The 15-member long-range planning steering committee has met twice since we launched the process in January. Members of the steering committee have been given extensive reading and video assignments regarding educational, technological, societal, demographic, and innovation trends that will most likely challenge schools like Legacy and affect how we deliver education in the future. We also reviewed the results of the strategic planning survey that 545 people completed. In our March meeting, we will establish study groups based on the needs identified in the survey. We will then begin to expand the planning process by inviting parents, teachers, administrators, and students to help develop strategic initiatives. This comprehensive approach will enable Legacy to manage future challenges and position us to meet the educational and spiritual needs of committed Christian families who desire the best Christ-centered education for their children.
Our facilitator, Ian Symmonds, gave us two thoughts that resonated with us and helped set the tone of our meetings. The first thought was, “everything we do must magnify our purpose.” I love that thought as it reminds us to keep our school’s mission central to our planning. Ian challenged the steering committee to exercise discernment and remain focused in our deliberations, keeping the main thing the main thing.
The second thought was a declaration that Christian schools like Legacy are no longer exclusively in the information business. Instead, “we are in the wisdom, discernment, and community-building business.” He reminded us that technology has made information accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The role of the 21st-century school, therefore, is not simply to give information but to help students develop the wisdom to determine if that information is true, reliable, and consistent with a biblical worldview. The community-building aspect of schools is really a reinforcement of our core values of imago Dei and covenant relationships.
I am eager to watch the planning process unfold and look forward to sharing with you the visionary strategies that it produces.
Bill McGee is in his sixth year as Head of School at Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco, Texas. He is a veteran educator who has 40 years of experience serving in public and private schools, including 30 years serving as head of private schools in Texas, Tennessee, and Mississippi.Legacy Christian Academy is Frisco's preeminent Pre-K through 12 Christian school committed to educating students in a college preparatory environment balanced in academics, athletics, and fine arts–all within the context of a biblical worldview. For more information on Legacy, visit our admissions page.