Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen presented her balanced scorecard of four priorities and 12 goals for 2024-28 to trustees Aug. 19.
A scorecard aids school districts in assessing performance and monitoring progress using measurable goals and metrics, educators said.
“In Taylor ISD we believe … the superintendent and district leaders are forward thinking, strategic and accessible partners to our community that empower staff to help students achieve their unique potential,” reads the district’s core belief statement.
An initial list of 11 goals was presented to trustees in July by Garcia-Edwardsen, who has since collaborated with the district’s leaders and principals to construct her final scorecard.
“We want to make sure that our behaviors, our processes are aligned to our goals, and we’re rooted in our purpose … and making a difference as an organization,” Garcia-Edwardsen said.
Through this scorecard, the superintendent hopes to create a feedback loop of achieving and accelerating results.
The first priority is excellence in student outcomes with goals to:
•Increase academic achievement •Ensure safety and wellbeing
•Increase engagement through well-rounded experiences
•Increase college and/or career readiness by graduation The second priority is having an exceptional workplace climate with goals to:
•Increase morale, recruitment and retention •Ensure strategic compensation and benefits •
Ensure continuous professional development and training The third priority is strong partnerships with stakeholders with goals to:
•Increase family engagement and satisfaction •Ensure community engagement and satisfaction Garcia-Edwardsen said she saw the district’s partnership with the community shine through the various back-to-school events around the city, including school supply drives, free haircuts and kickoff events.
“We’re better when we are partners together with our greater Taylor community,” she said.
The fourth priority is efficient financial stewardship with goals to: • Ensure fiscal responsibility and financial management • Increase operational effectiveness and efficiency
• Ensure strategic long-term asset and facility planning.
Now equipped with a demographic study, the district has begun assessing long-term needs, such as new facilities. Officials earlier said some of the district’s campuses could be at overcapacity by 2030.
“We’re looking at what our next steps are, make sure that Taylor ISD is in a proactive stance and ready for our future growth,” Garcia-Edwardsen said.
The school board approved the balanced scorecard at its Aug. 19 meeting.
Garcia-Edwardsen plans to meet with district leadership again to establish specific actions, metrics and checkpoints to achieve and measure progress.
