District adopts annual goals
The Anacortes School Board recently adopted the district’s Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and targeted goals for the 2022-23 school year. The AOP and targeted goals are aligned to the district’s strategic plan.
The goals in the AOP are based on the 4 pillars of the Strategic Plan: Quality Instruction & Curriculum, Partnerships, Social-Emotional Learning, and Stewardship. Equity is considered at the core of all decisions, to ensure that all Anacortes students rise to their fullest potential, embrace the future, and make a difference.
“The AOP, the targeted goals, and the school improvement plans (SIPs) all form a cohesive package of goals we have set to ensure student achievement, staff development, and care for our facilities,” said Superintendent Justin Irish. “We also appreciate the community involvement that has gone into developing our plans.”
Included in this year’s goals are:
- Staff collaboration and engagement in continuous improvement processes, including effective Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). (AOP 1.1b)
- Equitable access for all students to rigorous course offerings, including multiple pathways for success. (AOP 1.3a)
- Increasing the percentage of families, staff, and students who rate school communications as “effective” and communications specifically about the budget as “effective.” (AOP 2.2a, 4.4a)
- Student access to rigorous, relevant, and engaging social-emotional learning (3.1c)
A complete list of goals can be found in the Annual Operating Plan. Each goal includes annual action items that departments are responsible for. Each individual school improvement plan is also connected to the AOP. The SIPs outline building-based goals for student achievement.
“As a board, we are proud of the district’s work to provide greater alignment of our goals and the actions steps needed to get there,” said Board President Jennie Beltramini. “We are committed to the success of all our students, and having clear, coherent, and measurable goals will help us ensure the district is doing everything we can to support our students and our staff.”
Questions? Superintendent Justin Irish, (360) 503-1211 or jirish@asd103.org
Highly Capable (Challenge) referrals
You can find the referral form on our district website: https://www.asd103.org/District/Department/55-Teaching-and-Learning/798-Highly-Capable-Program.html
Highly Capable testing will be administered in December of 2022 and once testing is completed, the Multidisciplinary Committee will meet to review results. Guardians will receive written notification of their students' test scores and of the committee's decision, which will most likely be completed in January of 2023. Questions? Please call Anne Berad or Heather Paddock at 360-503-1214.
Budget Town Halls
The Anacortes School District is engaged in a proactive budget planning process to develop its 2023-24 budget and beyond. The district’s current $45 million budget utilizes nearly $2 million in district reserves, due to declining enrollment, increased costs across all departments, and loss of one-time federal COVID funding. The district is working proactively to identify cost savings to balance the district’s budget, and will also have some difficult decisions to make this year. The shortfall currently represents about 6 percent of the district’s budget.
Budget Town Halls
We are hosting several town hall forums about the budget throughout the year. These are also open to the public.
- 12/8/22 - 5:30 - 7 p.m.
- 2/2/23 - 5:30 -7 p.m.
- 4/27/23 - 5:30 - 7 p.m.
These town halls will be held in the Anacortes High School Commons.
Questions? Contact Mike Sullivan, Executive Director of Finance and Operations, (360) 503-1213 or masullivan@asd103.org
