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CC’s ‘academic spaces’ graded better in survey

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Board of Education heard results Monday from a community needs assessment survey conducted Nov. 7-27.

Charles City conducted the survey earlier than required by the state, which calls for them every five years to help determine the direction of school systems. Charles City conducted its last survey in May 2014.

Hosting the survey didn’t cost the district anything, Communications Director Justin DeVore told the board. DeVore worked with Superintendent Dr. Dan Cox and AEA 267 to determine questions and a survey tool.

Since the district’s 2014 survey, it  has measured some jumps in public opinion and a few drops as well from the 697 completed surveys.

One area of surprise for the board was school district security, in which 81.5 percent of respondents agreed the district provides a “safe” learning environment. The drop from 2014 is a change of 2.9 percent, despite many security initiatives the district has taken since the last survey.

“Schools are safe places, and we have made substantial improvements to safety district-wide throughout the last few years,” Communications Director Justin DeVore told the board.

“No child left behind” alarms on school buses, safety locks on classroom doors and all building doors locked during the school day have all been policies enacted in the last few years since the 2014 district assessment, DeVore said.

“Even though we’ve had a 2.9 percent change here, 81.5 percent agree with this statement,” DeVore said.

SURVEY, turn to page 3

Student behavior issues were a common concern among survey respondents, Dr. Cox said.

The district saw the largest gain in a question asking if academic spaces “engage or inspire” — 70.37 percent agree, which is a 25.4 percent growth from the 2014 survey. A total of 70.22 percent of survey respondents also agree that the school facilities are well-maintained, a 17.1 percent increase from 2014.

The lowest opinion in the survey asked respondents if fine arts facilities needs are being met district-wide —  47.36 percent of respondents agree, an 8.7 percent drop.

Comments left on that question cited the lack of dedicated space for music and drama district-wide, and a lack of a modern auditorium, DeVore said.

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