Put on your thinking caps and get your mouse-clicking finger in shape because Oxford Schools is looking to pick residents? brains via an on-line survey.
From now until May 15, folks can visit www.oxfordschools.org and take a detailed 24-question survey assessing virtually every aspect of the school district from curriculum and facilities to staff and communication with the public.
‘We want to get some feedback from people on some of the initiatives that we have going in the district,? said Superintendent Dr. Bill Skilling. ‘I hope a lot of people respond.?
Skilling acknowledged the survey isn’t ‘scientific.?
‘We realize this won’t be scientific because there’s no way to control the number of responses an individual puts on there. We just have to hope people respond one time,? he said. ‘We have to be careful with the results, but at least it gives us an opportunity to see what people are thinking.?
The superintendent hopes it will be a good first step in garnering public input as the district moves forward. ‘Even though it won’t be scientific, I still think we’re going to get some valuable feedback,? he said. ‘It still gives people an opportunity to give feedback on how the district’s doing and what they see as some of the priorities and needs that we have.?
Following each question, space is provided for participants to write-in additional information and elaborate on their answers.
Skilling indicated the survey will be educational for some residents who may learn things about the district they weren’t aware of.
‘That helps us better understand if we are communicating effectively with the community on things that we’re doing as a district,? he said.
The superintendent hopes the survey will give folks an opportunity to ‘speak frankly.?
‘Some people will feel more comfortable doing this on-line survey where they’re anonymous versus doing it publicly at a meeting,? he explained.
School officials will factor in the survey’s results as they formulate a new bond proposal, which Skilling said will probably be on the November ballot.
The new bond proposal will be something under $50 million, according to Skilling, unlike the previous $70.135 million proposal, which voters rejected by a margin of 2,191 to 1,902 in the Feb. 24 special election.
‘Whatever we do, we’re going to scale it back,? he said. ‘I think one of the things that came out (of the bond’s failure) was people were concerned about the amount of debt that we were adding.?
Unlike the failed bond proposal, which tried to do everything all at once, Skilling said the next one will deal with the district’s need for increased student capacity by either adding capacity to the elementary schools or moving the fifth-graders to the middle school to create an intermediate school consisting of grades 5 and 6, and operating on an elementary-style schedule.
Survey Question #24 specifically addresses that issue by asking participants whether they agree or disagree with the following statement ? ‘Improving and expanding the elementary to gain additional student capacity is preferable over creating an intermediate school consisting of grades 5 and 6.?
‘We do have to address our facilities needs at some point, particularly with the elementary buildings,? Skilling said.