St. Mary Parish committee renames itself, votes to recommend Panorama climate survey to school board

Lindsey Anselm, chair of the newly formed St. Mary Parish district culture and climate committee, led members Wednesday through organizational business and a presentation from Panorama Education, a third-party survey vendor the committee was asked to consider.

The committee voted to change its name to the "culture and climate committee," adopted a short vision statement, and voted to recommend that the full St. Mary Parish School Board consider contracting with Panorama for a districtwide climate survey; members asked district staff to obtain firm pricing and bring the item to the board for approval.

Why it matters: Committee members said a research-based, regularly administered climate survey would give parents, teachers, students and administrators shared, comparative data to guide district decisions about safety, attendance, engagement and supports funded by Title I and other sources.

The committee first discussed possible names and a vision before taking the formal renaming vote. "The name of the committee will be changed to culture and climate committee," Anselm said after members moved and seconded the proposal; a roll…