More than 14,000 community members, including guardians, students and district residents, completed a feedback survey for FISD, according to a Dec. 21 news release outlining results. The district partnered with the independent research firm K12 Insight to administer the survey and compile the results.
The backstory
The survey provided feedback to help district officials make decisions through the coming school years. It was available from Oct. 9-20, and it included questions about the student opportunity model, early childhood programming, and the maintenance and operations of campuses.
The results were shared with the District Advisory Council’s capital projects subcommittee in November, according to the news release. The 51-member subcommittee serves as a bond exploration group to determine if bond programs are necessary for the district, the release states.
The results
Staying within the 5A division of the University Interscholastic League is a priority for respondents, with 77% of participating parents and guardians as well as 65% of staff members wanting to continue the student opportunity model, the release states.
The student opportunity model creates increased student engagement as the district operates a higher number of elementary, middle and high schools, according to district officials. This allows a greater percentage of students to participate in leadership roles and more extracurricular activities.
In the survey, the model is a significant factor for 63% of families and 55% of staff members in the district. Over 71% of respondents were concerned about moving schools up to a 6A level, citing concerns for class size, academic opportunities and teacher attention.
Additionally, school safety in the district was rated favorably with 91% of secondary students, 89% of staff members and 83% of guardians rating the schools’ security as excellent or good.
For the conditions of campuses, 79% of guardians and 69% of staff members felt the district should focus on updating aging buildings and renovating learning environments. Additionally, more than half of all participant groups said turf should be installed at all high schools.
The district’s pre-K program is offered at the Early Childhood School and several elementary campuses. A majority of respondents said the district should expand its pre-K program to offer tuition-based options for families who do not qualify under eligibility requirements.
Respondents also indicated they would support repurposing one of FISD’s campuses into a pre-K center.
