The District’s Strategic Planning initiative, Pleasantville Schools 2026, is a renewable framework for District decision-making designed to meet the future needs of students in all areas. The initiative was undertaken to answer two guiding questions:

• What will Pleasantville Schools do to prepare students in the Class of 2026 (the 2013–14 kindergarten class) for their future? (Hence the name, Pleasantville Schools 2026.)
• What will those students experience in our schools that will support Pleasantville’s reputation as an outstanding place for families to live and children to learn?

The Five-Year Strategic Plan: 2014–2019 page (menu at right) provides information on the strategies and outcomes from the first phase of Pleasantville Schools 2026.

Phase Two

Phase Two began in February 2019, when a new Strategic Planning Team of more than forty volunteers— including members of the Board of Education, community, student body, and faculty—convened to review, research, and discuss the ideas that will best prepare our students for the future. By June 2019, the team had identified, and the Board of Education adopted, the following six strategies that form the foundation of Pleasantville Schools 2026, Phase Two:

• LEADERSHIP: We will hire, develop, and retain an increasingly diverse group of school professionals who commit to continued learning and developmentally responsive pedagogy, promoting a dynamic and inspiring environment of support, acceptance, and diversity of thought.
• CURRICULUM: We will adapt curriculum to promote differentiated instruction while empowering and inspiring students to actively engage in their education and become future-ready.
• WELLNESS: We will create a district-wide environment in which emotional, social, and physical wellness fosters a culture of engaged citizenship and inclusivity.
• COMMUNICATION: We will engage home, school, and community through communication that enables robust dialogue and builds essential connections.
• INFRASTRUCTURE & RESOURCES: We will maximize available resources to maintain and optimize the use of district facilities, equipment, and supplies, providing a safe, collaborative, and flexible environment for all students and staff.
• PARTNERSHIPS: We will develop new partnerships and strengthen existing ones among schools and the community to expand learning opportunities.

From late October 2019 through mid-February 2020, six teams developed specific suggested plans of action to be implemented over five years to advance each strategy. These plans may evolve over time based on additional input. In total, more than one hundred volunteers—administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members—served on the Steering Committee and Action Teams.