The future depends
on
what you do today.
-Mahatma Gandhi
After
ten long years, the City of Pasadena has finally scheduled the first of three
public hearings regarding our proposed Master Plan. It is hard to believe that
it has taken this long. As I have explained in this space and elsewhere, the
City is extremely sensitive to neighborhood concerns when it comes to school
construction projects. So, for the better part of ten years, we have been
challenged to justify the substantive need for the projects identified in the
proposed Master Plan and to conduct a variety of studies (traffic, noise, pedestrian
movement, etc.) in order to determine the relative impact our plans will have
on the surrounding residential streets.
For
those who are new to the La Salle community; our Master Plan proposes three
phases of projects:
o
Phase I: construction of a practice gym, fitness
and aquatics centers
o
Phase II: construction of a visual and
performing arts center
o
Phase III: construction of a field house on
Kohorst Field
There are some smaller projects
associated with each phase, but – for the most part – these three elements form
the focus of neighborhood concerns.
Ironically,
the timing of the first Hearing (Design Review Commission) couldn’t be better.
The main question which must be addressed at each Hearing (Design Review,
Planning Commission and City Council) is this: How will La Salle justify the necessity of each phase of the
Master Plan? For those of you who have been following my comments in this
space will remember that, at the same time we have been pursuing the Master
Plan, we have also been working on the development of a new Strategic Plan. I
am pleased to report that the draft goals which emerged from the Strategic
Planning Retreat held last February provide substantive evidence in support of
each phase of our Master Plan. There are six goals:
1.
EXPAND AND DEEPEN LASALLIAN FORMATION PROGRAMS
TO BETTER ARTICULATE THE SCHOOL’S CATHOLIC AND LASALLIAN IDENTITY.
2.
ENSURE THE DELIVERY OF A RELEVANT AND
CHALLENGING COLLEGE PREPARATORY CURRICULUM TO ADDRESS THE DIVERSE LEARNING
NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS.
3.
STRENGTHEN THE RECRUITMENT OF A DIVERSE FACULTY
AND STAFF TO BETTER ALIGN WITH A DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION.
4.
STRENGTHEN THE QUALITY OF THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM IN:
·
Athletics
·
Guidance & Counseling
·
Student Life
5.
ENSURE CAMPUS FACILITIES EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MISSION
6.
ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MISSION THROUGH
EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE LEVERAGING OF FINANCE, DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING FUNCTIONS
The casual observer will note
that these six goals make sense for any
educational institution. What makes them compelling for the future of La Salle
is the underlying expectation that the School must deliver excellence in every aspect of the programs it offers to the
students entrusted to our care. Why? One of the facts of life we discovered
through the strategic planning process is the undeniable reality of a shrinking
population of school-age children available to afford the tuition of the ten
private high schools in and around Pasadena with which La Salle competes. From
a strategic perspective, La Salle
must capture its fair share of Mission-appropriate students; to do that
requires that we offer the same level of service being provided at schools who
charge more – often twice the price – of what we ask families to pay. Quite simply – and understandably - families
who are able to pay most - or all of our tuition - expect La Salle to deliver
the same quality of education as schools charging up to twice our price.
This
is the link between our strategic and master plans. La Salle cannot succeed as
an independent school in Pasadena without the ability to provide the facilities
necessary to attract families who have excellent – and more expensive - options
for their children. I would be remiss,
however, if I didn’t also note that there is an absolute link between our
strategic/master plans and our commitment to serve families on the margin. We
wouldn’t be the school we are without the inclusion of children from all walks of life. I am fond of noting
that our full tuition families regularly inform me that they appreciate the
kinds of children who hang out in their family room.
So,
in the end, the substantive justification for the projects we want to pursue in
our Master Plan is simply this: the students entrusted to our care deserve the
absolute best facilities and programs to ensure that their lives will be full
and productive – an outcome any parent can support.
