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Testing the current attitude: Lawrence (Kan.) Public Schools

The 2016-2017 school year was a tumultuous one for the Lawrence Public Schools USD 497, as certain members of the community organized against the district, due to the perceived mishandling of a classroom situation involving a student and a teacher’s choice of language.

The tumult came to a head at a School Board meeting, where, ironically, Patron Insight was there to present results that suggested the community was gung ho for a bond issue that would provide greater facility equity between the district’s two high schools, among other upgrades.

The bond issue in question passed, and the district continued to work with community leaders to improve relationships that had become strained over this incident.

Has that work been successful? The district wanted to know and, as such, commissioned another study from Patron Insight.

This study contained a series of statements seeking the residents’ level of agreement or disagreement on the district’s commitment to equal opportunity, social justice, providing a nurturing school environment, and the treatment of students regardless of their backgrounds or personal characteristics.

The results demonstrated, while there is always work to be done in these areas, progress was being made. For example, the combined “Strongly agree/Agree” percentage for the following statements was as follows:

Students have equal opportunities to participate in activities – such as sports, clubs or groups – at their schools, regardless of background or personal characteristics. – 81%
All students, regardless of background or personal characteristics, have equal opportunities to participate in advanced-level courses. – 76%
All students, regardless of background or personal characteristics, have equal opportunities to take advantage of leadership opportunities at their schools. – 76%
Student discipline is addressed fairly for all students, regardless of background or personal characteristics. – 57%

Such data has provided the district a baseline that is being used to guide steps being taken in these areas throughout the district. To learn more about this study, please contact Julie Boyle, executive director of Communications, Lawrence Public Schools, at jboyle@usd497.org. To learn how a research study from Patron Insight can benefit your school district, contact Rick Nobles at rick@patroninsight.com.

Patrons say the darndest things: "Find the money somewhere else"

When we are reviewing the data and comments from a study we conducted on behalf of a school district, we can always count on at least one person suggesting that taxpayers can’t possibly be the only source of funds to build, say, a new high school.

Their usual retort goes something like, “Find the money somewhere else.”

When faced with such a remark, a school district has three options.

First, it can launch a detailed presentation of funding that would make a CPA beam with pride. Second, it can find ways to insert funding information more routinely into its communications, find ways to make to make sense to the typical homeowner (“If your house is worth $100,000, you would pay $85 more per year in taxes) and so on. Third, it can recognize it for what it is – a comment from a very small minority.

We recommend an emphasis on the second option, with the good-natured attitude of the third one thrown in. You already know you won’t be able to convince everyone, because they aren’t that interested. But you can make finances simpler, explain what the state pays and doesn’t pay, and, most importantly, point out how students will benefit from your proposal.

When you make it about the students, and simplify the finances, your chances of ballot box success increase exponentially.

A twist on employee exit surveys

When a person is leaving a position, the quality of information he or she provides about his or her experience is questionable at best.

Most know not to burn bridges, so you get a lot of answers that sound like what a third-grader says when his mother asks how school was today, “It was fine.” Not a lot of learning in comments like that, is there?

Eudora (Kan.) Schools turned that idea on its ear a while ago, by annually conducting a “stay” survey of employees. This year, working with Patron Insight (to help reinforce the promise of confidentiality with the staff), that survey was expanded to dive into details about the employee’s experiences, how he or she feels about the district’s commitment to key strategic areas, and whether he or she sees demonstrations of that commitment.

The survey will be fielded soon. For more information about this survey approach, please contact Kristin Magette, Eudora Schools director of Communications, at kristinmagette@eudoraschools.org.

Welcome to our new clients:

Bowling Green R-1 School District (Mo.)
Idaho Falls District 91 (Idaho)
Newton Public Schools USD 373 (Kan.)

Welcome back to the following clients:

School District of Washington (Mo.)
Liberty 53 School District (Mo.)
Dunklin R-V School District (Mo.)

Patron Insight, Inc
19733 Birch StreetStilwell, KS 66085 www.patroninsight.com
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