Nixa Plans
For The Next
Five Years
By Emily Wilson
AS Nixa nears the end of its
latest Comprehensive
School Improvement Plan
(CSIP), the district focuses on refl ecting,
rethinking, and dreaming towards its new
one.
A strategic plan is required by all
school districts, but CSIP isn’t like
the way other districts plan. “Nixa is
unique to many districts in the type
of strategic planning that we do,”
said David Liss, Executive Director
of Technology and CSIP for Nixa
Public Schools.
Instead of simply satisfying
state requirements
and not much else,
Nixa employs what is
called the Cambridge Model, and,
with this model, its strategic plan is
built on a belief system.
Built on a core set of values, this plan
employs strategic elements that outline
the foundation of the mission of the
school district and how to act in certain
situations. Objectives are created out of
this every fi ve years, and, based on the
challenges faced by internal and external
factors, strategies are formed. More than
just goal-setting, Nixa approaches this
plan contemplating what it aspires
to be and how everyone in the
district can help it get there.
Previous strategic plans have made
an unforgettable mark on the school district.
Over the years that Nixa has been
strategic planning, concepts such as
the state’s fi rst magnet school, the John
Thomas School of Discovery, school police
offi cers, and expanded early childhood
education.
“Sometimes you goal set, and you know
what you can achieve,” said Liss. “But,
other times you dream big and set
the plan to make it happen. There
have been things that we kind of
dreamed it, and it ended up coming
to fruition.”
When the next strategic plan cycle begins,
community support is crucial. Support
through both participation and encouragement
for the district.
“We realize that public schools are a refl
ection of our community,” said Liss. “With
the Cambridge model, the planning committees
present a cross-section of the
community. This ensures that the direction
that we go is what our community
wants and needs.”
Each strategy drafted by the CSIP has
a team assigned to it that allows for the
community to join and get involved. With
the community’s help, Nixa can continue
to accomplish so much as a district.
To fi nd out how you can be a part of the
next CSIP and shape the future of Nixa Public
Schools, go to www.nixapublicschools.
net/csip or email davidliss@nixaschools.net
NIXA
COMMUNITY
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If you want to improve the quality of life in Nixa, we can help make your giving
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To learn more about NCF, call 417-527-8705 or visit nixacf.org.
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SPRING 2019 THE NEST NIXA PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGAZINE 15
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