Curriculum priorities, budget decisions, and the overall direction of Lakota's 23 schools will be shaped by a new strategic plan that a 50-person steering team began drafting Thursday, July 16.
The three-to-five-year roadmap is the first strategic plan Lakota Local Schools has undertaken since Dr. Ashley Whitely became superintendent in spring 2024. It will guide the district, which serves about 17,000 students in West Chester Township and Liberty Township according to its website, through at least 2029 if adopted by the board.
"Whatever document we walk out of this room with, I want to make sure it represents the entire District, including the community and our students," Whitely told the steering team at the July 16 kickoff, according to the district's announcement.
Who's in the room
The steering team is made up of Lakota teachers, staff, and administrators chosen to represent multiple departments across the district. Many are also Lakota parents or community members, the district said. The announcement did not list any board members or outside consultants among the group.
Two years of data on the table
The team spent the day working in large and small groups, reviewing data collected over two years from every stakeholder group. That data pool includes:
- More than 100 superintendent listening sessions led by Whitely
- Over 20 master facilities feedback sessions
- The 2025 communications survey
- The 2025 statistically relevant community survey
- The 2026 student course feedback survey
- The 2026 workplace culture survey
- The 2026 community survey, which drew more than 1,200 responses
The district described the combined data set as "thousands of survey responses and listening session notes."
Why it took until now
Whitely told the Journal-News at the end of her first year that she had originally hoped to start strategic planning in fall 2025 but paused the effort to focus on the district's master facilities plan. That facilities work has since advanced: the Lakota Board of Education unanimously approved a 2.2-mill bond issue for the November 2026 ballot at its Tuesday, June 9 meeting.
With the bond question set, the district turned its attention to the broader strategic plan.
What comes next
The steering team's draft will be refined over the next several weeks. Whitely is scheduled to share a framework preview at the all-staff convocation on Monday, August 10, the district said. The Board of Education is expected to review and approve the final plan in fall 2026, according to the district's announcement.
Families can watch for updates on the district's website, lakotaonline.com.
