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District survey of 900+ finds student supports and specials top budget priorities
Summary
More than 900 people responded to the district budget survey; across elementary, middle and high levels, respondents prioritized student supports (counseling/behavior/Special Ed) and specials (PE, music, library). Staff said results will guide budget decisions and emphasized maintaining a broad array of student offerings.
Gresham — District staff presented analysis of the community budget survey at the March 12 work session, reporting more than 900 responses and consistent priorities across grade spans.
Tracy and the budget team said participants included 36% parents, 35% staff, 20% students and 9% community members. Respondents across elementary, middle and high school levels ranked student supports (counseling, behavioral and special-education supports) and specials (physical education, music, library) highest. Family nights and after-school programming ranked lower in priority.
Staff described outreach that included in-person and virtual budget forums, an explainer video, and targeted invitations to key communicators and community groups. The in-person forum allowed mixed stakeholder groups to discuss trade-offs; staff said those conversations were thoughtful and helped shape priorities.
Key takeaways presented to the board: (1) prioritize student behavioral and mental-health supports, especially at the elementary level; (2) recognize the value placed on electives and career-technical-education (CTE) programs at the high-school level; and (3) seek budget cuts that are sustainable year-to-year rather than one-off measures such as furlough days.
The board asked staff to use the survey results and guiding principles to inform budget recommendations and to post resources and links for residents to contact legislators if they wanted to advocate for additional funding.
Next steps: staff will incorporate these findings into decision-making tools used for budget development and continue community outreach.
