Oak Park Unified School District sets goals,
expects to meet them
By Michael Picarella
Acorn Staff Writer

Oak Park Unified School District (OPUSD) has set goals and priorities for students, teachers, staff and administrators.

A leadership team of the board of education expects that the goals will be met within the next three to five years.

Each June, OPUSD contemplates the previous academic year and its accomplishments. Officials then focus on new goals, which are discussed before the new school year.

"We always look at the future," said OPUSD Superintendent Marilyn Lippiatt. She said the likelihood of fulfilling the goals is 100 percent. "We will get to each one."

Goals are separated into two sections. One focuses on students and the other on district planning and operations.

Regarding students, the board would like to see more updates of their work that reveal the processes used and the progress being made. Boardmembers also want two foreign languages offered for credit in middle school.

Another goal is formation of a committee that would analyze the kindergarten through 12th grade spelling curriculum and to investigate programs and processes that will assure continued achievement in spelling. Leaders would also like to see emphasis on the importance of career thought at all grade levels.

Beginning in sixth grade, college preparation will be encouraged, both academically and financially. The board wants evaluations of counseling in OPUSD to help determine if student needs are being met.

And finally, staff was instructed to continue to monitor kindergarten through 12th grade special education policies and practices to assure proper identification of students and the effectiveness of services available.

As for planning and operations’ goals, the board would like to provide optimum working conditions to attract the best educators. Time should be structured to maximize instructional leadership, professional development and peer collaboration, boardmembers said.

The board would also like a closer look at construction timelines to insure projects are completed in a timely and cost efficient manner. They want to meet the challenges of declining enrollment and the potential growth associated with development of Ahmanson Ranch.

Also important is development of tools to evaluate how much and how effectively technology is used. When developed, this assessment could be administered yearly, analyzed and used to guide future expenditures.

The board would like to proceed with plans to make student data (grades, testing data, records, homework and assignments) available to teachers, parents and students when appropriate. Security and confidentiality measures would have to be addressed.

Energy conservation and the purchase of goods and services to enhance a team attitude toward fiscal responsibility is a major goal of staff members.

Another important goal is a preschool program that would prepare students for Oak Park schools. Oak Park has tried to develop a process from kindergarten to 12th grade that will give students what they need to enter college and become successful as they move into adulthood.

In the past, OPUSD has been successful with accomplishing its goals, Lippiatt said. The goals focus on outcome and processes, she said, and they require cooperation from many people.

"(Oak Park’s past) accomplishments speak for themselves," Lippiatt said.