WEST PALM BEACH, Fla – The five-year plan outlining goals, outcomes and vision for the School District of Palm Beach County was presented on March 4 by Superintendent Robert M. Avossa, Ed.D., during the Education Forecast 2016 event.

Education Forecast 2016, held at the Kravis Center’s Cohen Pavilion, was the first of several events and community meetings throughout Palm Beach County where the District’s strategic plan will be presented. The School Board unanimously backed the plan at last week’s School Board meeting.

The District’s strategic plan was developed after months of input from community members, teachers, administrators, parents and students, including a public review during a February workshop meeting of the School Board. The plan was highlighted during Education Forecast 2016, an annual event hosted by the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.

“Developing this strategic plan for our school district has been my top priority since I arrived in Palm Beach County, but we can’t make this plan in isolation. It takes the entire community to make this plan succeed,” Avossa said. “These partnerships are crucial as we begin the hard work of making this strategic plan a reality for our schools and our students.”

Avossa served as the keynote speaker for the event. In addition to featuring the strategic plan, Education Forecast 2016 honored two outstanding alumni of Palm Beach County schools – Daniel Cane, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Modernizing Medicine, and Ethel Isaacs Williams, Director of Corporate Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion for NextEra Energy.

“These alumni are outstanding community leaders who serve as an inspiration to our students and exemplify the type of partnerships we are encouraging throughout the county,” said Christina Lambert, CEO of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County.

The Education Foundation will also host The Glades Education Forecast 2016 on Tuesday, March 29, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center in Belle Glade. Avossa will present the strategic plan to community and education leaders, and honor the efforts of the Tri-Cities Education Committee, which includes Pahokee City Commissioner Allie Biggs, Mary Evans of Belle Glade, former Pahokee High School administrator and coach Eddie Rhodes, and Belle Glade Mayor Steve B. Wilson.

The strategic plan will be implemented over a three-year period, and focuses on four major goals:

  • Increase reading on grade level by third grade
  • Ensure high school readiness, including academic achievement, behavior and engagement
  • Increase the high school graduation rate
  • Foster post-graduate success, including high school scholars, dual-enrollment degrees, industry certifications, college enrollment and military enlistment

The strategic plan can be found at www.palmbeachschools.org/strategicplan.