Deepening Our rOOts Strategic Plan 2020

In the spring of 2014, The Gillispie Schoollaunched a strategic planning process. The strategic plan, created through a

highly inclusive and participatory process, was developed to provide a long- range

view of future school priorities. A steering committee was formed to focus on

research, environment scans, SWOT analysis, committee exercises, and trends in

the both the independent school and education world.

In order to build a base of sound information and to guide the planning process,

the school enlisted the assistance of a research and planning firm, Ian Symmonds

& Associates. A comprehensive research effort was completed, including stakeholder

surveys, competitive and educational landscape analysis, market segmentation,

and demographic trends.

In the summer and fall of 2014, the strategic planning steering committee worked

collaboratively through a series of exercises designed to establish priorities based

upon the findings of the research. This process culminated in November 2014,

with the steering committee developing a small set of priorities for future focus.

As strategic priorities were developed, the steering committee expanded upon

them, breaking into work groups and engaging a larger portion of the community

to outline specific initiatives, action plans, and immediate priorities.

Each of these strategic goals contains several strategic initiatives and numerous

action plans. The strategic initiatives and action plans benefit from having

additional implementation details, such as costs and metrics of success, recorded

in the planning process. These will be utilized as the school executes the

strategic plan.

The planning process was completed in March 2015 as the steering committee

recommended the following strategic plan to the Board of Trustees.

The Gillispie school // sTraTeGic plan 2020

A Heritage of Community ConnectionThe concept of The Gillispie School began in 1933 as a thrift shop and small

cottage that raised funds and served hot meals to the underprivileged children

of single mothers or working parents in La Jolla during the lean years of the Great

Depression. Its founders, pediatrician Samuel Gillispie and his wife, registered

nurse Ada, had the prescience to offer the children in their care early childhood

learning opportunities long before nursery school was the norm. With support

from the La Jolla Kiwanis Club and the community at large, Gillispie grew from

a tiny orphanage and preschool to a vibrant, diverse educational community

serving children ages two to sixth grade.

A Tradition of InnovationThrough its evolution, Gillispie has remained at the leading edge of early

childhood education: breaking ground on its current site in 1953; building out

additional grades in the 1980s; adding rigorous curriculum development and

assessment in the 1990s; winning awards for technological innovation from

Apple and the National Association of Independent Schools in the 2000s; and

launching a sustainability initiative to both “green” the facilities and ground the

students’ environmental education. Throughout, the School has maintained its

commitment to the arts, music, and physical education.

In the last few years, the School has invested considerably in faculty education

and advancement through the establishment of The Gillispie School Endowment

for Excellence in Teaching. More recent initiatives include the construction of

Pirtle Field, an exceptional playing field; a science bungalow with maker space;

an art atelier dedicated to early childhood; and a sustainable garden. Moreover,

the School is committed to community service, partnering with local charities and

other organizations. Sixty years after the founding of Gillispie’s little cottage that

supported local children, the School is committed to community engagement,

global competency, and ethical education.

The Gillispie school // sTraTeGic plan 2020

2 / / T H E G I L L I S P I E S C H O O L / / S T R AT E G I C P L A N 2 0 2 0

Deepening Our RootsAs we embark on the next five years, The Gillispie School seeks to deepen

our programs, our connection to the local community, and our long-term

sustainability. Our Strategic Plan, “Deepening Our Roots”, is a testament to our

long-term contributions to our local community with a robust approach toward

the future. We have three primary priorities for the future that we believe will

further place Gillispie as an invaluable educational asset in the community.

I. Strengthen our student experience by deepening

our offerings and programs.

II. Clarify and strengthen our role in the community

by developing partnerships and alliances that

deepen our connection to the region.

III. Ensure the long-term sustainability of our school.

We are excited to embark on this journey and invite you to join us through your

support, presence, and imagination.

Alison Fleming Jack Chitayat

Head of School Chair, Board of Trustees

The Gillispie school // sTraTeGic plan 2020

T H E G I L L I S P I E S C H O O L / / S T R AT E G I C P L A N 2 0 2 0 / / 5

A. Define, maximize, and differentiate our educational philosophy

and culture.

• Review and revise the vision and educational philosophy statements to ensure that they provide the most clear and accurate description of Gillispie’s culture of honoring childhood, constructivist educational philosophy, and belief that academic rigor is defined by work that demands independent, higher-level thinking.

• Draft and publish a “Portrait of a Gillispie Graduate” to ensure clarity regarding the independent, flexible, open-minded thinkers we aim to produce.

• Communicate the revised vision and educational philosophy statements and “Portrait of a Gillispie Graduate” to both the school community and greater community.

• Continually exhibit and share student learning and collaboration to students,

parents, and the community in general.

B. Enhance identified areas of academic improvement.

• Continually revitalize a curriculum map for all classes, Kindergarten through Grade Six.

• Review and explore staffing configuration to ensure greatest possible learning opportunities.

• Enhance existing specialty programs through the development of curriculum, space, and time, while exploring the expansion of offerings in the areas of music, foreign language, and technology.

• Increase the amount of science in the elementary school curriculum to reflect the interdisciplinary approach of STEAM.

• Improve the social-emotional learning program at Gillispie through the review and revision of our values and implementation of reflective questions.

• Develop and implement strategies to examine progress in student achievement

and academic outcomes over time.

I. Enhance the Student Experience.

6 / / T H E G I L L I S P I E S C H O O L / / S T R AT E G I C P L A N 2 0 2 0

C. Expand professional recruitment, development, growth,

and retention.

• Continue to employ the Endowment for Excellence in Teaching towards the recruitment of the nation’s finest independent school educators who have an educational philosophy that matches Gillispie’s and who possess an attitude of growth.

• Create and implement a whole school professional development plan for each school year.

• Review and revise the teacher evaluation process to enhance a culture of self-reflection and to improve accountability of all members on the faculty and staff.

• Explore ways to maximize collaboration between classroom and specialty

teachers for deeper integration and enriched cross-curricular opportunities.

T H E G I L L I S P I E S C H O O L / / S T R AT E G I C P L A N 2 0 2 0 / / 9

A. Develop clarity around positioning Gillispie in the community

and region.

• Develop a comprehensive marketing plan to help raise awareness, improve perception and increase enrollment.

• Create a clearly articulated brand positioning statement to be used as an internal guide for all internal and external communications.

• Develop a comprehensive marketing and communication plan broken out by key audiences.

• Create a robust public relations program that thoughtfully identifies relevant

activities at Gillispie and produces engaging content to share with the community.

B. Create stronger alliances and relationships in the larger

community.

• Deepen existing and create new relationships with families, alumni, faculty and

staff to engage the community in the life of our school, and our school in the life

of the community.

• Create meaningful relationships with mission-minded educational institutions,

secondary schools, preschools, elementary schools, and higher educational

institutions.

• Investigate and create sustainable strategic relationships with local community

organizations, including retailers in the Village, civic organizations, local companies,

relocation specialists, and realtors.

C. Share Gillispie’s educational expertise.

• Utilize our trustees, parents, teachers, and administrators as speakers and thought leaders at conferences and authors of articles for trade publications.

• Establish a speaker seminar series for parents and our local community with in-house and outside speakers.

• Build opportunities for administrators and faculty to join strategically relevant boards and professional groups in order to advance our mission.

• Establish an expert-in-residence program whereby visiting specialists bring their passion and craft to the Gillispie community.

II. Clarify and Enhance Our Strategic Role in the Community.

1 0 / / T H E G I L L I S P I E S C H O O L / / S T R AT E G I C P L A N 2 0 2 0

A. Increase alternative revenue sources through mission-

appropriate programs.

• Examine the possibility of utilizing the Girard property as an extension to our school.

• Grow enrichment offerings, including summer school.

• Create an endowment for financial aid and specific-purpose scholarships through corporate sponsorships and planned giving.

• Increase fee-based offerings to the larger community while simultaneously

raising awareness of The Gillispie School.

B. Enhance strategic enrollment management, capacity, and net

tuition revenue.

• Develop stronger demand- generation initiatives designed to drive enrollment toward optimal capacity.

• Reach optimal enrollment capacity of 310 students with mission appropriate, qualified students.

C. Make optimal use of existing space to maximize learning

effectiveness.

• Develop a Master Plan that assesses usage of space through the lens of student learning.

III. Ensure the Long-Term Sustainability of The Gillispie School.

T H E G I L L I S P I E S C H O O L / / S T R AT E G I C P L A N 2 0 2 0 / / 1 3

7380 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037

(858) 459-3773 // gillispie.org