Strategic Plan Update

In 2022, Mattawan Consolidated School launched a Strategic Plan built around our promise of “Empowering the future together…with Mattawan Pride.” The plan established five key areas of focus: Student Success, Personnel, Facilities & Operations, Fiscal Stewardship, and Community Relations.

Over the past four years, these priorities have helped guide decisions, investments, programming, and improvement efforts across our district. In our Spring 2026 update, we shared that significant progress had been made throughout the plan and announced that the 2026–27 school year would be the right time to refresh our strategic direction.

As we officially close out this planning cycle, there is a great deal to celebrate.

Our most important work has always centered on ensuring students have the support, opportunities, and experiences necessary to succeed.

Over the life of the plan, Mattawan strengthened Professional Learning Communities across the district, developed and implemented a districtwide Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework, expanded special education programming and supports, and established systems to better use student data to identify individual needs.

We also established a six-year curriculum review cycle, adopted new instructional resources across multiple content areas, and developed vertical teams so educators can work collaboratively across grade levels.

At the same time, the district expanded its focus on student well-being through Capturing Kids’ Hearts, TRAILS, culture and climate surveys, social-emotional supports, and alignment of interventions within our MTSS framework.

The next chapter of this work will continue to focus on academic growth while expanding career readiness, innovative programming, educational partnerships, and pathways that prepare students for success beyond Mattawan.

Great schools depend on great people.

During this strategic plan cycle, the district made investments in recruiting, developing, and retaining high-quality employees. Multi-year collective bargaining agreements were established, compensation structures were carefully reviewed, and several long-standing areas for improvement were addressed. This included giving employees greater credit for prior years of experience, reducing gaps in the salary schedule, and restoring opportunities for additional compensation as employees complete advanced degrees and graduate-level coursework. The district also expanded professional growth opportunities through programs such as Grow Your Own, which has supported more than 20 staff members pursuing teaching credentials.

The district also established a multi-year professional development plan, launched a New Teacher Academy, expanded professional learning opportunities, created staff wellness initiatives, formed a district wellness team, and secured a district nurse to support staff and students.

As we look ahead, our challenge shifts from simply building these systems to sustaining a strong organizational culture where talented employees want to come, grow, lead, and stay.

Few areas demonstrate the progress of this strategic plan more visibly than our facilities.

The district completed facility, equipment, and safety assessments, established an ongoing local safety committee, and developed the site-planning work that ultimately helped shape the district’s long-term facility vision.

That planning contributed directly to one of the most significant accomplishments of this strategic plan cycle: the community’s approval of the $110 million, zero-mill-increase school construction bond in May 2024-the largest passed in the history of the school. The May 2026 community update highlighted projects addressing safety and traffic, academic spaces, infrastructure, fine arts, athletics, transportation, and new student and community facilities.

Construction will continue, but the planning and community support necessary to make that work possible were important outcomes of this cycle.

Responsible stewardship has remained central to our work.

During this plan, the district continued to receive favorable audits, maintained a healthy fund balance, expanded revenue opportunities, and aligned resources with educational priorities.

The successful bond campaign also demonstrated the district’s ability to pair long-range planning with responsible financial stewardship.

Looking forward, our work will increasingly focus on long-range capital planning, financial sustainability, and protecting the community’s investment in our schools.

The past several years also brought significant growth in how we communicate and engage with our community.

The district launched a new website and mobile app, expanded parent and community newsletters, developed marketing and communication efforts, engaged key communicator groups, and continued building partnerships with families, businesses, community organizations, first responders, and local agencies.

Our goal moving forward is not simply to communicate more, but to continue strengthening trust, transparency, partnerships, and meaningful two-way engagement throughout our campus.

To review the most recent strategic plan update in greater detail, click on the link below.

A strategic plan should never be a document that simply sits on a shelf. It should help guide decisions, establish priorities, and provide accountability for progress.

We are proud that many of the initiatives identified in our 2022–2026 Strategic Plan have either been completed or have become embedded in the daily work of our schools. Other priorities remain important and will help inform the next chapter of our district.

This fall, Mattawan Consolidated School will begin a comprehensive strategic planning process that will include input from students, employees, families, community members, district leaders, and the Board of Education.

Our tentative process will include:

• September: Current Plan Closeout
• October: Feedback surveys
• November: District review and analyze feedback survey and district data
• December: Share results summary and identify emerging themes
• January: Engagement dialogue
• February: Board of Education review and feedback
• March–April: Draft, review, and revise the new plan
• May: First reading by the Board of Education
• June: Board consideration and adoption

As we begin this next planning cycle, we will ask an important question:

What should Mattawan Consolidated School look like for students five years from now—and what must we do today to make that future possible?

The progress made through this strategic plan would not have been possible without our employees, students, families, Board of Education, and community partners. Thank you for continuing to believe in our schools, support our students, and help move Mattawan forward.

The work continues—and so does our story.

Yours in Continued Partnership,
Randy Fleenor, Superintendent
& The Mattawan Consolidated School Board of Education