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Lakeville survey shows improved perceptions but board raises concerns about middle-school declines
Summary
District communications director presented results of student, family and staff surveys: student participation ~65%, family response ~14%, staff ~45%; board members flagged drops in middle-school perceptions of safety and relevance and asked for follow-up data and action plans.
Grace Olsen, the district communications director, presented the Lakeville Area Schools’ annual “desired daily experience” survey results to the school board during its Aug. 12 meeting, reporting higher participation and more favorable responses across students, families and staff in 2024–25.
Olsen said about 65% of students participated in the student survey — roughly 100 more respondents than the prior year — and that each of the three desired-daily-experience categories improved, with the largest gains at the secondary level. For families she reported a much smaller participation rate: about 14% of parents and caregivers completed the survey in 2024–25, although that represented a threefold increase from the previous year’s family response. Staff participation rose to about 45%.
Olsen summarized the student open-ended responses, which emphasized friendships and social connections, “positive relationships with teachers and school staff,” flexibility in learning options, and requests for more choice and relevance in coursework. “The same things that they value about their school experience, were also primarily the things that they said they wanted more of,” Olsen said.
Board members pressed for specifics and next steps. Director Carbone and others noted a substantial drop in some item groupings between elementary and middle school: Olsen showed a drop from about 92% in early elementary to roughly 76% by third grade on a composite question about safety and being able to “explore my interest, engage socially, and support my basic needs.” Director Baker said that pattern raised questions about bullying policy and whether interventions are effective. “Those numbers would tell me no. They were only successful in K–1 and 2,” Baker said.
Regarding coursework relevance, Director Carbone observed that the district result suggested roughly four out of 10 students do not feel classes are relevant to future success, and asked whether the data points to curricular or programmatic gaps. Olsen said the survey design aggregates multiple grade-appropriate questions into the three desired-daily-experience categories and that the qualitative open-ended responses are coded into common themes; she said the survey alone does not explain causation and recommended follow-up analysis.
Board members also questioned the family response rate and how to increase it. Olsen said student participation is collected in class periods (optional, teacher-administered) while family surveys are distributed through district mass communications; the district plans to use a new communications platform that allows embedding surveys in emails and sending targeted reminders to non-respondents.
On staff surveys, Olsen said the staff response rate rose to about 45% and that overall feedback was more positive than the prior year. Several directors urged that staff surveys include more targeted open-ended items to identify specific levers for change; Olsen said the district had tried open-ended staff questions previously but had not settled on an appropriate question set for all roles.
Ending: The board asked for additional breakouts and context: which questions drive the composite drops at middle school, building-level participation and demographic breakdowns, and whether the district can produce action plans or dashboard indicators that tie the survey findings to curriculum, safety, and student support work.
