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Coos Bay school board reviews parent survey, ODE preview; third-grade reading identified as a priority
Summary
With just 73 survey responses, the board heard that families value staff and student supports but want better communication and special-education services. The superintendent highlighted low third-grade ELA proficiency (26%) and 61% regular attendance as priorities for intervention.
The Coos Bay SD 9 board on Wednesday reviewed results from a parent and community survey and a preview of the Oregon Department of Education “At a Glance” report, with the district’s interim superintendent saying early literacy will be a top focus.
“We had 73 responses, which I wish we had more,” Gary Roberts, interim superintendent, said as he summarized the survey. Roberts said staff used the responses to identify recurring themes and that the district will post the full results to its website.
The survey, which was open for about three to four weeks, found praise for student supports, caring staff and extracurriculars but also flagged concerns about communication, inconsistent teaching quality, and the need for more mental-health and special-education supports. Roberts said the district plans further outreach — including translated and paper surveys, town halls and expanded reporting — to raise participation before the next survey.
Roberts presented several accountability metrics drawn from Oregon Department of Education data that will appear in the district’s November report card. Among the figures he cited: 48% of Coos Bay students meet ODE’s definition of living in poverty; 61% are classified as regular attenders (missing no more than 18 days); 26% of third graders were proficient in the state third-grade ELA assessment; and 15% of eighth graders were proficient in math in the most recent published data.
“Reading takes you into every other subject area,” Roberts said, urging the board to prioritize elementary literacy so it can have a “ripple effect” across grades.
Board members asked about increasing response rates for future surveys. One suggestion from a board member and from Roberts was to shorten future surveys, translate them into Spanish and provide small incentives such as QR codes at events, raffle entries or tickets for community events to lift participation numbers.
Roberts also briefed the board on how ODE’s reporting rules suppress small-group data (for cohorts under 10 students) to protect student privacy. He said the district will provide more disaggregated special-fund and attendance reporting beginning next month to support board oversight.
The board did not take action on program changes at the meeting; Roberts said the district will follow the survey with targeted outreach and additional data briefings in the coming months, and that the full ODE report card will be discussed at a future meeting.
