The Strategic Plan – Sept 2004

Goal One: Faculty

Goal: Attract, support, retain, evaluate, and compensate an extraordinary faculty and staff who will challenge, inspire, and nurture students in an environment that values intellect, imagination, and integrity.

Rationale: The cornerstone of SPSG has been and will remain the multi-faceted relationships between students and faculty. Toward that end, we remain committed to recruiting and supporting excellent teachers from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who will educate the hearts and minds of our girls.

Implementation Strategies:

• Recruit teachers who exemplify academic excellence, creativity, innovation, leadership, and commitment to the SPSG mission.
  • Identify and increase opportunities to continue recruiting and supporting diversity within our faculty.
  • Strengthen the faculty mentoring program with the dual goal of attraction and retention.
  • Encourage faculty to take on leadership opportunities within the school and community.
• Strengthen faculty and staff evaluation procedures with emphasis on professional growth.
  • Broaden and increase professional development programs for faculty in academics, technology, learning differences, teaching strategies, and other areas of professional growth.

Assess present salary, benefits, and overall compensation package against a benchmark group of area schools and commit to funding an increasingly competitive package.

Goal Two: Program

Goal: Provide an academic program for the education of girls, characterized by rigor and excellence, emphasizing critical reading, clear and logical reasoning, analytical and creative thinking, creative problem solving, respect for diversity, and intellectual risk-taking.

• Nurture the talent within each girl, while challenging intellect and imagination.
• Actively support the spiritual and moral development of the community.
• Provide strong athletics and arts programs which inspire each student to maximize her potential.

Rationale: SPSG is committed to teaching students across a range of academic abilities and to examining the ways in which we meet individual needs, with the objective of fully challenging each student. We are committed to the development of the physical and the creative, as well as to the development of the life of the spirit.

Implementation Strategies:

• Celebrate our Episcopal tradition and our commitment to the development of the spirit and moral integrity.
• Offer a challenging and rigorous program that provides opportunities for each girl to explore and develop her intellectual and other passions.
  • Provide an academically stimulating experience for each student.
  • Serve and celebrate a student body from a wide range of academic abilities and learning styles.
  • Expand visual and performing arts offerings.
  • Seek effective approaches for teaching girls.
  • Emphasize integration of technology throughout the curriculum to enhance both teaching and learning.
  • Evaluate, strengthen and expand the coordinate program with SPS.
  • Explore opportunities for students to gain global perspectives both in and out of the classroom in preparation for a continually changing world.
  • Support a strong advisory system to offer guidance in areas of academics, wellness, and support for each individual student.
  • Fund and support excellence in athletics and develop and encourage participation in lifetime fitness activities.
  • Develop the library space as the intellectual hub of the school.
• Continue to provide a rigorous and dynamic program tailored to the unique intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development of middle-school aged girls, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning, self-discovery, and mutual respect.
• Continue to address quality of life issues such as pace of the school day, stress management, sexuality, and substance abuse with the goal of helping students to make wise choices in an increasingly complex world.
  • Broaden and strengthen opportunities for student leadership, particularly in areas of diversity and outreach.

Evaluate and strengthen the diversity program within and outside the curriculum.

Goal Three: Two St. Paul's Schools

Goal: Develop and articulate a shared vision of the coordinate relationship between SPSG, SPS, and Old St. Paul’s to enhance the educational opportunities for both schools and the communities they serve.

Rationale: The coordinate relationship is a vital asset to the life of both schools. We believe that clarification of expectations and coordinated communication will strengthen and expand opportunities for students, faculty and SPSG/SPS families. While maintaining the validity of single sex education, sharing resources and programs will lead to an enhanced educational experience for all students, faculty, and families.

Implementation Strategies:

• Support a standing joint board committee to oversee the coordinate structure of St. Paul’s Plus through Grade 12.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the present PS-12 structure including admissions, transitions, program, (curriculum and instruction), and marketing to support SPSG families.
• Optimize resource sharing, e.g., in areas such as faculty, the Ward Center, facilities, coordinated purchasing, land use, and technology.
  • Continue to strengthen opportunities for joint faculty curriculum planning and program.

Continue to build and explore ways to strengthen communication and coordination between the two schools and Old St. Paul’s Church.

Goal Four: Image & Community

Goal: Share the intrinsic value of an SPSG education, within the St. Paul’s family and in the greater Baltimore community, as an independent girls’ school in the Episcopal tradition, one that balances rigorous academics, inclusive spirituality, vibrant arts, and competitive athletics in its mission to educate and support a diverse community of learners.

Rationale: Baltimore offers a robust group of public, private, and independent schools, making it essential to differentiate SPSG. Located with SPS on 90 acres just north of the beltway, the school enjoys a superb location and state-of-the-art facility. We strive to be competitive in the areas of admissions, community partnerships, charitable giving, teaching opportunities, summer camps, etc. It is our belief that we are a distinct choice based on the comprehensive and diverse offerings of academic, artistic, athletic, spiritual, leadership, and service opportunities. We celebrate the diversity of experiences our students encounter both in middle and upper school.

Implementation Strategies:

• Inform and mobilize community members – current students, families, alumnae, alumnae parents, faculty and staff, trustees, Old St. Paul’s, and friends of the school –about the opportunities at SPSG today and going forward.
• Continue to utilize all community members in opportunities for admissions and community outreach.
• Continue to value the School’s long history and traditions, and consider ways to further integrate these traditions into the fabric of the SPSG experience for students, families, faculty, and alumnae.
• Celebrate the value of single-sex education, particularly at the middle-school level, and continue leadership in providing a program uniquely suited to the intellectual interests and emotional development of middle-school-aged girls.
• Broaden and strengthen the alumnae program to include stronger outreach to alumnae and increased commitment from alumnae.
• Integrate and fund an expanded and coordinated communications plan.
  • Continue to expand the utility and appeal of the SPSG website and online communications.
• Develop and leverage school events, programs, and other opportunities to bring people to campus.

Continue to develop ties with the Greater Baltimore leaders with a focus on developing multi-faceted partnerships, e.g. KIPP Academy, the E. E. Ford Foundation Leadership Program, visiting artists on campus.

Goal Five: Finances & Philanthropy

Goal: Provide sufficient funding for SPSG to allow full execution of its mission, and continue to raise expectations for philanthropy within the SPSG community.

Rationale: In order to fulfill the mission of SPSG, it is imperative that the School have a strong financial basis from which to operate, including sound money management. With our commitment to faculty compensation and financial aid, there is a compelling need for increasing the endowment and initiating a planned giving program while maintaining emphasis on annual giving. The overall philanthropy effort as well as non-tuition revenues will be an effective aid to minimizing the rate of tuition increases in the future.

Implementation Strategies:

• Finances
  • Create a business plan to develop auxiliary, non-tuition revenue by adding programs to take advantage of SPSG's facilities.
  • Maximize the cost effectiveness of shared resources with SPS.
  • Commit to providing adequate financial aid to support a diverse student body.
  • Utilize active and prudent investment strategies to grow the endowment.
• Philanthropy
  • Create a student experience so powerful and positive that it motivates alumnae, parents, civic leaders, and foundations to support SPSG gratefully and generously.
  • Create a strong, focused major gifts program that will continue and grow.
  • Create a deferred giving program that will raise awareness and vital future gifts.

Assess advancement and communication office roles, responsibilities, and asset allocation to align with priorities of the strategic plan.

Goal Six: Technology

Goal: Provide the technological systems and support of the academic program to enable SPSG girls and faculty to participate in a world increasingly dominated by technology, and to allow the school to take full advantage of available technology for internal and external communications and operations.

Rationale: We are committed to providing an experience for SPSG girls that prepares them for the use of cutting-edge technology in college and beyond. We are also committed to using the most effective and efficient technology in support of our operations and communications.

Implementation Steps:

• Develop a strategic plan for technology, growing out of the overall SPSG mission.
• Determine the costs of maintaining and upgrading technology and integrate into SPSG financial planning.

Assess, develop, and fund the ways in which faculty will continue to integrate technology into the program, and provide increased funding for faculty development in technology.