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Post by WeNeed3 on Jan 25, 2010 23:21:24 GMT -5
Dear Indian Prairie Community, A critical part of education is assessment. Teachers are always gathering information to determine if student progress has been made. The data is essential to help chart a course for student success. As a district, it is important to assess if we are best serving our community. The district recently conducted a random sample phone survey to help us with this assessment. At Monday night's board of education meeting, Dr. Brad Senden from the Center for Community Opinion presented the results of the survey. The last time we surveyed our community was in 2005, and the majority of the questions we asked this time were the same so we could chart our progress. I'm happy to report to you the community gave the district high marks in several key areas. When asked what grade you would give the schools in Indian Prairie, 87 percent responded they would give an "A" or "B". In 2005, only 76 percent of the community gave us similar grades. We also saw a significant increase in an area that I've identified as a top priority -- communications. When asked to rate the job we do keeping the community informed, one out of two community members (53 percent) said we do an "excellent" or "above average" job. In 2005, only 35 percent gave this response. The community also gave favorable grades to our facilities, financial management, and ability to meet the educational needs of our students. We also used the survey as an opportunity to find out how the community felt about adding air conditioning to the elementary schools. We learned that 45 percent supported and 53 percent opposed the idea. Our board has not proposed adding air conditioning, but the discussion surfaces from time to time, especially when we have warm weather at the start of the school year. It's helpful for the board to have this information should they consider this option in the future. Although the survey data is positive, we will continue to work on improving key areas. We plan to use the information provided as a guide to help us reach our community and best serve its needs. I invite you to review the complete survey presentation from Monday night's board meeting. The information is on the district's website at ipsdweb.ipsd.org/Documents/0910/CommunitySurveyResults01.25.10.pdf
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Post by gatordog on Jan 26, 2010 13:53:08 GMT -5
Very interesting survey results. The results shown here do suggest more favorable ratings by people today than they did in 2005.
I dont want to get off on too much of a tangent (because this survey is surely about a wide range of issues) but I know around the messages boards in this time frame, we have been pretty keyed up on the 3rd HS issue. These survey points suggests that the resolution of all that did not drive up the unfavorable ratings.
I dont want to get into numbers and all that, but those with unfavorable views were asked for reasons....and the new HS poor planning was specifically mentioned. But given the small numbers who gave unfavorable ratings, and then the fact that only a quarter of those gave the HS as a reason, this really comes down to just a handful of respondents out of the 400 surveyed.
One general thought of mine, and this goes along with the survey results, is that maybe the 3rd HS dissatisfaction is/was pretty localized to those students and families directly caught up in all the HS changes.
I do understand how so much of the public burden for the changes in this time frame fell on one group of students, those leaving a HS to move to another, and those making a new group of school friends. And also, to a lesser extent perhaps, those poised to start at one HS that they had been shooting for but got changed to another. I hope it gets better and better every day for all those affected students.
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Post by gatordog on Jan 27, 2010 13:53:27 GMT -5
Naperville Sun story on this. D204 residents satisfied with schoolsJanuary 27, 2010 By KATHY CICHON kcichon@stmedianetwork.com Families in Indian Prairie School District 204 say the district is making the grade, with the majority of those recently surveyed giving it overall high marks. "We're very, very pleased," Superintendent Kathy Birkett said Tuesday. In a survey conducted between Nov. 30 and Dec. 13, 87 percent of those responding said they would give the district an "A" or "B" — an 11 percent increase from a 2005 survey when 76 percent of residents assigned those grades. "We are in the education world, so we asked the people to give us a grade," Birkett said. "Those grades are important to us. It is really outstanding." The survey consisted of 403 completed phone interviews with registered voters in District 204. Registered voters were interviewed in order for the results to be compared to the district's 2005 voter survey. During the survey, demographics were monitored to make sure they matched those of voters in the district. The overall margin of error for the results is plus or minus 4.5 percent. District employees received praise, with 28.9 percent identifying faculty and staff as the greatest strength in the district. More than three-quarters — 75.7 percent — said they found district employees' attention to customer service pleasant and helpful. When asked to rate the job the district does in communicating with the community, 53 percent said the district does an excellent or above average job. In 2005, only 35 percent gave this response. The district has been working to improve communication, Birkett said. "I think we have a really concerted effort this year to communicate," she said. More people have visited the district's Web site than in the past. In 2005 just 56 percent of respondents had been to www.ipsd.org. In 2009, that number jumped to 73 percent. More parents are also seeking communication via e-mail. "Our parents are definitely looking for that," Birkett said. "That's how they want to be communicated with." Money is on the minds of residents as the greatest challenge facing the district, with 18.4 percent listing funding/money and 5.6 percent listing the budget.The district is working to close a budget deficit. "Almost a quarter of our parents realize that one of the greatest challenges we face is finances," Birkett said. District officials used the survey as a chance to gauge public opinion on adding air conditioning to the elementary schools, as most do not have it. In order to do so, voters would need to approve a property tax increase, costing the average homeowner in the district $107 per year. Those surveyed were asked their feelings if the question were placed on a ballot. The majority of those surveyed, 52.9 percent, opposed the idea, while 45.2 percent were in favor. The district has no plans for installing air conditioning, but figured "as long as we were going the survey, we might as well ask the question," Birkett said. The question was not asked during the 2005 survey. The complete survey results can be viewed on the District 204 Web site at ipsdweb.ipsd.org/Documents/0910/CommunitySurveyResults01.25.10.pdf. "I don't know if we could've gotten more positive than that if we tried. And we are trying," Birkett said. "We'll continue to work on improving key areas."
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Post by asmodeus on Jan 27, 2010 14:33:07 GMT -5
I find it hard to believe that 73% of randomly chosen voters in D204 visited the IPSD website in 2009.
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Post by gatordog on Jan 29, 2010 18:13:54 GMT -5
One thing I find interesting.... comparing the numbers from 2005 to 2009, for all categories you could make this general statement: all of the "dont know" percentages shifted into the "A or B" grade categories. Here is what I mean. Overall 2005 2009 | A,B 75 87 | C,D,F 8 8 | unknown 16 4 |
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change for dont know =-12%, for AB=+12% Facilities 2005 2009 | A,B 79 89 | C,D,F 7 8 | unknown 14 3 |
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change for dont know =-11%, for AB=+10% Educ Needs 2005 2009 | A,B 69 74 | C,D,F 21 23 | unknown 9 2 |
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change for dont know =-7%, for AB=+5% Financial 2005 2009 | A,B 22 36 | C,D,F 56 57 | unknown 21 7 |
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change for dont know =-14%, for AB=+14%
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Post by gatordog on Jan 29, 2010 18:34:58 GMT -5
I find this quite remarkable.
It seems to suggest that whatever "better communication" the SD was doing, it was quite effective in persuading those who felt they did not have enough information into giving a positive rating for the SD.
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Post by southsidesignmaker on Feb 2, 2010 21:00:43 GMT -5
"We also used the survey as an opportunity to find out how the community felt about adding air conditioning to the elementary schools. We learned that 45 percent supported and 53 percent opposed the idea. Our board has not proposed adding air conditioning, but the discussion surfaces from time to time, especially when we have warm weather at the start of the school year. It's helpful for the board to have this information should they consider this option in the future.
Although the survey data is positive, we will continue to work on improving key areas. We plan to use the information provided as a guide to help us reach our community and best serve its needs."
____________________________________________________________________________- _____________________________________________________________________________
As we start the long road to another referendum I would suggest that the board poll the ever increasing population of "older adults with no children in the district". I suspect that this group will be voting in mass with a large percentage voting against a new referendum.
Communication at the top has indeed become more TRANSLUCENT but still has a ways to go to get to transparent.
G-Dog, please don't underestimate the amount of anger and dissatisfaction from many in "unaffected" areas (regarding high school redistricting). There are many of us that still feel the roller coaster ride could have... and more importantly should have been avoided.
I can only hope that the district moves quickly to get a referendum in the works before too many home owners get wind that "lower home values do not equate into lower taxes". From my rough calculations the district has one more year until the average homeowner "grabs his chest in disbelief".
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Post by asmodeus on Feb 3, 2010 11:04:49 GMT -5
If yesterday's results are an indication, ANY referendum is going to have a hard time getting passed. Almost every one I saw was handily rejected, including the New Trier proposal.
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Post by gatordog on Feb 3, 2010 13:22:46 GMT -5
...... As we start the long road to another referendum I would suggest that the board poll the ever increasing population of "older adults with no children in the district". I suspect that this group will be voting in mass with a large percentage voting against a new referendum. Communication at the top has indeed become more TRANSLUCENT but still has a ways to go to get to transparent. G-Dog, please don't underestimate the amount of anger and dissatisfaction from many in "unaffected" areas (regarding high school redistricting). There are many of us that still feel the roller coaster ride could have... and more importantly should have been avoided. ..... The survey did, I believe touch on the older adults and others with no kids. About a third of those surveyed said they based their grades on friends/neighbors experiences or news media reports. So this segment of the population was included. As well they should by any professional survey To get to my main thought, 'maker, one one that I do deem pretty remarkable.... to me this survey shows little evidence of widespread anger and dissatisfaction. In fact, I find it hard to imagine any other govt body getting much more favorable results or 'grades". This survey is just another piece of data of course. I am well aware that 204 has had a rocky string of years. But I am not seeing evidence of widespread anger and dissatisfaction. Another (of course vastly much more significant) piece of opinion survey was the last election. Again, the results that we all discussed a year ago did not support the theory that there was widespread anger and dissatisfaction. I am not going to conjucture about any possible future referendum. But like any issue put before the voting public, I hope the vast majority of voters base their vote on reasoned consideration, not just emotion. To give my opion, I am optimistic that voters here will continue to do just that.
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Post by gatordog on Feb 3, 2010 13:31:23 GMT -5
If yesterday's results are an indication, ANY referendum is going to have a hard time getting passed. Almost every one I saw was handily rejected, including the New Trier proposal. I agree. Its not only just yesterday.... nationwide and for decades, referendum are hard to pass. The extremely high sucess rate of 204 referendum wins is not something to always bank on. Perhaps as our district matures, the era of "204 exceptionalism" at the polls will be a thing of the past. We shall see. Again, voters will have to study the issues.
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doc
Frosh
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Post by doc on Feb 4, 2010 10:52:32 GMT -5
"We also used the survey as an opportunity to find out how the community felt about adding air conditioning to the elementary schools. We learned that 45 percent supported and 53 percent opposed the idea. Our board has not proposed adding air conditioning, but the discussion surfaces from time to time, especially when we have warm weather at the start of the school year. It's helpful for the board to have this information should they consider this option in the future. Although the survey data is positive, we will continue to work on improving key areas. We plan to use the information provided as a guide to help us reach our community and best serve its needs." ____________________________________________________________________________- _____________________________________________________________________________ As we start the long road to another referendum I would suggest that the board poll the ever increasing population of "older adults with no children in the district". I suspect that this group will be voting in mass with a large percentage voting against a new referendum. Communication at the top has indeed become more TRANSLUCENT but still has a ways to go to get to transparent. G-Dog, please don't underestimate the amount of anger and dissatisfaction from many in "unaffected" areas (regarding high school redistricting). There are many of us that still feel the roller coaster ride could have... and more importantly should have been avoided. I can only hope that the district moves quickly to get a referendum in the works before too many home owners get wind that "lower home values do not equate into lower taxes". From my rough calculations the district has one more year until the average homeowner "grabs his chest in disbelief". SSSM - people will continue to ignore the anger that is out there - but the ref vote I think will combine the nations anger at the economy with the numerous situations here. I can tell you it's more than a handful of people here in my area- and with the district continuing to grant exceptions for kids to return to NV from WV - there is a growing unrest there about just why ? This 'older' and not having any students in 204 just returned the latest surey monky also..restating concerns If the true cost of MV is ever released ( way past due btw) - maybe then concern will replace the #1 voter influence on results here- apathy. This fits with your translucency statement SSSM - transparency is only for non controversial items. Apathy and a core base driven by PTSA and a few other groups will be counted on to bring the vote in again - this time it likely will not be enough. Just my opinion Remember the vote for the last referendum was driven by blatantly false projections ( 10,400 students in HS) - and fear cleverly generated by what 10,400 would do to the quality of education here. It will be hard to convince people this time around when the real facts are now more widely known. People are hurting financially and they may ask for explanations this time around.
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Post by brant on Feb 4, 2010 17:46:34 GMT -5
"We also used the survey as an opportunity to find out how the community felt about adding air conditioning to the elementary schools. We learned that 45 percent supported and 53 percent opposed the idea. Our board has not proposed adding air conditioning, but the discussion surfaces from time to time, especially when we have warm weather at the start of the school year. It's helpful for the board to have this information should they consider this option in the future. Although the survey data is positive, we will continue to work on improving key areas. We plan to use the information provided as a guide to help us reach our community and best serve its needs." ____________________________________________________________________________- _____________________________________________________________________________ As we start the long road to another referendum I would suggest that the board poll the ever increasing population of "older adults with no children in the district". I suspect that this group will be voting in mass with a large percentage voting against a new referendum. Communication at the top has indeed become more TRANSLUCENT but still has a ways to go to get to transparent. G-Dog, please don't underestimate the amount of anger and dissatisfaction from many in "unaffected" areas (regarding high school redistricting). There are many of us that still feel the roller coaster ride could have... and more importantly should have been avoided. I can only hope that the district moves quickly to get a referendum in the works before too many home owners get wind that "lower home values do not equate into lower taxes". From my rough calculations the district has one more year until the average homeowner "grabs his chest in disbelief". SSSM - people will continue to ignore the anger that is out there - but the ref vote I think will combine the nations anger at the economy with the numerous situations here. I can tell you it's more than a handful of people here in my area- and with the district continuing to grant exceptions for kids to return to NV from WV - there is a growing unrest there about just why ? This 'older' and not having any students in 204 just returned the latest surey monky also..restating concerns If the true cost of MV is ever released ( way past due btw) - maybe then concern will replace the #1 voter influence on results here- apathy. This fits with your translucency statement SSSM - transparency is only for non controversial items. Apathy and a core base driven by PTSA and a few other groups will be counted on to bring the vote in again - this time it likely will not be enough. Just my opinion Remember the vote for the last referendum was driven by blatantly false projections ( 10,400 students in HS) - and fear cleverly generated by what 10,400 would do to the quality of education here. It will be hard to convince people this time around when the real facts are now more widely known. People are hurting financially and they may ask for explanations this time around. I agree with you Doc. I voted for the new HS because I believe in smaller teacher to student ratios for my kids. Now I wish we had just let it alone after the first vote rejecting it. And like everyone else I didn't expect the economy to tank the way it has. As a WV and Still parent I am now in a full realization that WVs needs have become secondary to the other two schools. I now have a very strong fear WV may be slated for closure in the near future which is why the SD isn't putting any money into it. WV is a fantastic school and I wouldn't want my kids anywhere else. I now see however the SD apparently doesn't as highly of WV.
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doc
Frosh
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Post by doc on Feb 5, 2010 11:32:36 GMT -5
SSSM - people will continue to ignore the anger that is out there - but the ref vote I think will combine the nations anger at the economy with the numerous situations here. I can tell you it's more than a handful of people here in my area- and with the district continuing to grant exceptions for kids to return to NV from WV - there is a growing unrest there about just why ? This 'older' and not having any students in 204 just returned the latest surey monky also..restating concerns If the true cost of MV is ever released ( way past due btw) - maybe then concern will replace the #1 voter influence on results here- apathy. This fits with your translucency statement SSSM - transparency is only for non controversial items. Apathy and a core base driven by PTSA and a few other groups will be counted on to bring the vote in again - this time it likely will not be enough. Just my opinion Remember the vote for the last referendum was driven by blatantly false projections ( 10,400 students in HS) - and fear cleverly generated by what 10,400 would do to the quality of education here. It will be hard to convince people this time around when the real facts are now more widely known. People are hurting financially and they may ask for explanations this time around. I agree with you Doc. I voted for the new HS because I believe in smaller teacher to student ratios for my kids. Now I wish we had just let it alone after the first vote rejecting it. And like everyone else I didn't expect the economy to tank the way it has. As a WV and Still parent I am now in a full realization that WVs needs have become secondary to the other two schools. I now have a very strong fear WV may be slated for closure in the near future which is why the SD isn't putting any money into it. WV is a fantastic school and I wouldn't want my kids anywhere else. I now see however the SD apparently doesn't as highly of WV. brant - I too am still a WVHS fan--always will be -- I suggest you take your concerns ( and anyone else who is feeling this way, and I am reading it more and more- directly to the SB. Remember the president is an alum of WVHS, if he can't help the school out, no one can or will. I hope you are wrong on the closure, but you are not alone in thinking that may have been the plan all along. Not in the next few years but in about 5 we'll see.
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