Schools
Racine Unified Parents Rate District As 'Average'
"This survey reinforced what we already knew and highlighted areas that we need to work on and improve," said Stacy Tapp, RUSD Director of Communications.
Parents and community members generally gave average ratings to the quality of Racine Unified School District education in its 2011 community survey.
Yet those same constituents agree half or less than half the time that there are adequate opportunities to express concerns about important issues – or that those concerns will be taken seriously.
Findings of the survey – conducted March 15 through April 8 – were presented to thes Communications Committee on Sept. 19. The survey was distributed via email and available online-only.
“This survey reinforced what we already knew and highlighted areas that we need to work on and improve,” said Stacy Tapp, RUSD Director of Communications. “We’re committed to having a two-way dialogue with the community.”
When asked how they would rate the overall quality of education services provided by the school their oldest child attends, 90 percent of those surveyed responded average, above average or excellent. And 77 percent responded so when asked about the quality of education provided by the district.
But only 51 percent indicated that they agree or strongly agree when asked if their concerns are seriously considered by the principal and school administration. When asked if school district leaders seriously consider their concerns, 36 percent responded that their concerns were taken seriously.
“We went through and completely overhauled the survey this year and the questions that we asked,” Tapp said. “We wanted to make it more community-focused.”
Respondents indicated that they most preferred to get information from the district about the rationale they used for decisions made by the district. They also indicated that they preferred to know how well the district is performing compared to other districts at the state and national level, as well as curriculum and educational program options.
“This is an ongoing process and [Interim Superintendent Dr. Ann Laing] has brought some great ideas to the table to change the tone and change the conversation we’re having,” Tapp said. “We’ll continue to work closely with our community partners, faith-based organizations and parents.”
In other news, the Board also held a discussion with consultants from the Panasonic Foundation on key knowledge gained from Panasonic’s experience with multiple urban superintendent searches.
Deb Winking and Tony Rollins helped the Board develop criteria for the ideal superintendent candidate. Much time was also spent discussing amongst Board members how to engage its various stakeholders in the selection process.
The Board will take up that issue at its next business meeting on Sept. 26. A complete candidate profile will hopefully be developed by late November or early December, Board President Bill Van Atta said.
Some qualities the Board discussed the ideal candidate having included being extroverted, being invested in the community, having a clear understanding of the learning process, understanding the coherent governance process and demonstrating success in closing achievement gaps.
