Survey: Catoosa County stakeholders prioritize people, future-ready academics and safe facilities

Superintendent Nicks on June 2 presented results from a strategic-plan survey of 1,690 stakeholders — parents, staff, students and community members — that the district will use to shape its 2027–2032 strategic plan.

According to the presentation, stakeholders ranked investments in people (recruiting and retaining quality educators), future-ready academics and career readiness, and maintaining safe, modern learning environments as the highest financial and programmatic priorities. The superintendent said the district distilled open-ended responses into three "mega objectives": future-ready students, supported ecosystems and engaged families.

The survey highlighted specific concerns about transitions from elementary to middle school and demand for mental-health and transition supports. Superintendent Nicks said roughly two-thirds of respondents prioritized teacher recruitment and retention (67.4%), more than 63% prioritized future-ready academics and 62.6% prioritized safe, well-maintained facilities.

Nicks framed the plan as a community-driven roadmap: "We know that the most successful strategic plans are not written by just a few people. They're built on the voices of the community that we serve," he said. The administration plans to use the summer to convert priorities into measurable goals and action steps with director and administrator teams.

Board members praised the survey’s breadth of responses and raised the familiar tension between community desire for higher teacher pay and the fiscal constraints of a budget in which roughly 90% of spending funds personnel costs. The superintendent noted state policy frequently influences compensation decisions, and one-time bonuses do not change base salary schedules.

Next steps include internal team work over the summer to translate survey priorities into the district’s formal strategic plan for board consideration.