It's no secret some people move to Dartmouth simply for its school system. Alumni remember their fond memories and the many opportunities they had and return home, proud of their town.

But sustaining that Dartmouth pride is not easy. Therefore, Superintendent June Saba-Maguire provided a glimpse of the district’s newly proposed five-year strategic plan at a Monday, Aug. 26 School Committee Meeting.

The overview highlights the plan’s mission of building a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment for students to become compassionate thinkers and contributors to their community. 

Additionally, the plan’s vision is to be united as “one Dartmouth” and provide “unparalleled learning opportunities” to invest in student success.

And at its core, the plan goes right back to that Dartmouth P.R.I.D.E., which stands for personal excellence and responsibility; respect for staff and others; inclusivity, equity and belonging; diverse opportunities and student agency; and ethical commitments.

“Throughout the entire strategic planning process, one of the, I would say, strongest sort of emotions that people shared was their sense of pride In the community and in the schools,” Saba-Maguire said.

And drawing from that community's input, she said the strategic planning team developed four “essential” focus areas for their five-year plan, including teaching and learning, safe and supportive schools, family and community engagement as well as budget and capital improvements.

Saba-Maguire said every initiative that is proposed in the strategic plan, which will be further discussed in the coming weeks, all refers back to this overview of core values.

If the proposed plan is approved by the School Committee, the next steps are to inform parents and ensure they have an understanding of the plan and an opportunity to provide feedback.

Saba-Maguire emphasized the “painstaking” wordsmithing that went into its development, with 37 people involved. 

“It's a complex process, and it involves a lot of different voices,” she said, adding, “The voices in the room were really strong.”

“We walked away with a real sense of pride in the work that we were able to accomplish,” Saba-Maguire said.