Smith explains, “it’s a part of what I shared earlier about the community really wrapping their arms around our students, our staff, and our school system to make sure that we are really lifting up the values of our community.” INFRASTRUCTURE AND DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION Looking ahead, the district’s priorities are strategically split between physical infrastructure and instructional precision.The first priority involves a significant capital investment program.“In the next 10 months we’re going to be opening up three new schools and then… within two years after that we are rebuilding two more,” Smith says. Concurrently, the second priority is sharpening the academic core through data and early career alignment. The focus is on “understanding where each one of our students is and using data to help us to know what we need to do next so that we can truly meet the needs of each one of our students,” Smith explains. To guide this development, the district is launching a new academic and career tool, SchoolLinks. This platform will allow students and parents to explore potential careers as early as elementary school, connecting coursework, work-based learning, and specialty center pathways into a coherent roadmap for post-secondary success. A MODEL OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP Under Smith’s leadership, Stafford County Schools demonstrates a powerful, unified strategy. By deeply aligning specialty centers with local economic needs, taking a measured and pioneering approach to technology like AI, and making significant investments in both infrastructure and educator development, the district has forged a cohesive model for student preparation. In doing so, the district becomes a vital partner in regional prosperity, deliberately cultivating a skilled and adaptable workforce that prepares the entire community for the future. 361 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 02 STAFFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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