Comparison of District Improvement Plans AISD v. SISD

Austin ISD v. Seguin ISD

The comparison of these two district improvement plans was a pretty big task but in the end I will say that I am very thankful for the format that we use in Seguin ISD.  In my opinion, the AISD plan was more difficult to read and follow and did not provide as much detail in what was going to be done to reach certain goals as the SISD one.  The information in each was pretty close to the same and you can see evidence of a budget driven plan, but the format arrangement is what made AISD’s harder to follow. 

Both plans use the board goals and priorities as their basis for improvement.  In the Seguin plan, each goal is listed separately and all the activities that will help the district reach that goal are listed on that page.  The page also includes timelines, funding sources, and persons responsible for monitoring that the goals are being met.  The only thing similar to that in the AISD plan is the PBMAS section which is in a separate appendix.  AISD’s plan goes into much greater detail about different meetings that are held throughout the year but this also makes for a plan that is cumbersome to meddle through and could easily frustrate readers. 

I like that the SISD plan lists funding sources directly on the page where the goal is listed rather than in a separate appendix.  Using a separate appendix provides for disconnect between the goal and the resources that will be utilized to reach that goal. Both plans show evidence of many outside funding sources such as grants, but as stated before, SISD embeds those in the plan where AISD places them in a separate appendix.

The one thing that I would like to see included in the SISD plan is a plan alignment such as the one in the AISD plan.  I believe that in order for every person in the district to take responsibility for implementing the plan, it needs to be outlined and communicated to all the stakeholders.