September 11, 1997

Dear Santa Rosa City Schools Employees, Students, Parents, and Community Members:

Over the past six months the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education has worked to develop a comprehensive action plan that will help our district define its priorities and guide its work for the next four years. The result is “Project Achieve: A Five-Point Program for Student Success.” The goals, actions, and timeline contained in Project Achieve are based on the analysis of existing data, the District's adopted strategic plan, and comments we received from many sources regarding the District's current strengths, weaknesses, and direction necessary in order to improve our educational system.

“Project Achieve” is much more than a piece of paper detailing a list of “things to do.” It is a “Call to Action” for this whole community. It is bold, and it is ambitious. It asks for all of us - - teachers, site administrators, counselors, district administrators, board members, classified staff, students, parents, and community members -- to go beyond what we've been doing, beyond perhaps what is comfortable, and to embrace what is challenging. We are all being asked to reach beyond the status quo and to envision something better for our students and for Santa Rosa, of which we can be a part.

Please read over “Project Achieve” carefully. We will be holding a Public Hearing on October 15, and we invite your comments at that meeting and over the next month. The Board is scheduled to vote on adopting the final document on October 22. We are confident that, when “Project Achieve” is fully implemented, everyone will benefit: students will achieve greater success, teachers and staff members will achieve greater feelings of participation and valued contribution, Santa Rosa will achieve greater economic vitality and future quality of life, and Santa Rosa City Schools will achieve greater accountability to the public. We look forward to engaging you as partners in the process that lies ahead.

Sincerely,