District Strategic Plan, 2026–2031
In summer 2026, the School Committee approved Weston Public Schools’ new five-year Strategic Plan. The plan sets the district’s direction through 2031 and establishes the mission, vision, core values, and Portrait of a Learner that guide our work with students and families.
Two companion documents put the Strategic Plan into action each year. The District Action Plan breaks the five-year plan into specific steps for the current school year. Each school’s School Improvement Plan then applies those district-wide steps to its own building, alongside goals unique to that school.
Our Mission
In partnership with the community, Weston Public Schools educates, equips, and inspires every student to think critically, act responsibly, and grow as resilient, compassionate, and innovative learners prepared to thrive in a diverse and ever-changing world.
Our Vision
A district for all: where every student is inspired, confident, and prepared.
Our Core Values
- We cultivate academic excellence.
- We foster innovation.
- We embrace the diversity of our community.
- We champion integrity.
- We celebrate the whole child.
Our Portrait of a Learner
A Portrait of a Learner, sometimes called a Portrait of a Graduate, describes the qualities the district aims for every student to develop by the time they graduate. Weston’s Portrait names ten attributes that together describe students who graduate inspired, confident, and prepared.
Our Three Focus Areas
The Strategic Plan organizes the district’s work around three focus areas. Each includes specific goals and strategies that the District Action Plan and School Improvement Plans carry out year by year.
1. Cultivate Academic Excellence and Foster Innovation
Goal: Provide a rigorous, inclusive, and cohesive educational experience by aligning the Pre-K through 12 curriculum with Portrait of a Learner outcomes, expanding diverse learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom, and strengthening multi-tiered systems of support to ensure every student reaches their full potential.
2. Embrace Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity for All
Goal: Cultivate an inclusive and supportive educational environment by expanding evidence-based instructional practices that narrow opportunity gaps, fostering a district-wide culture of belonging that actively counters hate, and strengthening multi-tiered social-emotional and behavioral supports to ensure the well-being of every student.
3. Optimize Resources, Facilities, and Communication
Goal: Ensure an educational environment that supports 21st-century learning by strengthening communication with all stakeholders, modernizing facilities, and advancing technology and operational systems.
How the Strategic Plan Was Developed
The district began this process in fall 2025, gathering feedback and data through surveys and community forums with students, families, staff, and residents. From there, the work moved through three phases:
- Phase 1: The strategic planning committee re-examined the district’s mission, vision, and core values to ensure they reflect today’s community.
- Phase 2: The committee used community feedback to identify the skills and attributes students need to succeed, creating the Portrait of a Learner.
- Phase 3: The committee mapped out the focus areas and actions that will guide the district’s work through 2031, drawing on community feedback and the results of Phases 1 and 2.
The district is deeply grateful to the members of the Strategic Planning Committee, whose insight, expertise, and dedication made this plan possible:
Dr. Karen Zaleski, Superintendent
Dr. Kimo Carter, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching & Learning
Dr. Neil Trahan, Assistant Superintendent, Technology & Operations
Dave Coelho, Director of Finance
Martha Bakken, Director of Student Services
Emily Tucker, Assistant Director of Student Services
Theresa Dryden, Director of METCO
Deb Moriarty, Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Sue Bairstow, Principal, Weston High School
Phil Oates, Principal, Weston Middle School
Lindsay Quezada, Principal, Field School
Erin Maguire, Principal, Country School
Shannon Dickerson, Principal, Woodland School
Derrek Joyce, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent
Daina Selvig, School Committee
Tiao Xie, School Committee
Renuka Babu Brown, Parent, Weston High School
Danielle Black, Community Member
Laura Eisen, Parent, Weston Middle School and Weston High School
Erika Giampietro, Parent, Woodland School and Field School
Yasmin G. Hernandez-Barco, Parent, Country School
Caitlin Infantino, Parent, Woodland School
Jilai Lu, Parent, Weston Middle School
Jeff Lucas, Parent, Weston High School
George Manley, Parent, Woodland School
Oh-Joon Kwon, Student, Weston High School
Natalya Lucas, Student, Weston High School
