VUSD Unveils 5-Year Transparent Roadmap

Visalia, CA — Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) is proud to unveil the details of the  five-year comprehensive strategic plan Visalia Unified Forward 2030: A Community Driven Blueprint for the Future. Rooted in transparency and accountability, the plan outlines a clear and actionable path forward for student success.

At the April 8th Board of Education Meeting, Superintendent Shrum shared 65 actions that will guide the work of the district over the next five years. Each action item is aligned to one of the three themes of the strategic plan ((1) High Expectations, High Achievement, (2) Empowering Students, Engaging Families & the Community, (3) Organizational Efficiency & Effectiveness) and will be measured across four key phases: Research, Design, Implement, and Monitor/Continuous Improvement. 

Research - Dig deep to understand the current reality, study best practices, and ask the right questions so the work is informed, intentional, and rooted in evidence.

Design - Build the work plan thoughtfully by including diverse voices, identifying success markers, and making sure the design is clear, inclusive, and ready for action. 

Implement - Launch the work with strong communication, clear roles, and the right timing—making sure everyone knows what to do and has the support to do it well.

Monitor/Continuous Improvement - Keep a close eye on how things are going, celebrate successes, troubleshoot challenges, and make improvements to stay on track and reach our goals.

A team of 70 district staff will work collaboratively, across divisions, to own and drive the actions through each phase. This cross divisional approach represents a cultural shift in how the district operates, prioritizing coherency and shared responsibility. Before an action advances to the next phase, all progress indicators must be met. These benchmarks allow teams to move independently through the work, staying accountable to each other, our Board, and the community–and ensuring the work continues to move forward with integrity and confidence.

“I hope our community and staff can see their voice reflected in this plan,” said Superintendent Kirk Shrum. “We are being intentional and clear in how we are moving forward and how we will measure success along the way. By building our systems and focusing on continuous improvement, we will have highly effective classrooms. It will be hard work, but it will be worth it.”

The community can follow VUSD’s progress, including the 5-year timeline map by phase on the district’s website on the main menu under the Visalia Forward 2030, selecting a theme, and on the right-hand side selecting the timeline for that theme. In addition, the district will provide biannual updates to the Board of Education on the status of each action and progress toward the district’s Priority Student Outcomes (PSOs)—key performance indicators developed by the Board to measure student success. The biannual updates will the PSOs will also be available on the district website as they become available. This level of transparency allows the community to clearly see which actions the district has prioritized through 2030, the current phase of each action, and the anticipated timeline for completion.

“While some of our metrics are also rooted in state testing data, having a strategic plan that is specific to the needs of our staff and students allows our Board to move with intentionality. We went through extensive research to identify our goals and look forward to the progress we will be seeing in the next few years through 2030,” added Board President Joy Naylor.

For more information and updates on VUSD Forward 2030: A Community Driven Blueprint for the Future, visit https://www.vusd.org/strategicplan/strategic-plan