Transition Team
The goal of the Transition Team is to assess the district's current state and make short- and long-term recommendations aligned with GCPS' Core Beliefs and Commitments.
The Superintendent's Transition Team is one of four connected phases in Dr. Estrella's leadership entry, sitting between the “First 100 Days” listening tour and the development of the district's Strategic Plan. Over a four-month period (August–November 2026), the team will identify what's currently driving strong results, recommend strategies to build organizational capacity, strengthen community engagement and communication, and identify what's needed for effective instruction in safe learning environments.
The Transition Team is intentionally structured to represent the full community rather than any single group. Membership spans central office staff, teachers, students, principals, assistant principals, education support staff, community members, parents, national experts, and paraprofessionals, and the team draws representation evenly across all five GCPS districts.
Participants in the Transition Team
The Superintendent selects team membership, guided by six criteria: stakeholder representation (no single group dominates), demographic diversity (the team mirrors the community), lived experience alongside formal leadership perspective, a mix of expertise to generate credible recommendations, collaborative disposition, and genuine commitment/capacity to avoid symbolic participation. The Board authorizes the team and defines its purpose, while an outside facilitator designs the engagement process itself.
Subcommittee Information
Please use the links below to review the key takeaways and questions identified by the subcommittees during the first Transition Team meeting. After reviewing, please share your feedback and insights on what additional opportunities/considerations the subcommittees should explore.
Academics
Review curriculum, instruction, assessment, and student outcomes to identify strengths and opportunities, and recommend improvements that ensure all students access to rigorous, relevant learning experiences.
Operations/Facilities/Finance
Review facilities, transportation, budgeting, and resource allocation to improve efficiency and long-term sustainability while aligning resources to support student learning and district priorities.
Human Resources/Talent
Assess strategies for recruiting, developing, and retaining high-quality staff across all roles, and recommend improvements to strengthen the educator pipeline and ensure all schools are well-supported and effectively staffed.
Community Engagement & Communications
Evaluate communication and engagement with families, students, staff, and the community, and recommend strategies to strengthen trust, transparency, and inclusive stakeholder participation in district decision-making.
School Culture & Climate
Examine school climate, safety, belonging, discipline, engagement, and absenteeism trends to recommend strategies that support positive, inclusive environments and improve student well-being, attendance, and success.
Meeting Information
Transition Team members will be asked to attend three in-person meetings, each approximately four hours in length. Additional virtual meetings may be scheduled as needed to support subcommittee work; however, it is anticipated that virtual engagement will total no more than approximately six hours over a four-month period beginning August in and ending November.
Meeting 1 - August
- Overview of the process
- Share the charge for the team and subcommittees
- Begin subcommittee work with a focus on data analysis and understanding past and current efforts
Meeting 2 - September
- Subcommittees report to the team on major findings to date to understand implications across teams
- Subcommittee breakout work to develop draft short-term and long-term recommendations
Meeting 3 - November
- Subcommittees report to the team a summary of short and long term recommendations
- Subcommittee breakout work to finalize draft long-term and short-term recommendations
The Transition Team's recommendations are one of four core inputs feeding the Strategic Plan, alongside the Superintendent's Listen & Learn findings, the Equity Study/Audit, and district data plus stakeholder experience. These inputs are analyzed for tensions and gaps, and translated into the plan's priorities, strategies, and measures. The Transition Team's work directly shapes what the district commits to going forward, not just informs it in the background