Mission, Beliefs, and Goals
Mission of District #709
The mission of our Morton District 709 Board of Education is to be a provider of and an advocate for the education of all children.
Beliefs of District #709
- Provide the highest quality of academic programs and services
- Consider the needs of students while making decisions
- Listen actively to all stakeholders
- Open communication creates a good working climate for good decision-making
- Truth and respect are essential both internally and externally
- Continuous growth comes through self-evaluation, assessment, and research-based action
- Community support is imperative to our success
- High expectations produce higher results
- Good character and citizenship should be modeled by adults and learned by our students
Goals of District #709
The BoE developed SMART Goals for continuous improvement. SMART Goals are a widely used framework for setting clear, actionable, and achievable objectives. The acronym SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable (or Achievable), Relevant (or Realistic), and Time-Bound.
Achievement
The BoE will annually monitor each school through the Illinois School Report Card to ensure academic growth; Progress is determined using district data reports of each school’s composite growth percentile. The composite growth percentile will be at the commendable level, 55th percentile, or higher.
Climate
The BoE will ensure the superintendent and/or principals engage all members of the district and community through weekly written communications during the school year and respond to verbal or written communications in open, meaningful two-way communication within five days of receiving them, at the next meeting of the board, or within a reasonable timeframe as determined by the board.
Communication
The BoE will maintain a cohesive organizational system that fosters a culture of mutual trust and respect among the board, administration, faculty, staff, students, and community, resulting in an organization focused on continuous improvement. Progress will be measured using 5Essentials survey results; the district will reach and sustain a "Strong" rating (or higher) in the Supportive Environment indicator at each school.
Facilities
Morton District 709 will use the 15-year capital improvement plan to set and communicate annual facility target goals, including both near-term (0-12 months/emergencies) and short-term (3-5 years) objectives. Success will be measured by the completion of projects submitted to the board within 3 to 5 years of their target dates or emergency projects. The board will receive updates throughout each project.
Finance
Morton District 709 will maintain a five-year financial plan with contingencies to support educational facilities, operational services, instructional programs, and extracurricular opportunities, ensuring a minimum 180-day fund balance in each fund.