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Tough night at the ballot box...now what?

One of the most disheartening ways to spend an evening is attending a “victory party” for a school district ballot issue where everyone watches the results go south. All the hard work, passion, messaging, yard signs, etc. and somehow the voters didn’t connect with whatever the district placed before them. 

In the post-mortem following such a day, it’s easy to get caught up in playing the “What went wrong?” game. 

Usually, the first guess is “Voters just didn’t get it,” which leads to rallying cries of “Let’s get back out there and just work harder this time.” 

More often than not, that’s a bad plan. Whether your proposal lost by one vote or by thousands, the idea that you can simply push your nose further to the grindstone for the next go around and it will all turn out better is wishful thinking that can actually dig the district in an even deeper hole if (and when) you lose a second time in quick succession. 

Generally speaking, whatever the district was proposing didn’t resonate at some level with enough voters to get the job done. It was the wrong project or set of projects. It was too costly. There was a trust issue. You were going up against other tax proposals on the ballot on the same day. You talked about features (“15 new bathrooms at the high school!”), instead of benefits. 

The potential reasons are endless. That’s why the best first step is to take one (step, that is) back and conduct research with voters to find out what didn’t click. 

Random digit dial telephone research (with landlines and cell phones) allows you to pinpoint your pockets of voters, so the results reflect what your district looks like, in terms of your population pattern. As you think about what to ask, keep these items in mind:

Confirm the respondent voted, but wait to ask how he or she voted until the end. If you can’t get easy access to voting information for your election that includes phone numbers, ask early on in your survey if the person voted in the election. Thank and excuse those who did not. Once you have built up rapport, you can close the survey asking them if they would tell you how they voted. You’d be surprised how many will do so. 

Present a list of reasons “we have heard” about why the ballot issue was unsuccessful. Read that list, and ask your participants to identify which ones they thought were the most important, second-most important and third-most important. Apply a simple weighted scale to the results, and you’ll get a pretty clear picture of what happened.

Ask for advice. The last main question should be along the lines of, “If you were advising the school district on how to move forward on this proposal, what would you say?” You will be surprised at the solid counsel you’ll receive.

Above all, take a breath, grieve a bit and then get to work figuring out how to put the next proposal in the best position to win. 

Want additional information? Learn more about our post-loss research surveys on our website, read a sample report, or contact Rick Nobles at rick@patroninsight.com or (913) 484-0920.

What's on the minds of your high school seniors?

As you may know, we do surveys. A lot of surveys. For school districts, higher education, jail and fire districts, municipalities, counties, hospitals, and the list goes on.

But there is one area where we don’t do much surveying, even though it’s a key audience for our largest client group, school districts. Most school districts are missing a golden opportunity for patron feedback from a group who should be mission critical, but somehow isn’t.

I’m talking about students.

Here is a large group of young adults, a captured audience with 13 years of “corporate memory,” and you are letting them walk out the door without once asking them what they thought of their experience. They are a valuable part of the puzzle in getting a full view of the district’s landscape. And this group is far more influential with your key constituents, parents, than any other source.

Every research report we have ever done for every school district we have worked with has shown “friends and family” are the number one source of information people turn to find out what’s happening in the school district. And guess which family member parents turn to first?

So, when was the last time you asked your students – your customers – what they think about your district?

If you are interested in Senior Exit Surveying, contact Rick Nobles at (913) 484-0920 or rick@patroninsight.com.

Thumbs up: Many districts see ballot box success April 4

Patron Insight is pleased to celebrate with our school district clients who secured approval on bond issues on April 4.

We assisted these districts – who happen to all be in Missouri – with planning research that helped them shape successful efforts:

  • Belton School District
  • Festus R-VI School District
  • Park Hill School District (Read Park Hill’s research.)
  • Waynesville R-VI School District
  • Willard Public Schools  

We also had several Patron Insight “friends” who won at the ballot box on April 4. Congratulations to these Missouri school systems:

  • Fort Osage R-1 School District
  • Grandview C-4 School District
  • Kearney School District
  • Independence School District

Patron Insight is proud to say we have helped our clients raise more than $6.7 billion in new tax revenues, but we know it’s the school districts who do the real work. We commend all the districts for getting the word out and making the case to their patrons!

If your school district is aiming for a ballot election this fall or next spring, it’s time to consider the role patron research can play in your decision-making process. Patron Insight would be happy to talk you through the details, to see if you have a need to be in contact with typical patrons, or if your existing data may be sufficient.

Contact Rick Nobles at rick@patroninsight.com or (913) 484-0920.


Patron Insight Team

Ken DeSieghardt
Ken DeSieghardt
816-225-0668

Rick Nobles
Rick Nobles
913-484-0920

Craig Larson
Dr. Craig Larson
314-267-6992

Dennis Fisher
Dr. Dennis Fisher
816-392-7387

Elaine M. Warren
816-699-4921

Susan Nenonen
Susan Nenonen
913-481-7080

The Trust Project

“The amount of tangible, measurable evidence of trust is lowest among the three stakeholder groups whose trust is considered to be most important – current district parents, current students and staff members.”

Nationwide Trust Project survey of 405 public education leaders, such as Board Members, Superintendents and School Communications Directors. For a free copy of the Trust Project report, please contact the study’s author, Ken DeSieghardt, CEO/partner of Patron Insight, Inc. 913-814-7626 or ken@patroninsight.com.

Patron Insight, Inc. 
19733 Birch Street
Stilwell, KS 66085
Office: 913-814-7626 
Fax: 913-814-3864 
info@patroninsight.com


Patron Insight, Inc.
19733 Birch Street • Stilwell, KS 66085
PatronInsight.com
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