As the 2024-2025 school year winds down, Visalia Unified School District is turning feedback from students, staff, and families into action, using it to launch pieces of action items to be implemented as part of the district’s first comprehensive strategic plan, Forward 2030: A Community-Driven Blueprint for the Future.
The journey toward this plan began during the 2023-2024 school year, when Superintendent Kirk Shrum led a districtwide effort to listen and learn—gathering input through student advisory sessions, staff conversations, and community feedback sessions. During the current school year, that input was reviewed, analyzed, and translated into the 65 action items of the plan. Each item includes clear deliverables in phases, key staff leads, a project management framework, and a reporting process to keep the work focused and transparent.
“We are intentional about how we proceed with this plan,” said Superintendent Shrum. “Some of the actions we’re taking this summer and into the new school year come straight from the voices of our staff, students, and our community.”
To honor that voice, VUSD is prioritizing a set of changes for immediate implementation—responding directly to the feedback gathered that would make the most impact for students. The following are just a few of the district’s 65 action items of the strategic plan that will be implemented over the summer and into the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
- A preschool-to-kindergarten summer transition and parent university program to help young learners and their families start their academic journey strong.
- Enhance student engagement through expanded activities and advanced learning opportunities.
- A districtwide elementary writing curriculum to align expectations and improve student rigo and outcomes.
- Standardized classroom technology to ensure consistency and equity across all schools.
- Enhance campus and transportation safety through districtwide implementation of the Verkada and Transfinder systems.
- Elevate student voice and recognition by expanding opportunities for input and honoring a broad range of achievements
- Clear implementation of the district’s cell phone policy, reinforcing focus and aligning discipline strategies.
- An updated Code of Conduct, providing fair and consistent guidelines across all campuses.
- A single communication platform to support parent awareness and involvement in their student’s academic progress.
“You may notice a common thread among these action items that we have prioritized — a shared commitment to equity and excellence. As one unified school district, every VUSD student deserves access to the same high-quality resources, rigorous coursework, and opportunities to reach their full potential, no matter which school they attend,” said Board President Joy Naylor.
These actions are part of a deliberate and aligned approach to long-term improvement—setting a strong foundation not only for the upcoming school year, but for the future of our district and community.
Additional communication and training will be sent to staff and families over the summer as we prepare for the upcoming school year. Learn more about Forward 2030: A Community-Driven Blueprint for the Future and the implementation timeline at vusd.org/forward2030.