U-46 Plans and Priorities

Shaping the Future of School District U-46 

At School District U-46, we are committed to creating a strategic plan that reflects the goals and aspirations of our students, families, employees, and community. This plan will guide our district’s decisions and priorities for the next five to 10 years, ensuring we continue providing an exceptional educational experience for every student. 

The plan was developed with feedback from administration, principals, teachers, students, and community members through multiple strategic sessions and a survey.

What Is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is a long-term roadmap for our district. It outlines our goals and the strategies we’ll use to achieve them. By gathering input from the entire community, we aim to create a plan that addresses the current needs of our schools while preparing for the future. This process will help us align our resources, set clear priorities, and ensure that all students have access to the opportunities they need to succeed.

In 2025, the Board of Education approved the U-46 Strategic Plan, including four goals of student progress: 

1. Building Early Academic & Social-Emotional Foundations
2. Safety, Sense of Belonging & Inclusion
3. Academic Growth & Mastery
4. Ready to Embrace a Diverse & Changing World

This comprehensive, long-range strategic plan is available through these links:

• 4-page Summary - English
• 4-Page Summary - Español
• Strategic Plan - English

• Plan Estratégico - Español

In early 2020, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, U-46 embarked on an Educational Facility Master Plan (EFMP) process. The Board of Education selected DLR Group, a Chicago-based design firm, as its partner in this work. This process assessed our infrastructure, classrooms, overall facility use, efficiency, and readiness in order to meet the District’s vision of moving to a true middle school model (grades sixth through eighth versus only seventh and eighth); using the space in elementary schools to expand early childhood opportunities across U-46, and to replace and/or renovate some of our older elementary school buildings to provide equitable access to learning environments that support academic success for all.

On Jan. 24, 2022, the Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution confirming their support of a five-year implementation plan that meets our District’s vision mentioned above. We understand this shift will not be an easy task and acknowledge that we need the engagement and feedback of our community. Therefore, in February 2022, community members and School District U-46 embarked on the Unite U-46 planning process to develop recommendations to improve and move U-46 schools forward.

To make the Unite U-46 recommendations a reality and address the needs discovered in the educational facilities master plan, Unite U-46 recommended the Board of Education utilize available reserve funds and place a $180 million zero-tax-rate-change bond proposal on the April 2023 ballot to address these goals. Thanks to the vote of the U-46 residents, the zero-tax-rate-increase bond issue was approved. 

Visit the uniteu-46.org for more information.

A collaborative team of district students, staff and community members updated the original Equity Plan to Equity Plan 2.0, which is being aligned with the four main goals and signature strategies of the recently approved U-46 Strategic Plan. The district’s strategic plan also includes an equity commitment statement under each goal. We are committed to continuously embedding equity into all our practices for the benefit of all students, families, and staff.