Multi-Year
Strategic Plan

A Multi-Year Strategic Plan sets direction for the work of a school board by identifying values, priorities, and measures for success. It acts as a compass that guides collective actions for ongoing student-centered improvement across the learning organization.

Ignite Learning Multi-Year Strategic Plan, 2018-2023

DDSB’s Ignite Learning Multi-Year Strategic Plan, 2018-2023 was adopted in September 2018 following a thorough consultation across our community. As the original 2021 end date of the plan approached, the Board of Trustees approved an extension of an additional two years to help provide stability for the District during the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue focusing work on the six strategic priorities of Success, Well-Being, Leadership, Equity, Engagement and Innovation. Over the term of the 2018-2023 strategic plan, operational plans and the development and implementation of DDSB’s Indigenous Education Policy, Human Rights, Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racism Policy and the Safe and Respectful Workplace and Harassment Prevention Policy have helped us evolve as a learning organization. Everything we do is centred around these policies.

Ignite Learning Multi-Year Strategic Plan, 2024-2028

The exciting and engaging work towards development of a new multi-year strategic plan began in late 2022. Throughout an extensive public consultation phase that took place from May to October of 2023, we appreciated hearing the aspirations, priorities, and feedback of students, parents, guardians, caregivers, staff, trustees, partners, unions/federations, leadership associations, advisory and community groups and others to help us answer big questions like:

What do we want our schools to be?
What do we want for students who enter our schools?
What brought staff to the work of education, and what will keep them here?
How can we build confidence in families and the public?

Consultation strategies were informed by findings from external and internal board scans, aspirational thinking, and the lived experience of students, families, staff, and community members. The goal of the consultation phase was to involve and collaborate with as many individuals and groups connected to the DDSB as possible for the purpose of creating a strengthened plan developed through multiple engagement pathways. The consultation process remained dynamic and progressive, with efforts taken to address any gaps in feedback. Follow-ups and additional reach outs took place in early-September 2023 to coincide with the start of the new school year to ensure that those who wished to participate, had an opportunity to.

Overall, we heard from over 4,300 members of the DDSB community throughout consultation, in a variety of in-person and virtual methods, including facilitated large and small group sessions, pop up events, surveys, webinars, working groups, webinars, self-facilitations.

It was important to us that students had opportunities to participate in ways that that were meaningful to them, and we were excited to engage primary classes from five elementary schools across the District in a Sketchnote consultation activity. During a classroom visit, an Innovative Education facilitator promoted discussion of one of the student survey questions with the class as an artist sketched their thoughts and responses in real-time.

This is what our students told us:

Following completion of the consultation phase, the final development process began and was guided through the fall of 2023 by the staff and Trustee working groups who shared suggestions and guidance for how to incorporate the feedback gathered into the new draft plan. A November update report to the Board of Trustees as well as a Virtual Public Information Session to share draft directions helped to ensure we were on the right path, and allowed time for any adjustments to be made before bringing the new plan to the Board of Trustees for approval in January 2024.

Following approval of the new Multi-Year Strategic Plan, the communication, implementation and monitoring phase will begin and will carry us through the proposed five-year term of the new plan. Ongoing and future discussions will focus on monitoring, implementation and design elements that illustrate the connection and interrelatedness between the new strategic priorities. A District and community-wide rollout will spread awareness of the new plan, reiterate key messages and embed the new plan in everything the DDSB does.

Monitoring will outline the relationship between DDSB’s organizational priorities, clear actions, expected outcomes, metrics, schedules, responsibilities and accountability for review and reporting. The senior team will collaborate and determine key operational initiatives needed to implement the new MYSP and this work will take place throughout winter and spring 2024.