One of the district’s priorities is to engage the community and ensure those who live and work in Arlington have a voice in our future. 

In the fall of 2022, we launched Arlington Connect, a community-led effort to bring the entire ACSD community together to develop goals and priorities to improve our schools and plan for the future. The program involved a series of eight community engagement sessions, electronic surveys, and a telephone survey. 

If you would like to learn more about these topics, visit the tabs to the left to view the presentations and the community feedback from each community engagement session. 

The Facilitating Team reviewed the feedback from each community engagement session and each survey to compile a report for the Board of Education. They delivered the report to the Board on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Watch the presentation video below and click here to read the final report.

Mission

The Arlington Central School District mission is to empower all students to be self-directed, lifelong learners, who willingly contribute to their community, and lead passionate, purposeful lives.

Board Priorities

Academic Growth and Success
All Arlington Central School District students will experience rigorous, relevant, and personalized learning opportunities that prepare them for success in college, career, and life.

Belonging and Wellness
The Arlington Central School District will create safe, inclusive environments that support the mental, social and emotional well-being of all students. The District will foster a sense of belonging by honoring the dignity of each individual, and by developing students’ abilities to be inclusive and welcoming while affirming students’ personal and cultural identities.

Communication, Community Engagement, Partnerships
The Arlington Central School District will facilitate meaningful and open two-way communications that increases awareness and support of District initiatives and enhances the relationships between students, families, and schools. Arlington supports collaborative school-family and school-community partnerships that foster learning and a positive atmosphere in our schools and community.

Fiscal and Organizational Management
The Arlington Central School District will maintain a strong financial position in order to support and enhance a comprehensive, equitable education program by ensuring that systems are in place that leverage financial, human, and physical/building resources and that maximize cost-effectiveness.

To fulfill our mission and to support these Board priorities, the Board is seeking community assistance to help guide the future of the Arlington Central School District. The Board of Education strongly believes that the successful development and implementation of a comprehensive long-range plan requires extensive community input, involvement, and participation. 

Charge

 At the July 2021 Board Retreat, the Board of Education identified the four overarching priorities listed above.  Arlington is currently one of approximately 100 school districts from across the country participating in the Learning 2025 Network, a collection of districts committed to future-driven, student-centered, equity-focused education.

In an effort to effectively support the Board priorities and tenets of the Learning 2025 Model, the Board of Education hereby authorizes the Superintendent to select a broad-based coalition of community members and staff to form the Facilitating Team that will be responsible for coordinating and planning this community engagement program. The charge to the Facilitating Team is to make recommendations to the Arlington Central School District regarding long-term goals and priorities for improving the learning experiences and learning environments for students in a fiscally responsible manner. To accomplish this goal, the Facilitating Team should:

1. Gather current and accurate information that reflects a broad base of community perceptions and priorities relating to the Arlington Central School District;
   
   
2. Communicate to the Arlington community the accomplishments and challenges while instilling a deeper understanding of the role, objectives, and needs of the District;
   
   
3. Build an ongoing process for strengthening communication and collaborative efforts with the community which will serve the District in the future;
   
   
4. Familiarize community stakeholders with the current programs, services, resources, and facilities of the District;
   
   
5. Consider future driven programs and learning opportunities that personalize learning and ensure that all students graduate ready for success in life; and
   
   
6. Consider the resources necessary to develop and sustain effective programs and learning environments designed to accomplish these objectives in the intermediate and long term.

The Board authorizes the Superintendent to develop a process for taking the recommendations for long-term goals, once developed, and translating them into action steps through a comprehensive and strategic planning process.

The findings and recommendations developed through the community engagement process shall be delivered, in report form, to the Superintendent by the Facilitating Team and its leadership. Following delivery of this report, it is the responsibility of the Superintendent and the Administrative Cabinet to develop a detailed long-range plan with action steps, timelines, and staffing responsibilities based on the recommendations regarding long term goals and priorities resulting from the engagement program. The Superintendent shall then be responsible for providing a report to the Board of Education. Final decisions regarding this comprehensive long-range plan and direction will be made by the Board of Education drawing upon full access to the information shared by the Superintendent and gathered through the community engagement process.

The anticipated scope of the program is April 2022 through June 2024.  The Superintendent will provide regular updates to the Board and strive to deliver a comprehensive report to the Board of Education at its December 2023 meeting.