Entry Plan for Superintendent PK Difenbaugh

PURPOSE
The purpose of my entry plan is to build trust and relationships, deeply understand all
facets of our District, and collaboratively plan for the future. There are three components
to this entry plan:
This introductory phase of the
plan will consist of opportunities
to interact with stakeholders
across the communities within
the Monterey Peninsula. I
will meet with our families,
students, staf, elected ofcials,
and community leaders, to
develop a strong understanding
of the people, partners, and
community that make up and
support MPUSD.
Listen Review Share
Working with staf, we will
conduct a comprehensive
review of district plans,
processes and data,
with the objective to
synthesize multiple pieces
of information about the
strengths, challenges
and opportunities facing
MPUSD.
Through a variety of formal
and informal settings, I will
share what I learn during
the entry process so that
together we can create
a refined vision for the
future of the Monterey
Peninsula Unified School
District.
Learning gathered from this
process will be used to infuence
the design of a long-range
strategic plandeveloped with
the MPUSD Board of Education
where all stakeholders are working
in collaboration towards the
realization of common, unifying
District goals.
Establish a strong governance
team with the School Board and
Superintendent
Conduct interviews and
feedback sessions
Review achievement data and
departmental reports
Visit schools and departments
Hold community outreach
meetings
Strategies
Outcome
In order to ensure a smooth transition into leading the Monterey Peninsula Unified School
District I will:
Participate in a series of informal meet and greets with central office staff, school-based staff,
and union leaders in order to understand the context of our school system and those who lead
and support it.
Meet individually with board members and my team to start building strong working
relationships.
Collaborate with the special assistant to the Board of education and cabinet members to
understand time-sensitive issues that must be addressed.
Participate in a Board retreat to discuss communication protocols, roles and responsibilities,
expectations for the frst year, and agenda-setting.
To learn about the strengths, challenges, and opportunities in the Monterey Peninsula Unifed
School District I will:
Meet with each central ofce department to review departmental plans (priorities, progress to date,
and efectiveness) and to prepare for a strong opening of the 2014-2015 school year.
Participate in the MPUSD Employee Kick-Of Celebration for administrators, teachers, and staf.
Continue to conduct individual and small group meetings with parents, students, Board members,
central ofce staf, principals, teachers, support staf, community leaders (including our business and
higher education partners), and media to establish positive working relationships and learn about
our community.
Conduct a comprehensive review including but not limited to: analysis of student achievement data,
progress in meeting strategic plan goals, fnancial documents, operational efectiveness, facilities
master plan and communications/community engagement.
Hold a series of listening tours in the community to learn about community members hopes and
dreams for MPUSD.
Visit schools as a commitment to being a visible and accessible leader who deeply understands
the needs of our schools. To start a practice of regular visits to schools and classrooms, that I will
maintain as the leader of our school system.
To increase communications and transparency, I will publish what I learn during my
entry process in a transition report that documents key findings, commendations, and
recommendations for the next steps. The report will be widely
disseminated as detailed below:
Share the findings and ideas learned from my entry plan activities
with the Board of Education.
Develop a comprehensive ongoing engagement strategyfor
internal and external stakeholdersto share learning from my entry
plan and to continue our conversations about working together to
improve the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.
Devise a process for reviewing and enhancing the systems strategic
plan.
Develop a plan, processes and structures to increase effectiveness
and optimize support to schools in advancing student achievement.
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Note from Superintendent Diffenbaugh
My Entry Plan as Superintendent of the Monterey Peninsula Unifed School District is an important time to get
to know the Monterey Peninsula community and for the community to get to know me. This plan also serves as
an important tool to begin urgently working, so we can assess the current state of our District and plan for our
future success. In planning for our future, partnerships must be the central tenet of our ongoing work together:
partnerships between the Board of Education and Superintendent; partnerships between central ofce and
schools; partnerships between schools and families; and partnerships between the Monterey Peninsula Unifed
School District and the broader Monterey Peninsula Community. I look forward to working together on behalf of
our students!
Sincerely,
PK Diffenbaugh
Meetings
Ongoing
Throughout the
2014-2015
School Year
School Board and
Leadership Team
Members
Superintendents Teacher
Council
Superintendents
Classifed Council
MBTA President
CSEA President
Elected Ofcials -
Board of Supervisors,
State Delegation,
Congressional
Delegation
Business Leaders -
Chamber of
Commerce, Education
Foundation
Local Superintendents,
College and University
Ofcials
District English Learner
Advisory Committee
Citizens Bond Oversight
Committee
Community Based
Organizations
School Site Visits
Community Forums
School Site Councils/
Parent Meetings
Have an idea you want to
share? I would love to hear
from you!
Please email me at:
askthesuperintendent@
mpusd.k12.ca.us