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District reports survey of families, plans community survey and focus groups for strategic plan
Summary
District Administrator Chris Reuter presented results from a recent family survey used to inform the district's strategic planning process, reported 767 respondent households, and said a community survey and parent focus groups will follow spring break; the board discussed next steps for targeted outreach.
District Administrator Chris Reuter told the Germantown School District Board of Education on March 17 that the administration sent a family survey as part of strategic-planning work and that 767 households submitted responses.
Reuter described the survey responses as favorable, saying large majorities of respondents indicated their children feel welcome, safe at school and engaged in classroom programming. The district highlighted strong parental agreement that extracurricular and enrichment activities are available and that graduates are prepared for postsecondary or career paths; Reuter said the district will use survey results as a baseline for strategic goals.
Reuter described next steps: the district will release a community survey to families through Skyward, district website and Facebook and will provide paper copies on request through Melissa at the district office. Parents who volunteered for follow-up were offered participation in focus groups to be scheduled after spring break; Reuter said the district will also convene focus groups that include community stakeholders and local businesses to gather qualitative feedback on themes the survey surfaces.
Board members asked how the district will recruit focus-group participants and whether the qualitative work will reach families that rated the district lower on the survey. Reuter said the parent survey allowed respondents to provide contact information if they volunteered for a focus group and that the qualitative phase is intended to surface what underlies lower-scoring responses so the district can use lessons learned to shape strategic goals.
Why it matters: The family survey and follow-up focus groups are the district's frontline tools for identifying priorities families want in a three-year strategic plan; survey findings inform curriculum review, program investments and communication priorities.
Next steps: The administration will post the community survey and schedule focus groups after spring break; the board asked for periodic updates as qualitative results are compiled.
