Portrait of a Learner and Strategic Plan

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

What: the Marlborough Public Schools portrait of a learner and five-year (2026-2031, "Marlborough 2030") strategic plan, developed with a consultant, Carrie Purcell, and a community steering group.
Where it stands: adopted by the School Committee on 2026-06-23, with the word "change" in the portrait's tagline replaced by "strengthen." Launched July 1, 2026.
Next: one-page public summary and indicators document; year-one action steps and metrics drafted with the leadership team in August; progress reports three times a year; baseline data on day one of school.

Promise: empower every student to "strengthen" (originally "change") their community and the world.
Four domains: connected and collaborative; independent and adaptable; critical and creative thinkers; engaged and responsible.

Excellent teaching and learning and strong academic growth.
Belonging, wellness and support for every student.
Readiness for any future, with multiple pathways and real-world learning.
Growing the system's people and aligning everything to the portrait.
Aligned with the state's vision of a graduate (adopted September 2025) and all six DESE district standards.

Members objected that "change their community" implies something is wrong with Marlborough; "strengthen" was favored over "improve."
Questions about a half-circle graphic were answered: the domains hold up the graduate, who holds up the world.
A motion to approve the portrait as written failed; the amended version and plan passed (6 yes votes captioned).

Monitoring, per auto-captions. Later School Committee videos (2026-09-08, 2026-09-22, 2026-10-13) refer to the portrait but have not been logged here.

About 31 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-06-23 - School Committee	29
2026-05-26 - School Committee	2

2026-06-23 - School Committee - Presentation by Carrie Purcell; "change" replaced by "strengthen"; portrait and strategic plan approved.
2026-05-26 - School Committee - Update on an administrator dinner (about 80 people) and steering committee that settled four domains; final draft due for approval June 23.