Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Survey topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Verona Area School District reports higher survey response rates, cites gains and areas for growth
Summary
District leaders said student and family surveys showed stronger participation — about 3,303 student responses (~75%) and a reported 105% increase in family respondents — and highlighted safety and academic gains while flagging communication, restroom cleanliness and supports for special-needs students as priorities.
The Verona Area School District reported stronger participation in its year-two student and family surveys and outlined next steps for using the results to inform school- and district-level improvement plans.
Superintendent (presenting) said student responses numbered 3,303 — described as about a 75% response rate — and the district recorded what staff characterized as a 105% increase in family respondents from 2025 to 2026. The district plans to share results through a districtwide video, school-level videos, newsletters and social media and encouraged school leaders to use disaggregated data to set continuous-improvement goals.
District staff pointed to gains on measures of school safety and academic feedback. The presentation noted a rise in respondents who said "I feel safe at my school," described as moving from 66% to 75% overall and with a 17-point increase at the high school. A graduate of the presentation also highlighted academic-progress feedback moving from 68% to 74% on certain measures.
At the same time, presenters singled out recurring concerns: restroom cleanliness, student-to-student respect and communication about student progress. The district said it removed non-bus riders from a bus-safety question to avoid skewed results and that school-specific reports would permit deeper, site-level analysis.
Board members asked for greater demographic disaggregation — including by race/ethnicity, immigrant and refugee status, and gender identities — and whether survey materials and summary videos would be available in Spanish and other languages. A presenter said Spanish-language outreach increased Spanish-speaking family participation to "about 100" respondents and that translation and multilingual communications had been used previously.
The district recommended several follow-up steps: provide school-specific breakdowns, convene school leaders to craft targeted actions, and use the survey data to guide next year’s continuous improvement plans. Staff also said the staff survey remains open and encouraged additional responses.
The district framed the higher family response as the result of intentional outreach, clearer communications, and follow-up actions that convinced families the district would act on the results. The presentation closed with plans to continue professional learning for staff on restorative practices and social-emotional learning to address behavior and wellness concerns.
What happens next: district staff will produce school-level breakdowns and videos and return the data in future monitoring and reporting to the board.
