A wide-ranging strategic plan aimed at lifting student achievement gained approval Thursday night by the Clark County School Board of Trustees.

The five-year plan, dubbed “Focus: 2024,” has been months in the making at the behest of Superintendent Jesus Jara, who joined the district in June. The undertaking began with a 90-day listening tour, followed by drafting the plan and soliciting feedback at various community meetings.

The detailed blueprint sets goals related to producing better readers and math problem-solvers, reducing proficiency gaps among student groups, ensuring equitable discipline, filling classroom vacancies, improving teaching quality and restoring financial stability, among other things.

Jara said the success of the plan relies on staff working together and staying focused on the objectives.

“We will deliver on the results with a sense of urgency,” he said.

But money remains a potential sticking point. The plan includes more than two dozen strategies that would require additional funding, such as building a “comprehensive data dashboard” that would track student achievement data.

Jara said some of those funds will come from ending existing programs or initiatives deemed ineffective and reallocating resources toward the new plan. But he’s also sharing the newly approved strategic plan with lawmakers in Carson City on Monday — a not-so-subtle nudge to keep Clark County’s funding needs top of mind during the legislative session.

“I’m trying not to be too alarmed about this,” Trustee Linda Cavazos said, referring to the funding needs. “I’m an optimist.”

The strategic plan will be subject to a yearly review by the board. Jara said it may evolve based on changing circumstances or tweaks needed to achieve better results.