Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric C. Bracy says the district’s new five-year strategic plan will “keep student achievement at the center of every decision and position Cumberland County Schools to become the highest performing school system in the state.”
During Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, Bracy said the plan follows his first 100 days of listening and learning across the district—visiting classrooms, meeting with families and community partners, and gathering hundreds of survey responses about CCS’s strengths and challenges.
The district is partnering with the North Carolina-based research institute RTI International to help shape the 2026–2031 Strategic Plan. The collaborative process will include a steering committee made up of educators, parents, students, and local leaders who will guide the plan’s direction and review emerging priorities.
Three-Phase Strategic Planning Process
District officials outlined a three-phase process for developing the plan, which will continue through the 2025–26 school year and include opportunities for the public to provide feedback before the final version is presented to the school board in June 2026.
The first phase will focus on compiling and reviewing district data, along with insights from the superintendent’s “Bracy on Board” community survey and focus groups. The goal is to establish a strong foundation for identifying CCS’s current strengths and challenges before setting new goals.
The second stage will center on developing goals and metrics that reflect feedback from students, staff, and families. The district will refine initial themes and draft its strategic priorities as part of a data-driven approach that ensures community voices shape the direction of the plan.
In the final phase, stakeholders will refine and communicate the draft plan before it’s adopted next summer. District leaders say the finalized roadmap will help align people, programs, and funding toward shared goals for student growth and accountability.
“The voices of our students, staff, families, and community partners are shaping where we go next as a school system,” Bracy said during the meeting.
The next school board meeting will be held Dec. 9.
Education reporter Dasia Williams can be reached at dwilliams@cityviewnc.com.
