providing competitive compensation for all employees.
2. Provide meaningful professional development with follow-up and consistent implementation across all schools.
3. Ensure that all staff are recognized as educators, and everyone is provided with support regardless of their role.
4. Provide training for staff on managing diverse student needs, both academic and social-emotional.
5. Build trust and communication among educators.

Pillar 3: Strong Family and Community Partnerships

1. Increase family participation through varied and accessible opportunities for involvement.
2. Improve communication with families by standardizing district messaging and offering alternatives to social media.
3. Foster community engagement by promoting education’s value and providing the resources and support that allow all families to partner in their child’s education.
4. Collaborate with community organizations to expand resources like childcare, mental health support, and transportation.
5. Promoting employment opportunities that make it possible and desirable for graduates to remain within the district.
6. Offer extended school day programs, including before- and after-school activities and transportation.

Pillar 4: Modern and Safe Facilities

1. Renovate and maintain school facilities to create safe, healthy, and productive learning environments.
2. Provide high-quality infrastructure to support teaching and learning.
3. Continue to monitor and implement best practices for building and student safety.

What’s Next?

Now the Educators of South Umpqua are getting to work! This is a five-year plan and will be a marathon not a sprint. As we begin to lay out a timeline as well as the indicators we will use to measure our success, I would love to hear from you. If you have questions about the strategic plan, have a thought on a particular strategy, or would simply like to discuss this plan in more detail, please reach out to me. I would love to connect with you!

In Community,

Superintendent Erika Bare