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Local survey presented to board finds strong opposition to neighborhood-school closures
Summary
Flynn parents and volunteers reported preliminary survey results showing substantial opposition to proposed consolidations: among roughly 166 responses, 95% opposed closure, respondents prioritized neighborhood schools over cost savings and many said they would consider leaving the district if their local school closed.
Eau Claire, Wis.
Volunteers who canvassed neighborhood parents presented preliminary results of a community survey to the Eau Claire Area School District board on Oct. 20, reporting strong opposition to the Demo and Trends committee''s closure and consolidation options.
Rebecca Pollack and Shuah Herr said the Save Our Schools online survey had, at the time of the presentation, 166 responses and showed 95% of respondents opposed closing or consolidating their neighborhood school. Pollack said 74% of respondents rated the importance of a local school as the highest possible rating on a five-point scale, and 88% cited student displacement and loss of neighborhood cohesion as primary concerns.
The presenters emphasized behavioral indicators: Pollack and Herr reported about 54% of respondents said they would send their child to the newly assigned public school in the event of a closure; 44% said they would attempt to open-enroll at another district school; about 22% said they would withdraw from the district; and 25% said they would consider private school. Pollack summarized: "In short, nearly a quarter of families might leave the public system if their neighborhood school closed, threatening future enrollment and local tax support."
Survey results also suggested damaged trust: the presenters said 74% rated their trust in district communications about closures at 1 or 2 on a 1-to-5 scale; 61% said they would be less likely to support a future property-tax referendum if their local school were closed.
Pollack and Herr described the instrument as combining quantitative and qualitative items to surface equity concerns, relocation intent and referendum risk. They said the survey is still collecting responses and that a longer methodology memo had been emailed to the board earlier in the day.
Board members and administrators acknowledged the data but said additional, representative district-level analysis will be needed for formal planning. Superintendent Johnson later said the district will continue outreach and will commission updated demographic studies before issuing any administrative recommendations.
