meridian climate survey report.pdf

7/28/2019 Meridian Climate Survey Report.pdf

1/23

Climate SurveyResults and Analysis

Aug 2012

1


2/23

Overview

2

In J une and J uly of 2012, parents and community members were invitedto participate in a survey about the school district. Respondents weregiven the opportunity to provide their thoughts, opinions and ideas forimproving the quality of education provided by J oint School District No. 2in Idaho.

The following report provides a district-level overview of survey results.Due to the low number of community members who participated in thesurvey, parents and community members are not presented separately.


3/23

Participation

Responding

Group

Number of

Responses

(n)

Max Possible

Responses

(Nmax)

Response

Rate

(%)

Parents & Community

Members3,693 21,839 17%

3


4/23

4

1%0%2%3%5%

18%

12%

22%22%

9%7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Percent of

Responses

Rating

Based on how well we are educating students, what overall rating do

you give the school district this year?

90%

Overall Ratings


5/23

5

97%

95%

88%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

A school district with strong schools is

important to me.

I believe a quality school system is a factor in

economic growth

I believe property values are affected by thereputation of our schools

Percent "Strongly Agree" and "Agree"

As a resident and taxpayer in this community, how strongly do youagree with the following statements?

Importance of School Quality


6/23

6

15%

41%

44%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Very Familiar

Somewhat Familiar

Not Familiar

Percent of Responses

How familiar are you with the ways the Central Office supports all

schools in our district?

Central Office SupportSurvey participants were informed that the Central Office helps all 49 schools in areas like hiring

principals and teachers, providing textbooks, food services, school buses, testing, building repairs,

budget, accounts payable, and keeping parents and community informed about key issues.


7/23

7

LeadershipWithin the past year, have you needed to contact the district's Central Office?

Yes No

Count Percent Count Percent942 26% 2,667 74%

74%

81%

84%

75%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

you easily found out who to contact. (n=1436)

you made contact with the right staff member.

(n=1419)

the staff member was polite and listened to you.

(n=1406)

your ideas were considered and addressed in a

professional manner. (n=1394)


When you have needed to speak to a Central Office staff member . . .


8/23

District Decisions

Survey participants were informed of the following district decisions:

To propose a supplemental levy that will restore nine school days in next year'sschool calendar

To use Plant Facility Levy funds to proceed with plans to renovate Meridian HighSchool

To use Plant Facility Funds to continue the construction of Willow CreekElementary in order to allow the school to open in fall 2013 (Willow Creek

Elementary is located in the Lochsa Falls Subdivision; the school site is located just

south of Chinden)

Participants were asked to think about these decisions as they answered the questionson the following slide.

8


9/23

9

District DecisionsAre you aware that these decisions were made?

Yes No

Count Percent Count Percent2,088 58% 1,477 41%

54%

77%

81%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

The school district shared relevant facts with the

community before making these decisions. (n=3248)

These decisions were a good use of taxpayer revenue.

(n=3262)

These are good decisions in support of education.

(n=3274)


With regard to these decisions...


10/23

10

District Budget

41%

48%

11%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Very Familiar

Somewhat Familiar

Not Familiar


How familiar are you with the school district's need

to reduce its budget by $40 million (20%) over thelast three years?


11/23

11

29%

32%

17%

6%

16%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Don't Know


The current funding level is adequate to meet this

community's education needs.

District Budget


12/23

12

Community Relations

95%

77%

78%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

I am welcome to attend school activities.

I am welcome to use the facilities (track, walking

path, tennis courts, green space, etc) at a school

near my home.

I can obtain information about activities at a

school near my home.


Below are some questions about the relationship between the schools and the community.

As you read each item, think about your experiences this school year.


13/23

13

Food Services

70%

39%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Please rate the quality of customer service provided

by the food service staff

Rate the quality of the food served by food service

Percent "Good" and "Excellent"

26% 33% 26% 15%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

How often does your child eat school lunch?

Always Often Seldom Never


14/23

14

73%

86%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

The bus service provided by the district is efficient

The bus service provided by the district is safe


Bus Service

30% 18% 7% 45%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

How often does your child or children ride the bus to and from school?

Always Frequently Seldom Never


15/23

15

School Operations

72%

84%

76%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

The school year start and end dates are appropriate

for this community.

The scheduled holidays are right for this community.

The times the school day begins and ends are

appropriate for this community.

Percent "Good" and "Excellent"

97%

92%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

The district's schools are clean

The district's schools are well maintained



16/23

16

Sources of Information About the District

66%

6%

9%

5%

33%

59%

26%

56%

24%

69%

19%

29%

20%

58%

64%

59%

72%

38%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

School District or School Website

Newspaper

Television

Radio

Friends/Family

Child

School District All-Call System

School Newsletter

Other


How Often?

How Useful?

"How Often" includes percent of"Always"and "Usually" responses.

"How Useful" includes percent of"Very Useful"and "Useful"responses.


17/23

17

13%

28%

61%

83%

63%

98%

20%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

School Board Meetings

PTA Meetings

School Plays

School-Sponsored Art/Music Presentations

School-Sponsored Sporting Events

School Events (Back to School, Parent Conferences,Celebrations, Open House)

District or School Committee Meetings


Please indicate how many times you have attended each of the

following events during the past year.

Event Attendance


18/23

18

1%

32%

42%

17%

7%

2%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

None

1

2

3

4

5 or more

How many children do you have attending school in Joint School

District No. 2?

Participant Composition


19/23

Participation Composition

19

Are you a graduate of this school district?

Yes No

Count Percent Count Percent458 13% 3,021 87%

0%

1%

34%

64%

0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

5 years or less

6-10 years

11-20 years

21-45 years

over 46 years

How may years has it been since you graduated from high school?


20/23

Themes from Open-Ended Responses

Tell us what we need to do to get a better rating from you next year.

Many parents felt there should be more school days added to the school year.

Many parents thought that a lot of time was wasted during the school year, especially towards the end ofthe year.

Many respondents felt that there was too much focus on standardized testing and that schools were justteaching to the test.

Many parents thought there should be smaller class sizes, or more teacher assistants to provide moreindividualized attention for students.

Comments on customer service in the food service program

Many respondents had very positive things to say about the customer service of the lunch staff,mentioning that they were friendly and helpful.

Many parents stated that they needed notification that their childs account was running low instead ofwhen the account was completely empty since it meant their children went a day without eating (even for

overage amounts as trivial as a few cents).

Many respondents mentioned that the staff was rude and curt to students and parents alike. Many parents stated that the lunch lines were so long that the cafeteria ran out of food and the students

did not have enough time to eat the food they received.

In general, there was a desire for more nutritious lunch food to be provided at their childs school.


21/23

Themes from Open-Ended ResponsesComments about the quality of food

Many parents called for the processed and frozen food to be replaced with healthier and fresher options.

Many parents felt the quality of food is unhealthy so they have their children bring a lunch from home toavoid the school food.

Many parents felt that the portions of food were too small and complained that their children were stillhungry after lunch.

A few parents were satisfied with the quality of food served at their childs school.

Please indicate any areas where food service may improve for the 2012-2013 school year.

Most respondents called for healthier food options such as fresh and local fruits and vegetables, betterquality protein sources, etc.

Many parents thought that the portions given by the school were too small to leave the kids satisfied andthey were too expensive for the amount of food given.

Many parents complained that there wasn't enough time for their child to go through the lunch line andeat the food they received.

Many parents mentioned that the cafeteria ran out of food, resulting in many children going hungry for

the day.


22/23

Themes from Open-Ended ResponsesComments about the efficiency or safety of the bus service provided by the district

Many parents complained that the new bus stop locations were unsafe due to busy main roads, locations

near sex offenders' houses, etc.

Many parents thought that if a family decided to send their child(ren) to a school other than theirnormally-districted one, the family should be responsible for transportation or be charged a fee.

Many parents found the "walking distance" boundary too far away to be safe for children, particularlyelementary students.

Many parents felt the bus environment was unsafe due to bullying, drugs and violence, so they did notsend their child to school on the bus.

Comments about the cleanliness or maintenance of the district's schools

Many parents felt that their child's particular school was well-maintained and clean, but many said theycould not comment on the state of other schools.

Many respondents thought that the older schools in the district need to be updated and that the custodialstaff was doing the best they could with what they were given.

Many respondents mentioned that Lake Hazel Middle School and Meridian High School specifically needto be updated.

Many parents felt that the landscaping was not a focus for maintenance and argued that it should be.


23/23

Themes from Open-Ended Responses

Comments about the school calendar or school start times

Most parents thought that the late start Wednesdays were a waste of time and were inconvenient.

Most parents thought the school year should start after Labor Day and end before Memorial Day.

Many parents were angry about the shortened winter break because they wanted two weeks instead ofone week.

Most parents thought that elementary schools started too late and ended too late, while the high schoolsand middle schools started too early for health and safety reasons.

There was an equal representation of parents who approved of the additional nine days at the end of the

school year and those who did not.

If you get information about the school district from other sources not listed above, please tell us where.

Many parents mentioned that the individual schools' websites were not up to date with school-specificinformation.

Many parents mentioned that they received informative emails or emailed newsletters from theirstudent's teacher.

Many parents cited their school's newsletter as a great source of information.

Many parents cited the teachers' websites as very informative for assignments, due dates and calendars.

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