Minooka Community High School officials outline goals and needs for new strategic plan

Forging additional community partnerships, streamlining hiring processes and gathering student feedback are among the initiatives outlined in a list of goals in Minooka Community High School District 111’s strategic plan in the upcoming 2025-26 school year.

Minooka 111’s board of education approved a two-page document that outlined goals in the areas of community and public relations, finance and facilities, human resources, curriculum/instruction/assessment and student focus at a meeting May 21.

Superintendent Robert Schiffbauer said exhaustive efforts went into assembling the list of goals for the upcoming school year. A planning committee of more than 70 community participants played a part in formulating the goals and overarching strategic plan.

“This is a community high school, and it takes the whole community to make this thing work,” Schiffbauer said. “The action plan pieces really are the pieces that we will start to work on as an administrative team. Getting to this point was a little tricky. There were a lot of conversations and discussions.”

Each specific heading has one or more goals and a series of accompanying plans.

One goal, calling for an expansion and development of community collaborations through positive relations, includes a call for Minooka 111 officials to strengthen partnerships with local government entities across the district’s footprint in Channahon, Joliet, Minooka and Shorewood.

“We’re excited to get working on this,” Schiffbauer said. “I think there’s some good and very achievable goals for us and, hopefully, we knock out quite a bit more than what’s listed here as well,”

In addition to the individual goals, the new plan document outlines Minooka 111’s updated mission and vision statements.

The mission statement reads, “In collaboration with stakeholders, empower all students to have high expectations and pride in their accomplishments by offering a comprehensive, student-centered educational experience in a safe and caring environment.”

The more succinct vision statement reads, “High expectations and continuous improvement for all.”

During deliberations, several board members, including Timothy Juskiewicz, peppered Schiffbauer with questions about next steps. Juskiewicz had inquired about accountability measures for following through on the plan.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and effort to get to this point,” Juskiewicz said. “We want to keep it going.”

Ultimately, a consensus was reached that Schiffbauer would report back to the board throughout the next year with progress updates.

Board member Bert Kooi said he believed the goals were achievable, based on the wording in each of the action plans.

“As I look through them, I think, whoever wrote these, whoever developed these — I think you can read each one and say that is a measurable goal,” Kooi said. “You can see whether or not you have achieved it or have not achieved it.”

Schiffbauer shares legislative updates with board

As the Illinois General Assembly winds down its 2025 regular legislative session, Schiffbauer shared information out of Springfield on two legislative items that have been hot topics.

Schiffbauer’s updates to the board included information on House Bill 1237, the legislation introduced this year pertaining to school mascots.

“It appears to be dormant right now, which is a good thing for MCHS,” Schiffbauer said. “Right now, it seems like it stalled out in the Senate, and I think it’s going to stay there for a while.”

Schiffbauer also discussed a proposed amendment to the Illinois School Code that could mandate two years of a foreign language, beginning with the 2028-29 school year.

“That brings up a number of issues,” Schiffbauer said. “The first, and most obvious one, is teachers. Finding teachers is difficult.”