Ridgeway Community School

A plan rooted in where we are, growing toward where we’re going.

Five strategic directions, shaped by staff, families, and the community, built to strengthen student learning, school stability, and the long-term life of Ridgeway.

Planning Retreat · June 11 Action Planning Team · June 18 Aligned to · MN Comprehensive Achievement & Civic Readiness
Our Process

We started with the dandelions, then dug for the roots.

At Ridgeway, the planning process began the same way a gardener would approach a patch of dandelions: we noticed the visible weed first, because that is what is showing up above the surface. Those dandelions were revealed in digital surveys and live listening sessions with staff and parents.

What we saw

The Visible Weed

Issues surfaced through digital surveys and live listening sessions with staff and parents, the things everyone could already see.

What we found

The Roots Underneath

At the June 11 Planning Retreat, board, staff, and community members dug past the symptoms to find the real conditions that let the problem grow.

What we'll do

The Action Steps

On June 18, the Action Planning Team, made up of administration, board, and parents, built the steps to attack each root cause.

“This will allow the small but mighty team at Ridgeway to choose wisely and focus energy.”

This plan is intended to align Ridgeway’s work with Minnesota’s Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness expectations by addressing student learning, family and community input, school readiness, and long-term student success.

Once the Strategic Plan is finalized, the work moves into Operations, where Ridgeway finds the leverage points that make the biggest difference first, whether that’s the easiest place to start, the most important constraint to address, or the action most likely to move the needle.

How to read this plan

Think of it like a road trip to Duluth.
Strategic Direction

The destination. Where we’re trying to go: we’re going to Duluth.

Goal

Who we’re traveling with, how many, and by when: me, my dog, and 17 fourth graders.

Strategy

The broad route: staying on the northbound highways on the Wisconsin side.

Action Step

The major stops and turns along the way, the turn-by-turn directions to stay on route.

Direction 01

Promote the Development of 21st-Century Skills

Goal

Each school year, Ridgeway students will build measurable proficiency in 21st-century skills, including critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, information and media literacy, technology literacy, flexibility, leadership, initiative, productivity, and social skills, tracked through teacher rubrics, student portfolios, and project-based assessments, and disaggregated by student group to support every learner.

Strategy

Use inquiry-based, student-centered instruction across all grade levels while protecting and expanding instructional time for science and history/social studies through cross-curricular learning, monitoring growth closely to identify and close achievement gaps.

Action Steps

  • Embed inquiry frameworks, including Structured Inquiry, Guided Inquiry, and Observe-Wonder-Respond, in every classroom.
  • Build in regular opportunities for students to practice and demonstrate communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and goal-setting.
  • Expand science and social studies exposure through broader curriculum and cross-curricular integration.
  • Provide K–5 professional learning and shared resources for inquiry-based science and social studies instruction.
  • Explore scheduling and intervention models that protect science and social studies instructional time.
  • Disaggregate learning data by grade and student group to monitor progress and target support.
Direction 02

Build a Comprehensive Enrollment & Engagement Strategy

Goal

Strengthen enrollment and family engagement each year through a coordinated strategy that raises community visibility, improves recruitment and retention, and uses ongoing family and community feedback to guide decisions about school choice and enrollment trends.

Strategy

Use a committee-driven, research-based approach to understand family decision-making, track enrollment trends, and implement cost-effective outreach and engagement practices.

Action Steps

  • Form an enrollment and engagement committee to lead the work.
  • Gather data on how families learn about Ridgeway, why they enroll, choose other options, or leave before grade 5.
  • Run periodic staff/family/student surveys and anonymous exit surveys to inform recruitment and improvement policy.
  • Review parent survey results and demographic trends to inform next steps.
  • Develop a coordinated outreach, public relations, and social media plan.
  • Consider adding a 6th grade as part of broader enrollment planning and feasibility review.
  • Gather family, staff, and community input on school strengths, growth areas, and retention factors.
Direction 03

Develop & Maintain a Sustainable Staffing Model

Goal

Build a staffing model that supports employee well-being, creates manageable workloads, improves compensation and benefits, and plans for short- and long-term staff succession, in direct support of student outcomes under Minnesota’s Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness expectations.

Strategy

Strengthen staffing sustainability through better workload management, stronger operational support, cost-effective compensation and benefits, and intentional succession planning, protecting consistent instruction and the school’s long-term improvement goals.

Action Steps

  • Explore non-financial strategies to support staff well-being and work-life balance.
  • Review workloads and role expectations to improve sustainability across the organization.
  • Research cost-effective health benefit and staff support options.
  • Build a plan to recruit, train, and support interns and volunteers.
  • Evaluate administrative support staffing to reduce routine demands on the school coordinator.
  • Create a succession plan for key roles through documentation, knowledge capture, and backup identification.
  • Plan for anticipated leadership transitions, including future replacement of the school coordinator and lead teacher(s).
Direction 04

Ensure the School’s Financial Sustainability

Goal

Maintain responsible fiscal stewardship, control operating costs, grow enrollment, and expand annual and long-term fundraising, sustaining the staffing, programming, and resources Ridgeway needs for long-term student achievement and school success.

Strategy

Use disciplined budget management, enrollment growth, cost control, fundraising, and new revenue opportunities to strengthen the school’s long-term financial health.

Action Steps

  • Conduct an internal budget and reserve analysis.
  • Develop enrollment growth strategies, including consideration of expanded grade levels.
  • Review staffing, class size, and operating costs for efficiency and sustainability.
  • Create a fundraising committee to explore annual giving, grants, endowment development, and long-term partnerships.
  • Explore earned-income opportunities that support the school’s mission.
  • Continue regular monthly financial review and reporting.
  • Maintain reserve and budget planning that supports continuity during financial uncertainty or delayed payments.
Direction 05

Foster a Thriving School Community

Goal

Promote lifelong wellness practices and meaningful relationships that support the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of students, staff, and families, building the conditions a healthy community needs for school readiness, engagement, and lifelong learning.

Strategy

Support a schoolwide culture of wellness through healthy nutrition, regular movement, social-emotional learning, positive relationships, and strong family-school communication, designed to strengthen the conditions students need to learn and build healthy relationships.

Action Steps

  • Strengthen nutrition-related wellness practices and family communication about healthy food choices and meal planning.
  • Expand opportunities for physical activity, outdoor learning, and active play.
  • Provide social-emotional learning opportunities for students, staff, and families.
  • Develop shared expectations and practices that promote respect, self-regulation, and positive behavior.
  • Offer health education and community-building opportunities across the school community.
  • Collect and review family feedback on wellness practices, school climate, and student support needs.

Curiosity to find the roots. Discipline to act on them.

Together, these five directions reflect Ridgeway’s commitment to strengthening student outcomes, family partnership, and the school’s long-term capacity to serve its community. Next, this plan moves into Operations, where the small but mighty Ridgeway team chooses its first, highest-leverage steps.

From dandelion to root to action, that’s how Ridgeway grows.