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Pulaski County presents school-culture survey showing broad belonging but gaps in parent communication
Summary
Dr. Tara Grant presented October survey results showing strong student and staff feelings of belonging (majority agree; neutrals lift totals near 90%) while about 20–27% of parents and community members said they did not feel informed, prompting plans to improve district communications and a consolidated calendar.
Pulaski County Public Schools officials on the district’s monthly board meeting presented results from four October surveys showing generally positive measures of school culture but notable communication gaps with parents and the wider community.
"I feel like I belong at this school," Dr. Tara Grant told the board when summarizing student responses; she said the student survey collected "almost 1,200 responses." Grant said combining "strongly agree" and "agree" yields roughly 60% on that question and that adding neutral responses pushes the total close to 90%.
The presentation also summarized staff, parent and community survey results. Staff responses reported high levels of belonging, respect and support from colleagues and administration; Dr. Grant said "over 200" staff responded and that "respected by colleagues" and "respected by school administration" were strongly positive across the sample.
By contrast, Grant flagged parent and community results that suggest uneven communication. She said roughly 20% of parents "do not feel like they know what's going on," and about 27% of community respondents said they did not feel informed about school events and opportunities. "Not everybody's on social media," she told the board, and the district must find alternative ways to reach those families.
Board members discussed possible responses. One board member suggested a consolidated district calendar and improvements to the district website so families and community members can find events and program updates in a single place. Dr. Grant said schools will examine the four surveys (students, staff, parents, community) and identify what each school is doing well and where communication should improve.
The district plans follow-up work with school leadership teams to dig into areas with lower scores—Grant said administrators will examine bullying-handling data, parent-information channels and participation rates—and she encouraged schools to consider strategies such as clearer notice of events, office hours for virtual instruction days and printed packets for students who lack reliable internet.
The board did not take formal action on the survey but thanked Dr. Grant for the briefing and asked staff to return with concrete communication proposals.
