At last Thursday’s School Committee meeting, members discussed the district’s upcoming strategic plan and how we’ll measure its success. During the conversation, I raised a point I believe is central to both the plan’s quality and its integrity.

Before we hire an outside firm to define our success metrics, let’s make sure we haven’t already got the wisdom—and the will—to define them ourselves.

It’s not about distrusting experts or resisting outside support. It’s about responsibility and stewardship—especially in a challenging budget climate. Strategic planning matters. So do clear KPIs. But we shouldn’t be hasty in outsourcing work that might be better—and more meaningfully—done in-house.

Metrics reflect what we value. They create shared language across schools, families, and the community. And when done right, they sharpen strategy rather than get in the way of it.

I believe a good strategic plan should:

• Be anchored in metrics that are clear and purposeful.
• Reflect input from educators, residents, and town leaders.
• Track not just academic achievement, but student and staff wellbeing, engagement, and growth.

And I believe that Duxbury—between our district leadership, staff, School Committee, and thoughtful residents—has the insight and creativity to co-create that framework ourselves.

A few prompts to get the wheels turning and encourage deeper discussion:

• Post-Grad Readiness: Are we preparing students for college, trades, service, or the workforce?
• Community Engagement: Are we inviting and empowering families to be partners in education?
• Teacher Retention: Are we creating an environment where great educators want to stay?

I’m encouraged by the fact that, during our meeting, several School Committee members supported the idea of a summer workshop focused specifically on success metrics and our strategic plan. That’s a great next step.