The District Leadership Team’s most recent monthly meeting took place January 8-9 at Mont La Salle. A variety of agenda items made up the meeting, with much of the time devoted to considering the process by which the District’s new Strategic Plan will be developed and implemented.
As with every Team meeting, Team members reported on a number of District areas, including schools; Brothers’ Communities; District finance; human resources; technology; and Office of Education programs. Updates were given on current projects, including the construction work at St. Joseph’s Camp and the planned renovation of the space adjacent to the kitchen area at Mont La Salle.
The Team then turned its attention to the District Strategic Plan. One of the ongoing responsibilities of a District’s leadership is to maintain a multi-year plan that contains its District’s guiding vision and goals, as well as actions designed to support and realize the vision and goals. This involves designating and facilitating the process by which the plan is organized and constructed, including the identification of its focus areas and priorities.
The strategic plans of both the legacy San Francisco and New Orleans-Santa Fe Districts were considered expired when both Districts ceased operations on July 1, 2014. However, they will be among a collection of resource documents that will be used in the creation of the San Francisco New Orleans District Strategic Plan. Other documents include Acts of the 45th General Chapter, Lines of Action from Most Recent District Chapters and District Mission Assemblies, Priorities from the Constitutive Assembly, and assorted surveys and summaries that were used as part of the process of creating the SFNO District.
After lengthy reflection and discussion, the Team drew several conclusions as to the nature of the District’s Strategic Plan process. First, it needs to be collaborative, promoting the collegiality and unity of the members of the District. Also, it needs to be sensitive to the ongoing transition needs of the new District, as well as to current Church and education trends that impact the Lasallian mission within the District. Finally, it needs to incorporate the gathering and use of supporting data in the creation of the Strategic Plan.
The Team agreed that the Strategic Plan process will begin with its writing of an “anchor document” that provides the background and context for the process itself. It will serve as a guide for the initial conversations and, ultimately, the deliberative work that will produce the Plan. Currently, the Team is finalizing a timeline for the Strategic Plan process. It will include setting dates for the first District Chapter and District Mission Assembly, as well as scheduling in various parts of the District a series of “listening sessions” for gathering input from Brothers and Partners.
The Team’s next scheduled meeting will take place at the Lasallian Secondary Schools Chief Administrators Conference, February 22-25 in San Diego, CA.
